MODULE #3 - Lesson 1

MODULE #3 - Lesson 1 Understanding Fats and the Truth About Omega-3s

Module 3 - Lesson 1 Understanding Fats and th Truth About Omega-3s Welcome to Module 3, Lesson 1. This month we will dig into the topic of fats and oils. This is an often misunderstood area of nutrition and I hope this lesson will provide you with some clarity on the subject. What We Will Be Covering Today First we will look at understanding fats and the basic premise of fats. We will also look at the truth about Omega-3s and how fats are classified and what that means to your health. We will review the best sources of Omega-3s and how essential fatty acids (EFAs) are metabolized. Fat s Many Roles Let s start off by looking at fat s roles in the body. A lot of people have the conception that fats are bad for us, but in reality they re very important. At nine calories per gram, they are much more calorically dense than carbohydrates and proteins, which have four calories per gram, respectively. In the body, fats are predominantly stored as triglycerides which comprise about 90% to 95% of the fat in our body. These can be broken down into fatty acids which are then broken down into ATP for energy. Fats are also essential for insulation too. Nordic animals tend to have more fat because they re in very, very cold climates. Fat is also very important for the cushioning of our vital organs. Every time you walk, run, or jump up and down, there s a shock that goes through your body and fat works as a shock absorber. 2

The brain is 70% fats, it is also required to transport fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble. Fats are an integral component of cell membranes, and the quality of your cell membranes is one of the most important determinants of your health. Cholesterol is very important type of fat. It is involved in the production of sex hormones, Vitamin D and bio-acids, which help to emulsify and digest fats. Cholesterol is a very important component for the cell membranes. 3

What is Fat (Lipid)? Fat is an organic compound made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. They are long chains of carbon molecules that don t dissolve in water. Since fatty acids have very little oxygen, they have poor water solubility. The main difference between fatty acids is how many double bonds they have and the length of their carbon chains. This picture on the right depicts triglycerides. Each one of these strands is a fatty acid. So triglycerides are composed of three fatty acids and a glycerol molecule. This is how fat is stored in the body. In many cases we consume fat as triglycerides. In this case, we have the example of linoliec acid, which is essentially omega-3. You can see how it is kinked, not straight and stiff like the saturated fatty acid in the picture above. Saturated fatty acids do not have double bonds, this means they re stiff, sticky, and solid. Unsaturated fatty acids have one or more double bonds. This fatty acid on the top has 1 or 2 kinks, which represent a double bond. 4

Under unsaturated fatty acids, we have two classifications: monounsaturated fatty acids, which have one double bond and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which have several double bonds. The prefix poly means several. Again, anywhere there is a kink there is a double bond. These double bonds allow the fatty acid to bend, this is why polyunsaturated fats, like oils, are more liquid than saturated fats, like butter, lard, animal fats, which are stiffer. Saturated Fats A fatty acid is saturated, when all available carbon bonds are occupied by a hydrogen atom which means there are no double bonds. This is an example of a saturated fatty acid. If you look at the molecular structure, every C has two or three H s attached to it but there are no openings. Each carbon molecules is occupied by a hydrogen atom leaving no place for a double bond. You may have heard cooking with butter is probably better than cooking with oils, one of the reasons is because butter is predominately a saturated fat making it highly stable. Highly stable means it is less likely to be interrupted or turned rancid by heat, oxygen, or light. A saturated fat is very stiff and saturated with hydrogen atoms, so they do not normally go rancid when heated for cooking. This is why you can leave butter out of the fridge. It will not go rancid because it is predominately made of very stable molecules. Since they are straight in form they can more easily pack together to make a solid or semisolid. Saturated fats are predominately found in the fat cells of animals and humans, as well as in tropical oils. On the left we have a stearic acid, it has 18 carbons. That s why it s classified as a long chain saturated fat. 5

Conversely, butyric acid, the main fat in butter, has four carbons. Caprylic acid, which is prominent in coconut oil, has 8 carbons. An example of long chain saturated fatty acid, is stearic acid which has 18 carbons and 0 double bonds. 6

A medium chain saturated fatty acid, like a caprylic acid, has 8 carbons and 0 double bonds. A short chain saturated fatty acid like butyric acid, has 4 carbons and 0 double bonds. In general, more carbons equals a longer chain, a stickier consistency, higher fat solubility, reduced digestion, and a higher melting point than those with fewer carbons. Fewer carbons make saturated fats more water soluble, easier to digest, and have a lower melting point. Fewer carbons equal more water soluble while more carbons equal more fat soluble. Longer chains tend to conglomerate in our fat cells more easily than shorter chain saturated fats. Shorter chains can be broken down more easily and digested to be used as energy. Monounsaturated Fats The next category is monounsaturated fats, which have one double bond. They lack 2 hydrogens, which makes space for that double bond. Monounsaturated fats have a kink at the site of the double bond so that they do not pack together as easily; therefore tend to be liquid at room temperature. 7

