Jamieson Health Center Newsletter

July 28, 2010

Volume 2, Number 6

 

Dear friends and patients,

 

Let me ask you a few questions.

 

True or False?

1. Eating too much fat will make you fat.

2. Eating too much saturated fat causes heart disease.

3. Polyunsaturated fats like soy oil, corn oil, and safflower oil that you buy from the grocery store are good for your health.

4. If you’re trying to eat a healthier diet, you should choose margarine over butter.

5. Lard is a saturated fat.

6. Hydrogenated vegetable oils that almost all restaurants use to cook with, and that are found in tens of thousands of processed food products, are good for our bodies.

7. Fats should be limited to as little as possible for health reasons.

8. Cholesterol and saturated fat cause cardiovascular disease.

 

All answers are false. If you answered ‘true’ to any of them, you may be a victim of the many unfortunate misconceptions about fats and oils found in the popular literature. This may be the cause of your confusion and also some of your health issues.

 

I recommend reading the book “Know your fats” by Mary Enig, Ph.D., a world-class lipid researcher at the University of Maryland.

 

Or start with one of her articles on the Weston Price Foundation website called “The Oiling of America”, in which she shares about her quest to reveal the truth about fats and trans fats, exposing corruption in the food industry, the government and the medical establishment. 

 

The bottom line is this:

·          Trans-fats are bad for you

·          Saturated fats are good for you

·          Any processing in oils destroys their nutrients and adds free radicals

·          Polyunsaturated fats like most vegetable oils shouldn’t be heated and most of them are rancid

·          Use only extra-virgin olive oil

·          Essential fatty Acids like Omega-6 and Omega-3s need to be properly balanced to be healthy for you

 

According to Mary Enig, an ideal balance of fats and Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) is as follows:

 

·          20-30% of calories in your diet should be from natural fat

·          Omega-3 EFAs should comprise 1-1.5% of calories consumed

·          Omega-6 EFAs should comprise 2-3% of calories consumed

·          Sufficient intake of saturated and monounsaturated fats is necessary for EFAs to function properly

·          Do not eat any trans fats.

I encourage you to carefully read the entire newsletter and know your good fats! Next time, I’ll explain why trans fats are poison for you, so in the mean time, avoid them completely.

Yours in good health,

Dr. Samuel Jamieson, D.C.

 

The truth about fats.

 

Fats (the solids kind) and oils (the liquid kind) all consist of different amounts of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids as you can see in the table below. We call fats saturated or unsaturated, depending on the predominant fatty acid they contain.

 

 

Monounsaturated fats are in chicken fat, duck fat, goose fat, turkey fat, olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, hazel nuts, almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, avocados.

 

And yes, lard actually contains more monounsaturated fatty acids, so it’s not a saturated fat.

 

Although olive oil is the best vegetable monounsaturated fat to use in cooking because of its high oxidation threshold, it is not recommended for repeated use or deep frying. Purchasing extra virgin olive oil ensures that it has not been extracted with heat or detergents. Olive oil that is not labeled “Extra Virgin” comes to stores already denatured and containing high amounts of free radicals from the extraction process.

 

Polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) are in corn oil, soy oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, cotton seed oil, walnuts, flax oil, hemp oil, herring, salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel.

 

Omega-3 and Omega-6 are PUFAs. Omega-6 is mostly found in vegetable oils, while Omega-3 is found in seed oils and green plant chloroplasts. Grass fed beef contains Omega-3s, while corn fed beef contains Omega-6s.

 

We’ve been told relentlessly that PUFAs are good for our health and to increase our consumption. Unfortunately, PUFAs cause many health problems. One of the biggest reasons PUFAs are so unhealthy is because they are very volatile and therefore susceptible to becoming oxidized or rancid when exposed to heat and light. The polyunsaturated oils you buy in grocery stores are already rancid. They should have been refrigerated.

 

Those oils should never be used in cooking, frying or baking. Heating these oils causes oxidation and produces large amounts of free radicals, which:

 

·         Attack cell membranes

·         Cause damage to DNA/RNA strands, triggering mutations in tissues throughout the body

·         Cause wrinkles and premature aging

·         Damage tissues and organs and sets the stage for tumors

·         Damage blood vessels and initiate plaque buildup

·         Cause autoimmune diseases like arthritis

·         Cause Alzheimer’s

·         Cause cataracts

 

Saturated fats are in beef tallow, butter, palm oil, coconut oil.

 

Because of their biochemistry, saturated fats are very stable and generally do not go rancid. These fats are the best sources for cooking because of their stability and the positive functions they play in our bodies.

 

Yes, they are healthy for you. And here is why. Saturated fats:

·         Constitute at least 50% of your cell membranes and give your cells integrity.

·         Play a vital role in the health of your bones.

·         Lower Lp(a), a substance in your blood that is said to indicate proneness to heart disease.

·         Protect your liver from alcohol and other toxins like Tylenol (Acetaminophen).

·         Enhance your immune system.

·         Are needed for proper utilization of essential fatty acids.

·         Stearic acid and palmitic acid, both saturated fats, are the preferred energy source of your heart. This is why the fat around your heart muscle is mainly saturated. The best sources for palmitic acid are beef, butter and palm oil.

·         Have strong antimicrobial properties and help protect you from harmful microorganisms.

 

For more information about fats, EFAs, call our office at 408-517-0706 or visit our website at www.jamiesonhealthcenter.com.

Fats or oils – what are they?

