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Some Fats Are Good for You! Web MD - 8/02 |
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Despite
the many public outcries that the American diet is too full of fat, it
turns out that 90% of us don't get enough of the fats that are good for
us. Dietitians and nutritionists call these "essential fatty
acids," or EFAs, and these fats are exactly that: essential to good
health.
"A balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are
vital to cardiac function, joint health, insulin balance, mood stability,
skin health, and even gene expression, but our consumption of omega-3 is
down 80%, while our consumption of omega-6 has increased several hundred
percent," says Artemis Simopoulos, MD, editor in chief of World
Review of Nutrition and Dietetics and author of The Omega Diet. Too much omega-6 can worsen inflammatory diseases and
degenerative diseases. In people with arthritis, for example, Simopoulos
says a diet heavy in omega-6 rich corn oil can worsen the person's
symptoms. Give that same person a diet rich in fish oils, and their
symptoms will improve. The point here, she says, is that our bodies need both
omega-3 and omega-6, but you need them in a balance. The ideal ration of
the oils is still being investigated, but the vast majority of Americans
need lots more omega-3, and much less omega-6. "Through human history, people hunted and ate fish
and ate greens," she says. "Up until 150 years ago, most people
had diets that were very balanced in essential fatty acids. That's
important because these fats work in opposition to each other. Too much of
one or the other can cause a variety of problems in the body. Modern diets
are really poor in omega-3." Get the Good Fat Since our bodies do not make EFAs, we can only get them in
food. Omega-6 is found in corn and some other vegetable oils, such as
safflower oil, says Simopoulos. Since modern diets are full of corn oil,
we get too much omega-6. Omega-3, on the other hand, is found in fish and
fish oil, all green leafy vegetables, flax seed, hemp, and walnuts, and as
we don't eat as much of these as we should, we are mostly low in this fat. "You have to start with the idea that all fats are
calorie-dense foods that need to be consumed in moderation," says
Elaine Feldman, MD, professor emeritus of medicine at the Medical College
of Georgia in Augusta, who has done extensive research on EFAs. "So
it's important to consume healthy fats when you are eating fats. Choose
fish at least twice a week, eat leafy vegetables, and cut out as much
animal fat and hydrogenated vegetable oil as possible." Simopoulos says there are three
things we should do to get more omega-3 in our diets: Dump the Trans Fat "Just as important as getting more good fat in your
diet is getting rid of trans fatty acids, which appear on ingredient
labels as hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated vegetable oils,"
says Feldman. Trans fatty acids are used in the prepared food industry
to prolong the shelf life of baked goods like cookies, crackers, and most
supermarket peanut butter, to name just a few. The FDA is in the process
of considering adding trans fatty acid information to labels on foods so
consumers will be more aware that they are eating this fat. "Trans fats should just be banned by the FDA as soon
as possible," says Simopoulos. "These fats are just plain
dangerous to good health, and we eat them in just about anything baked or
fried item that comes in a package. In Holland, use of these fats has been
banned." One of the worst aspects of trans fatty acids, says
Simopoulos, is that the body will take them up more readily than good fat. "Trans fats interferes with the normal metabolism of
EFAs," she says. "So not only do we not get enough of the fats
we need, but these unhealthy fats force our body to take up less of what
little good fats we do get." "Mere labeling is insufficient," she says.
"In my opinion it's outrageous that we allow these products to be
used at all."
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