Olive oil is the classic example of monounsaturated fat. Anytime there s a double bond present in a fatty acid, it s a Catch-22 because it s indicative of something that s good, but since oxygen can be oxidized it can become rancid. So the main monounsaturated fatty acids (MOUFAs), is oleic acid, the main component of olive, almond, pecan, cashew, peanut, and avocado oils. Our body can make MOUFAs from SAFAs, thanks to a class of enzymes called desaturase enzymes. What this class of enzymes do is de-saturate fat molecules. So they ll desaturate a saturated fat, and by doing so they turn it into an unsaturated fat. Essentially add a double bond into the chain, making it less saturated. Stearic acid, as an example, becomes oleic acid. So here s a great example of these numbers again. These are just more scientific ways. A lot of the scientific journals will use this nomenclature, where stearic acid will have 18. 18 carbon, zero double bonds. Oleic acid, 18 carbon, one double bond, starting at the ninth carbon from the methyl end, and I ll show you an example of that in a second. This is a very important feature that keeps us healthy, this ability to convert fats and the utilization of these enzymes. 8

Let s look at the first molecule, the stearic acid, which has 18 carbons and no double bonds. On the left-hand side, we have what s known as the acid group which is why they are called fatty acids. On the right-hand side we have the methyl group. Before I get to double bonds, let s a look at the difference in the molecule here. If we look at the 3-D image of the stearic acid, it s a straight looking fat. If we look at a monounsaturated fatty acid, you notice the double bond in the middle. The methyl end is where you see 3 hydrogen atoms attached to 1 carbon atom attached to the carbon. We have 9 double bonds right there. If we look at the 3-D image, that double bond allows oleic acid to have a kink in its fatty acid. This kink is the component that allows oleic acid to be more liquid at room temperature. Trans fats have the opposite setup. There wouldn t be 2 hydrogens on this side there would be 1 on each side causing the molecule to stiffen, making it a bad trans fat. Polyunsaturated Fats Polyunsaturated fats have two or more pairs of double bonds so they have kinks at the double bonds. For this reason they do not pack together easily and have a low melting point. They are liquid even when refrigerated. This picture shows us a typical polyunsaturated fat, called canola oil. Losing a hydrogen around those carbon atoms leaves unpaired electrons where the double bonds are. This makes these oils highly reactive. This is good and bad, good they re highly reactive, which means that they actually contribute to a lot of chemical reactions in the body, but bad because they are very easily damaged. The more liquid the fat or the oil is, the more easily it can become damaged by light, oxygen, and heat. This is why cooking with canola oil is a terrible idea, because the heat will cause the molecule to become rancid. This can cause free radical damage in the body. The big problem with fats inside the body is the quality of the fat, not so much the quantity of the fat. 9

So, for instance, clear bottles are terrible to put polyunsaturated fats in because light can shine through. Unless you use an opaque bottle, photons will damage the double bonds. When you open the cap oxygen can now get into the oil causing oxidation. Hopefully you re starting to see that this can become a big problem for our health. As a rule of thumb, do not use liquid oils in cooking ever. Olive oil can be used some because it s a monounsaturated fat making it a bit more stable than polyunsaturated fats. You re better off using a saturated fat, like butter or coconut oil, because they re much more stable and they re not going to go rancid when exposed to heat, light, or oxygen. In nature, polyunsaturated fatty acids have both hydrogens on the same side, which is good. Trans fats would be the reverse, and that s not a good thing. The most common PUFAs in our foods are Omega-6 fatty acids, so linoleic acid (LA). LA is the same thing as Omega-6. To a lesser extent, Omega-3s, which are alpha linolenic acids (ALA). 10

Omega-3s and omega-6s cannot be produced in the body so we must obtain them from the foods we eat. This is why they re called essential fatty acids. In this figure, we have a saturated fatty acid on top, a monounsaturated fatty acid in the middle, and LA on the bottom. In the LA we have 18 carbons, two double bonds starting at the sixth carbon from the methyl end. Usually the double bonds are interspaced by three carbons. We have the first one between carbon six and seven, and the second double bond between carbon 10 and 11. LA is called Omega-6 because the first double bond is found at the site of the 6th carbon. Now, if we look at the 3-D image here, look at the difference here between oleic acid, which is a monounsaturated fatty acid with 1 double bond, and polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid. The LA has 2 kinks giving it 2 places to bend and fold making it more liquid and volatile than either a monounsaturated fat or a saturated fat. SUPER Unsaturated Fatty Acids Next we have super unsaturated fatty acids. You may have heard of EPA and DHA a component of fish oil. Both EPA and DHA have 20 carbons and 5 double bonds starting after the third carbon EPA. DHA, 22 carbons, six double bonds starting after the 3rd carbon. DHA had Six double bonds making it highly volatile. If you do not take care of these oils, they will do more damage than good since they have more than 5 double bonds. That s a great thing from a health perspective but it can also be dangerous if the oils aren t handled properly and if they are not high in quality. Again, they have tremendous health benefits because of their conversion to prostaglandins 1 and 3 and their role in cell membranes. DHA for example is abundant in brain cells, nerve synapses, the retinas, the adrenal glands, and the sex glands. They are involved in the most biochemically active cells in our body. 11