Technically called lipids, fats (the solid kind) and oils (the liquid kind) are made up of many types of fatty acids. Fatty acids are the same whether they come from plants or animals, but their proportion is what makes them different.

 

A fatty acid (FA) is a molecule that is made up of a chain of carbon atoms. Saturated fats possess two hydrogen atoms for every carbon atom in the chain. A fatty acid missing two or more hydrogen atoms along the chain, creating double carbon bonds is called unsaturated.

 

A fatty acid with one double bond is referred to as mono-unsaturated, two or more double bonds make it polyunsaturated (PUFAs). Omega 3 and Omega 6 FAs are PUFAs. The number indicates the carbon atom where the first double bond occurs.

 

What are Essential Fatty Acids?

Essential fatty acids are considered essential because your body cannot make them or synthesize them. They have to be absorbed from your diet. Omega-3 and Omega-6 are Essential Fatty Acids. They help boost your metabolism, and participate in many important functions. To name just a few:

 

·          Formation of all cell and organ membranes

·          Hormone and prostaglandin precursors

·          Anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal

·          Normalize cholesterol and triglyceride levels

·          Crucial to normal nerve and brain structure and function

·          Proper immune system function

·          Enhance memory and learning

·          Increase energy

·          Stop sweet and food cravings

·          Decrease cellulite deposits

·          Prevent hyperactivity, anxiety

·          Increase ability to handle stress

·          And much more!

Balancing EFAs and natural fats is required for optimal health.

 

Your brain and your hormones need saturated fats.

Saturated fat intake should make up the majority of fat intake (about 30% of your diet). Most fat structures like your brain, nerve tissues, cell membranes and steroid hormones are composed of saturated fats. This is so because they are stable at room and body temperature. Unsaturated fats are not stable at body temperature and must be protected with antioxidant nutrients.

 

If you consume large amounts of unsaturated fatty acids, you will tax your antioxidant reserve beyond capacity. This will result in the need to refrigerate yourself; if not your brain and your blood will go rancid!  Unfortunately, the myth of saturated fats causing heart disease and other health problems is thoroughly ingrained in our society, yet it’s totally wrong.

 

Omega-6 and Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids need to be properly balanced.

EFAs should comprise a very small portion of your fat intake (about 5% of overall fat ingestion). Unfortunately, the average American diet has so few Omega-3s that the average Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio is around 27 to 1. It should be around 3 to 1.

 

Many people don’t know that this can exacerbate their current conditions of pain, inflammation, fatigue, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, and cancer. In fact, many chronic diseases are driven, in part, by an excessive intake of Omega-6’s and a deficient intake of Omega-3’s.

 

Too much Omega-6 causes the production of disease promoting, pro-inflammatory molecules in the cells. They need to be balanced with Omega-3’s which contain anti-inflammatory molecules.

 

Most people need to over-emphasize the Omega-3s, and tone down Omega-6 oils for a period of time.

Also stop poor-quality Omega-6 and supplement with good quality Omega-6 as found in Black Currant Seed Oil, Evening Primrose Oil and Sesame Seed Oil.

 

Fatty fish such as ocean caught salmon and tuna, grass fed beef and organ meats from grass fed animals, eggs from free-roaming pasture pecking chickens, flaxseed oil as found in Linum B6, and Tuna Omega-3 Oil are good sources of Omega-3.

 

I recommend the Standard Process Tuna Omega-3 Oil, since it contains DHA and EPA, derivatives of Omega-3, in a naturally occurring 5:1 ratio. It is especially good for people who have issues with the metabolism of Omega-3 into DHA and EPA. Those nutrients are essential for your brain development, and support your immune system and healthy joint function. They reduce pain associated with inflammation. Expecting mothers require more DHA to also ensure the proper brain and vision development of their unborn baby in addition to their own needs.

 

For more information about diet, nutrition, fats and EFAs, call our office at 408-517-0706 or visit our website at www.jamiesonhealthcenter.com.

 

JAMIESON HEALTH CENTER

      Samuel R. Jamieson, D.C.

Applied Kinesiology

Nutrition

Emotional Stress Relief

Total Body Modification

Advanced NeuroFeedback

 

1175 Saratoga Ave, Ste 8

San Jose, CA 95119

Phone 408.517.0706

Email drjamieson@sbcglobal.net

 

 

We’re on the Web!

www.jamiesonhealthcenter.com

 

 

Seminars we’ve taken.

Since I want to make a difference in your lives and that of your children, I’m constantly trying to keep up with the latest developments in healing practices and new discoveries in the area of alternative holistic medicine. To that end, I have attended the following seminars and conferences over the last several months:

·          International College of Applied Kinesiology Annual Meeting 2010

·          Functional Endocrinology

·          Doctor of the Future – The Practice of Rational Intervention

·          NeuroEndocrine-Immune Axis of Andropause

·          Metabolic Biotransformation: an overview of detoxification and weight management

·          Restoring Gastrointestinal Health

·          Practical Blood Chemistry

·          Functional Neurology for the Primary Care Provider

·          Neurotransmitters and Brain

·          Applied Brain Concepts

·          The Thyroid-Brain–Immuno Connection

·          Restorative Endocrinology: Balancing Female Hormones in Menopausal Women

·          Restorative Endocrinology: Balancing Hormones in Cycling Women

·          The Impacts of Estrogen on the NeuroEndocrine-Immune Axis

·          Restorative Endocrinology: Balancing Male Hormones

·          Advanced Nutrition Therapeutics for Addictions and OCD

 

Some patients have asked about previous newsletters and they can be found on our website at http://www.jamiesonhealthcenter.com/archive.htm

 

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