DHA is even being added to foods like white bread and they say it s good for our kids. Well, that s nonsense. DHA is very important for brain and nervous system development and are found almost exclusively in cold water fish. They also have the lowest melting point. The reason that cold water fish contain EPA and DHA is because they have a low melting point, which means that in the Arctic waters, these saturated fats will not turn solid. Imagine if these fish were full of stearic acid, they would literally turn to solid butter. It needs to contain unsaturated fatty acids which have a very low melting point. That s the reason that we find these great oils in cold water fish. They can be converted in the liver from alpha linolenic acid (ALA), which is omega-3. Composition of Fats/Oils All fats and oils are some combination of saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated omega-3 and 6 s. Even pig fat is not 100% saturated, it contains different fats, just as a food contains different components or different proportions of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. There s different quantities of all of these fatty acids all living plants and animals. Animal fat, such as butter and lard, contain about 40% to 60% saturated fat and are solid at room temperature. Olive oil is high in monounsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic acid. It is also found a little higher than the equator for example around Southern California, the Mediterranean. This is where we find the most monounsaturated fatty acids. Avocados, almonds, all of those cool foods that contain these monounsaturated fatty acids. Again, they re liquid at warm temperatures and they harden when they re refrigerated. Vegetable oils such as safflower, sunflower and flax tend to come from northern climates, and are high in polyunsaturated fatty acids. Northern climates equal colder temperatures. 12

This is why you can find these oils in colder climates. Tropical oils, like coconut oil s 92% which is saturated would turn solid in a northern climate. They re saturated because it helps in warm climates because it helps maintain stiffness in the plant leaves. You see tropical oils around the equator. If you had polyunsaturated fats in a tropical climate the plants would wilt and all the oils would rot. Short-Chain Fatty Acids So we have saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and the super polyunsaturated. Now we will discuss their length. We have short chain fatty acids, with 4 to 6 carbon atoms that are always saturated. For example butyric acid has 4 carbons and is mainly found in the butterfat from cows. Capric acid has 6 carbons and is found in the butterfat from goats. People talk about fats being dangerous and bad for us but high quality butter, when eating in moderation, can actually be good for us. Very little of the butyric acid comes in the storage form of fat. Remember, butyric acid has fewer carbons making it easier to digest and convert into energy. You re much better off eating butter than you are margarine. Medium-Chain Fatty Acids Medium chain fatty acids or medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) have 6 to 12 carbon atoms, and are found mostly in butterfat and tropical oils. I usually have a teaspoon of coconut oil every day. It has antimicrobial properties, is absorbed directly for quick energy, and it fortifies the immune system. In reality, coconut oil is similar to high quality butter. If you want to be 100% vegan, coconut oil is incredible for you. Short and medium chain fatty acids contain less carbon so they can be metabokized more quickly. Both lauric acid and capric acid and found in found in breast milk and coconut milk. The fatty acids found in coconut oil and 13

coconut milk are very similar to what s found in human breast milk. They promote increased HDL levels, which is the good type of cholesterol, and they both support the immune system. So just another reason to add coconut oil into your diet. We will discuss this in Lesson 3 but coconut oil is a good fat to use in cooking. It s a medium chain fatty acid which means it is quickly utilized for energy; it also has amazing health-promoting properties. Long-Chain Fatty Acids Long chain fatty acids contain 14 to18 carbons and can be saturated, monounsaturated, or polyunsaturated. Lard is a saturated fat and can be found in bacon. After you cook your bacon and let the pan cool you will see the lard solidify. So long chain saturated fatty acids can interfere with essential fatty acid reactions and lower metabolism. They interfere with both omega-6 and 3. Long chain unsaturated fatty acids like stearic acid and palmitic acid, make platelets more sticky. This is bad because platelets can be deposited in arteries and cells leading to atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular issues. Essentially they increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. That s just one more reason why you want to limit your consumption of animal products, specifically animal meat. Long chain saturated fatty acids are readily stored as fats, and they increase triglyceride levels in the blood, but they can also be broken down for energy. Important to understand this. Just because they re longer and they get stored as energy, in periods of fasting, if you haven t eaten all day, your body will start to break down those triglyceride stores and use those for energy purposes, but they are not used as energy as quickly as the shorter and medium chain fatty acids are. Some people might say, meats are good because they contain conjugated linolenic acid (CLA) but you also want to look at the type of meat that you re eating. 14

Wild animals contain much better sources of fats. Here s a general rule of thumb. The longer and more saturated the chain, the less healthy the fat. So the more carbons it has, and the fewer double bonds it has, the worse off it is for you. Now, EPA and DHA have a lot of carbons but they also have five and six double bonds. Fat Composition of Animal Meat At the top of this table there are classifications for different fatty acids. Palmitic acid and stearic acid are long chain saturated fatty acids. Oleic acid, which is our monounsaturated fat, linoleic acid, Omega-6, Omega-3, and EPA and DHA are long chain unsaturated fatty acids Look at the difference in saturated fat between domesticated pig and wild pig. Both palmitic acid and stearic acid are significantly greater in the domestic pig. Domesticated cattle, 28% palmitic acid, and wild cattle, 16% that is a huge difference. Again, as a rule of thumb, limit your consumption of meats and all prospectives of your health will be better. If you do eat it make sure it is organic, grass-fed, free range. Wild is better. 15

If we look at the difference in omega-6 and 3 in the domestic and wild pig we will notice a big difference at 32% for omega-6 versus 10%, 5% Omega-3 versus 0.5%. If we look at the cattle, again massive difference between wild, so much greater concentrations of Omega-6 and Omega-3, versus the domesticated, and same thing EPA and DHA. Much greater levels of EPA and DHA in the wild animals versus domesticated. So if you re going to eat meat, make sure it s good quality, as natural as possible, and you ll be a lot better off. Super Long-Chain Fatty Acids Super long chain fatty acids such as EPA, and DHA can also be classified as super long chain fatty acids. Super long chain fatty acids are usually a type of Omega-3 and they tend to be highly unsaturated with 4, 5, or 6 double bonds. EPA, and DHA, have 20 carbons and 22 carbons. Arachidonic acid is another super long chain fatty acid but it s not good for us like many others are because it is pro-inflammatory. Arachidonic acid is abundant in meat and animal products so eating it can increase inflammation. 16

All of the above minus DHA are used in the production of prostaglandins, which are localized tissue hormones that direct many cellular processes. This is one of the the biggest reasons we need more EPA and DHA in our diet. EFAs The Key to Health Essential fatty acids (EFAs), are key to health. About 10% of our body fat content is omega-6, however, vegetarians can be up to 25% since plants tend to have more of these essential fatty acids. Those with degenerative diseases only have 8% of their total body fat as Omega-6. Omega-3s comprise only 2% of our body fat, about 200 grams total. We cannot make omega-3 because we don t have the necessary enzymes to create them, however, we can convert them into hormone-like substances called prostaglandins. We eat omega-3s to ultimately acquire EPA and DHA. The truth is omega-3s alone doesn t have many health properties. The big benefits of omega-3s come from the byproducts of its conversion, which are EPA and DHA. On the right we have omega-3, alpha linolenic acid. It gets converted into EPA because of an enzyme called delta six desaturase. This enzyme is inhibited by alcohol, stress, sugar, trans fats, saturated fats, and free radicals. In order to work properly, this enzyme requires optimal levels of zinc, magnesium, B-3, B-6, and Vitamin C. If any of those are deficient you will have issues converting omega-3 into EPA. From omega-3 we get EPA. Desaturase enzymes, make these fatty acids less saturated, by essentially inserting an extra double bond. EPA gets converted into DHA, which has one more double bond, and two more carbon molecules. Delta five desaturase works on both omega-3 and omega-6 but EPA and DHA ends up turning into prostaglandins called prostaglandin-1 (PG1) and prostaglandin-3 (PG3). These are important because they are very powerful anti-inflammatory substances. Since inflammation is the root cause of many diseases we want to reduce the amount of inflammation in the body. Having more EPA and DHA will reduce inflammation. 17

Omega-6, also known as linoleic acid (LA), gets converted to gamma linoleic acid (GLA), which is beneficial type of oil found in evening primrose oil, black currant oil, star flower oil. GLA can be directly converted to PG-1 Dihomo gamma linoleic acid (DGLA) also found in breast milk, can convert into PG-1, but it can also be converted into arachidonic acid. That s why this is in red, because if the enzyme is compromised for example if it is missing a micro-nutrient or if there is too much Omega-6 in relation to Omega-3, it could be converted to arachidonic acid. Arachidonic acid leads to the creation of prostaglandin-2 (PG-2) which are pro-inflammatory. If we eat a lot of Omega-6, we can produce PG-1, but the problem is that omega-3 and omega-6 are competing for the same enzyme. If we have too much omega-6, this enzyme can t convert the omega-3s into EPA and DHA properly. The Omega-6 will eventually get broken down into arachidonic acid because, in most individuals, this conversion of DGLA and PG-1 is not as efficient as it should be. EFA Balance is Key The balance between Omega-6 and Omega-3, is vitally important. The ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 in the body is 3 to 1, iin the brain it is 1 to 1, and in fat tissue it is 5 to 1. The modern diet is upwards of 20 parts Omega-6 to one part Omega-3. That is tremendously dangerous. The reality is we started eating more processed foods with various polyunsaturated vegetable oils which all contain high concentrations of omega-6 fatty acids and we re not getting enough Omega-3. The problem is that Omega-3 and omega-6 compete for the same enzyme it tends to favor the omega-6. Fatty Acids in Seed Oils The Ugly Now it s time to discuss the ugly oils. If you think of things like chips, donuts, French fries, all these fried foods, they ve all been deep fried in one of these oils. Canola, sunflower, safflower, or sesame. 18

As you can see the omega-3 column is literally non-existent, except for canola oil which is 7%.. Canola oil actually has a decent ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 at almost 3 to 1, however, it is disintegrated at high temperatures and it is often genetically modified. 19

The other oils are 45%, 75%, and 65% Omega-6 compared to 0% Omega-3. This is one reason there is so much omega-6 in the modern Western diet. Most packaged foods have at least one of these oils. We do have grape seed oil, which is very good for you, however, almonds are mostly omega-6 so you don t want to eat them in large amounts. Walnuts have been touted as a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids, but they only have 5% Omega-3 and 51% Omega-6 which is about a 10 to 1ratio which isn t very good. Pumpkin seeds are great because they re high in protein and the ratio is pretty good. It s almost a three to one ratio, Omega-3, 30%, Omega-6, 40% in the chia seed. Flax, 58% Omega-3, 14% Omega-6. Flax is the best plant source of omega-3s. Hemp seed, perfect balance, three to one Omega-6 to Omega-3, 20% Omega-3. Adding all 3 of these seeds into your diet will improve your health. 20

How Much Do We Need? We need about 3 to 6 grams of omega-6 per day to avoid deficiency, but about 9 to18 grams is optimal. We need about 2 to 9 grams of omega-3 per day which is equal to about 1 to 2 teaspoons of oil. We need 1 gram of EPA and DHA per day. Omega-3s Keep Your Heart Happy Let s look at the powerful effects of Omega-3s. The big thing you ve probably heard is that Omega-3s keep your heart healthy. Basically every study, except for maybe one, shows that Omega-3s have powerful heart benefits. It is well documented that they keep your heart healthy and they prevent deaths from cardiovascular disease. They decrease the risk for arrhythmias, which can lead to sudden cardiac death. They decrease the risk for thrombosis, which can lead to heart attack and stroke. They decrease triglyceride and remnant lipoprotein levels, which we ll look at in Lesson 2. They decrease the rate of growth of atherosclerotic plaque. They basically decrease any kind of atherosclerosis that might be developing. They improve endophillia function, which is essentially the cell walls, or the cell membranes, lining our vessels. They can also slightly lower blood pressure. Most importantly they reduce inflammatory responses. DHA and the Brain DHA is highly concentrated in neuronal membranes, particularly within the brain. We talked about the fact that the brain is about 30% DHA. Having an adequate supply of DHA is essential for normal brain and nervous system development and behavior. It is also important for balancing mood. Sufficient DHA is required for normal dopamine and serotonin activity. 21

Those are two very important neurotransmitters in our brain in terms of mood. DHA plays a role in cell membranes and in gene expression. One of reasons it s able to seep inside the cell is that it s very fluid. It s got all those double bonds so it can make its way through very easily as opposed to like a saturated fat, which would be like really kind of sticky and stuck. So they have a lot more mobility. EPA, DHA and Inflammation Inflammation, as I ve said, is the root of many diseases, both physical and psychological. In the brain, pro-inflammatory, cytokines interfere with neurotransmitter metabolism and inhibit neuronal growth and plasticity. This means that cytokines interfere with the normal processes happening between nerve cell communications. This is usually raised by stress and depression. EPA and DHA have been shown to suppress cytokine production which limits inflammation. The anti-inflammatory actions of DHA and EPA also involve their ability to suppress the expression of a wide variety of inflammatory genes, specifically one called nuclear factor KB. I m not going to get too technical, but I just want you to know that DHA and EPA have a powerful effect at the DNA level. I hope you can see that adequate DHA and EPA is very important for normal function of the brain, immune system, and your overall body. Really, all levels of health. Best Sources of Omega-3s Now, what are some of the best sources of Omega-3? I guess I should clarify this, just in case you re a little bit confused. Omega-3s, EPA and DHA are a type of Omega-3. They re just more unsaturated than alpha linolenic acid, which is the traditional Omega-3 that we think about. They are just more unsaturated. They have more double bonds and slightly more carbons than traditional ALA, which is alpha linolenic acid. 22

We need to differentiate the two, because as you re going to see in a second, Omega-3 is not the same as EPA and DHA. Flax seed and flax seed oil are the best source of Omega-3. The difference here, flax seed oil obviously has a lot more, 8.5 grams of Omega-3 per tablespoon versus the seeds which have 2.2 grams of Omega-3 per tablespoon, but again if you have one tablespoon, you ll meet your daily requirement but is that enough? We ll see. Hemp seeds, hemp seed oil, chia seeds, chia seed oil, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin seed oil, walnuts, walnut oil, chlorella are also a good source of alpha linolenic acid Omega-3s. Leafy green vegetables are also a source of ALA Omega-3s. Now, EPA and DHA, which again are these super unsaturated longer chain Omega-3s, predominantly found in cold water fish, Alaskan salmon. If you re going to have salmon, go for Alaskan salmon because it has the least amount of contamination. 23

Generally, the smaller the fish the better. Fish oil is my personal preference, and look for a fish oil coming from small fish, things like sardines, anchovies and one that has been molecularly distilled. Krill and krill oil, Krill are little critters that a lot of fish feed on. A lot of people tout krill oil as the best source of EPA and DHA. I haven t actually personally used it, but it makes a lot of sense. Algae oil if you re 100% vegan and you don t want to do fish oil. Algae oil might be a really good option. Some of them are DHA only; some of them do contain EPA and DHA. So you just have to look out for that, and some grassfed meats, or a lot of grass-fed meat actually, has a good source of EPA and DHA, as we talked about earlier with the wild pig and wild cattle had really actually elevated sources of EPA and DHA, but not the domesticated versions. So, how much fish do you need to get the adequate amount of EPA and DHA. So let s look at Sardines. You re going to be getting 0.98 to 1.7 grams of EPA and DHA per three-ounce serving. So right there, that s already met your daily requirement of one gram. So the amount required to meet one gram would be two to three ounces, which is not a lot. If you don t like sardines, that s fine. 24

Maybe wild sockeye salmon. I ve given up on wild sockeye salmon because I just find it so dry when I cook it, I don t really enjoy the taste anymore, but again, 0.68 grams of EPA and DHA per three-ounce serving. You would need 4.5 ounces of that salmon to get your required levels of EPA and DHA. Farmed salmon seems to have more EPA and DHA. I m not too sure if it s because of what they re fed. I still would not choose farmed fish at all, because of what they re fed. Go wild whenever possible. For Atlantic herring, wild has 1.7 grams of EPA and DHA per three-ounce serving. So, again, you don t even need a whole serving there. Cod liver oil, you need about five capsules at a level of 0.19 grams per gram of oil. Fish oil, again, it s going to depend on the quality of the fish oil and the source. One of the studies we will review said a certain fish oil had 0.3 grams per gram of oil of EPA and DHA. You would need about three tablespoons of that particular fish oil to get your requirement for EPA and DHA. Now, I ll show you a much, much better oil that I use that you won t have to take as much of. 25

Can You Get All You Need Through Food? Can you get all the Omega-3s, EPA, and DHA you need through food? Well, it depends. If you re eating fish, yes. If you are vegan, maybe. So if you re eating fish, one gram of DHA and EPA, and about three grams of Omega-3 per day, which is actually the American Heart Association recommendation, is just two to three small servings of fish per week Be careful of contaminants like mercury. In general, you want to go wild, but if it s wild it might have more contamination. Again, Wild Alaskan salmon seems to be the safest commercial option if you can find it. If you can t stick to the smaller fish, anchovies, sardines. If you don t like the taste, that s fine, but smaller the better. Again, for variety and overall health benefits, not just from the fatty acids but also from the protein and the fiber, think about things like flax, hemp, chia. These are amazing super foods that taste so good and they re rich in Omega- 3s. Fish oil is still the best source of EPA and DHA, by far, and that s what we re after in the first place. Important EPA & DHA Considerations So now we re going to talk about something that will blow your minds. About 99% of the studies have looked at show that the conversion of ALA to DHA is about 1% in infants and considerably lower in adults. Very few studies in adults show that bloodstream or breast milk DHA concentrations increase following several weeks of increased dietary Omega-3 supply. Most studies show no improvement. The human body is not able to convert Omega-3s into DHA, and again, the highest conversion is happening in infants, less than seven months old, and that s only 1%. Just imagine how much Omega-3 you would have to consume to maybe get your one gram of DHA and EPA. 26

So Omega-3 ALA appears to contribute little to circulating DHA when added to a diet that already contains some alpha linolenic acid Omega-3 and high Omega-6 levels. Supplementation of the diet with high levels of Omega-3s, ALA, leads to small but significant increases in EPA. So let me just back up for a second. I m going to go to the previous point, supplementing with Omega-3 contributes very little to your DHA levels when added to a diet that already contains Omega-3 and high amounts of Omega-6s. Remember, we talked about Omega-6s and Omega-3s competing for that same enzyme, delta six desaturase. If there s a lot of Omega-6 in the diet, you re going to have a very tough time converting to DHA. So if you want more EPA, you re going to have to supplement with preformed EPA, and the same thing with DHA. If you want more DHA, you re going to have to supplement, or eat EPA and DHA directly through fish. This is actually coming from the official statement: Number 5, Alpha Linolenic Acid Supplementation and Conversion to Long Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Humans. This was done in 2009, and is the go-to paper on this subject. If you want more EPA and more DHA, you need to get right to the source. Omega-3 is not going to cut it. Again, this next point is basically just saying the same thing I just said. If you have too much Omega-6 versus Omega-3 in your diet, you re not going to get the big benefit of any of the EPA and DHA conversions coming from Omega-3 sources, whether it s chia seed, hemp seed, flax seeds, walnuts. None of that s really going to matter if you have too much Omega-6 in the first place, and this next point says the same thing. Not only does Omega-6 and Omega-3 compete for the same enzyme, they also compete with one another at the cellular membrane, as components of the cellular membrane, which is not a good thing. EPA and DHA status can be improved by increasing their intake or by decreasing Omega-6, linoleic acid intake, and really a combination of the two is likely to be most effective. Reducing your intake of Omega-6 fatty acids and increasing intake of EPA and DHA fish oil or fish your best solution. 27

ALA Conversion and Fish Oil vs. Flax Oil ALA conversion and fish oil versus flax oil. A lot of people have asked can I get my Omega-3s if I m not eating fish? Well we now know that the conversion from ALA to EPA is about 3.8%. So it s a little bit higher than DHA, which is again, less than 1%. If your ratio of polyunsaturated fats to saturated fatty acids is out of whack, and if there s a lot of cholesterol, it s going to impact how well your body converts Omega-3s. The most important thing is that the competition between Omega-3 and Omega-6 for delta six desaturase. If there s too much Omega-6, it s going to get more attention from that enzyme and not enough Omega-3 will be converted. I mentioned earlier, ALA, alpha linolenic acid, Omega-3 itself, is of little biological use itself. It comprises just 0.05% of our cell membranes. It really is insignificant in terms of what it does for our health. We need the EPA and DHA. 30% of retina and brain tissue are those two molecules. Again, they are a conversion product from Omega-3 fatty acids, but they can also directly come from cold water fish and some micrology as well. So we do not get EPA or DHA from flax oil. So if you have a flax oil in your fridge now, and actually I do just because I enjoy the taste in some of my salad dressings, but remember, you re not going to be getting EPA or DHA from flax oil. Maybe, if you re drinking the whole bottle at once, you might get your one gram of EPA and DHA, but I would never recommend that because that s overdoing it. Remember the difference between something that s a poison and a miracle cure is simply dosage. 28

What About Sea Vegetables? What if I don t want to do the fish oil, what if I don t want to eat fish? Well, I have some good news and bad news for you. Like humans, fish are unable to synthesize Omega-3 double bonds. So they are essential fatty acids for fish as well, but the good thing is that they feed upon cold water micro algae that do have the capacity to produce EPA and DHA. So EPA and DHA are essentially produced in micro algae, specifically in cold waters, and then fish eat the micro algae, and then their stores are a lot higher, and in some cases human eat fish. Coastal populations, who eat a lot of fish and marine animals, generally have the lowest incidence of heart disease, and that s because they re getting very, very high amounts of Omega-3, EPA, and DHA as well. People talk about chlorella, spirulina. I love both of these, but they do not contain significant amounts of EPA or DHA. Chlorella is high in Omega-3, but it s not EPA or DHA. It s actual alpha linolenic acid, that specific fatty acid. Spirulina is high in GLA, gamma linoleic acid. I mean, I still use them. I still use both, but I m also aware that they re not a great source of the EPA and DHA that we need. Algae oil might be the best option if you re a strict vegan. Now, personally I have not used algae oil so I don t really have any good recommendations for you, but if you do your research, just look around, and just try things out. You ll never know until you try, but an algae oil might be your best bet because that is the ultimate source of those two components. Now, the chart here: I m not going to go through all of this. If you have deficiencies in EFAs, you are going to be looking at things like skin problems, growth retardation, failure of wound healing, sticky platelets, high triglycerides, blood pressure problems, sterility, miscarriages. Not a good thing. So you want to make sure that you eat your Omega-3s and Omega-6s, you re getting them in, and you re getting them in that right balance. Three to one, Omega-6 to Omega-3 is the ideal range. 29

The Power of EFAs Let s continue on with the power of essential fatty acids in general. They attract oxygen, very important. They absorb sunlight, and they carry slight negative charges, and we ll talk about why that s important in the next lesson. They re very chemically active in the body. EPA and DHA are in the most chemically active organs and glands and cells in our body. Functions, energy production, oxygen transfer, hemoglobin production, membrane component, speed recovery from exercise, produce prostaglandins, growth, cell division, reduce inflammation, brain development, it goes on and on and on. These are very, very important fatty acids that our body cannot produce. We must be getting them from our diet. Again, I m going to just keep hitting on this point. Very, very important components of cell membranes. Cell membranes are so important. They are like the walls of your fortress. If the walls are built out of raggedy sticks, bad stuff can come in, but if your walls are fortified with great quality brick and soldiers and snipers, you re going to be a lot better off. Your cells are going to much healthier. 30

EFAs and Prostaglandins So we talk about prostaglandins. Prostaglandins, remember, are short-lived hormone-like chemicals that regulate cellular activities. There are three groups. We ve got series one, or PG-1, which is good, derived from Omega-6. Series two, which is also derived from Omega-6, via the arachidonic acid pathway, and they are bad. Then we ve got the series three, or PG-3, which are indirectly good, derived from Omega-3s. They re actually directly good because of EPA and DHA, not so much the Omega-3 itself. Powerful Prostaglandins PG-1, the ones that are coming from our Omega-6 pathways, prevent platelets from sticking together, help remove excess sodium, relax blood vessels, improve circulation, slow cholesterol production, decrease inflammation, improve nerve function, boost T-cell immune function, prevent the release of arachidonic acid from cell membranes, and more. That s a very important last point there, the preventing of the release of arachidonic from cell membranes. If it prevents the release of arachidonic acid from cell membranes, then there s less arachidonic to be converted into PG-2 in the blood. PG-2 is the bad prostaglandin, and it does the exact opposite of PG-1. It s literally the antagonist. So we don t want that. We don t want a lot of it. The problem is that most Westerners have too much PG-2 versus PG-1, mainly due to high consumption of animal meats, which is high in arachidonic acid, and poor quality Omega-6 oils, the canola, the sunflower, cooking with all those oils, a lot of deep fried foods. Those are the big culprits of having too much PG-2. PG-3, which, again, is coming predominantly from the Omega-3 side of things, has very similar effects to PG-1, but mainly through EPA s role in preventing the release of arachidonic acid from cell membranes. So once again, EPA inhibits the release of arachidonic acid from the cell membrane, which means that we get less PG-2 production, which is good. We don t want PG-2 because it s inflammation, pro-inflammatory. We don t want too much of that. Once again, just a recap of EFA metabolism: We want more PG-3 and more PG-1 and less PG-2. In order to get more PG-3, we need more Omega-3, 31

and ideally, really, more EPA and DHA directly via fish oil, micro algae, or fish directly, and we need to limit our consumption of Omega-6, because of all the stuff that can happen, and its pathway into arachidonic acid. Recap Fats and oils come in many different shapes and sizes, being classified by their length and degree of saturation. Shorter fatty acids are easier to digest and are burned as immediate fuel compared to long chain fatty acids, but remember if you overdo it eventually that will be stored as fat. So just keep that in mind. The longer the fatty acid and the stiffer it is, the less healthy it is for you and your health. So the more carbons and the fewer double bonds it has the worse off. Omega-3s are vitally important for our health, but we ultimately need EPA and DHA from marine sources for maximum benefits. The Omega-3 itself is not the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It s the EPA and DHA which we need. 32

Your Assignment So your assignment for today, is very simple. I want to ask you 2 questions. Do you have any green leafy vegetables, walnuts, flax, chia, hemp, fish and/ or fish oil in your fridge? If not, you may want to stock up. Otherwise, your Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio could be well off, and now we know what the problem if that will be. Second, go through your food journal. Have a look at the foods you ve been eating. Are most of the foods you ve been eating high in Omega-6 fats? One way of looking at, if you re not too sure which foods are high in Omega-6 fats, remember, generally a lot of seed oils, a lot of plant oils, those polyunsaturated oils, other than the chart, the good ones, that I showed you, everything else like the corn, a lot of the soy, a lot of that stuff s going to be very high in Omega-6, almonds. Another very easy way of doing this, if you don t see things like fish, fish oil, hemp, chia, flax, walnuts, in your food journal, you know that you re not getting enough Omega-3s. So by default, your Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio is going to be off, and you may want to look at getting more of those foods that we just talked about into your body. 33

Coming in Lesson 2 In Lesson 2 you re going to be blown away, because we re going to be talking about cholesterol, exploring the cholesterol myth, how fat is digested, absorbed, and transported throughout the body, the role of fat in cell membranes, possibly the most important lesson in this entire university, and more. Lesson 2 s going to be phenomenal.. Once again, hope you re enjoying these lessons. Hope you re learning a lot, and more importantly, that you re taking action on what we ve been talking about. 34