Inflammation and Chronic Disease - Putting Out the Fire with Omega-3 It’s not often that we connect the dots between inflammation and chronic disease. It’s also unlikely that we think of our diet as a factor in feeding the systemic inflammation that causes many types of chronic disease. However, it has become a well established fact that our diet and the types of oils that we eat are at the center of these issues. This article discusses how to put out the fire of chronic inflammation with Omega-3 oils. For several decades we have used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as ibuprofen, to treat pain that is often caused by inflammation. More recently a new class of drugs called Cox-2 inhibitors such as Celebrex and Vioxx have been used to treat arthritis, swelling, etc. Cox-2 is a key enzyme that helps the body produce compounds called prostaglandins and cytokines. These in turn cause inflammation. Cox-2 is essential for your body to heal from injuries or to fight infections. But when the body continually overproduces Cox-2, the result is chronic inflammation and, as we now know, numerous other health issues. The questions to be answered are: (1) Why is too much Cox-2 being released into our bodies? (2) What can we do to prevent this from happening? Is it possible that relatively minor dietary changes can correct some major health problems plaguing modern society? Numerous clinical studies have verified that the culprits are certain nutritional deficiencies and imbalances. Consider that almost every biological function is somehow interconnected with the delicate balance between Omega-3 and Omega-6 oils (also called fatty acids but you can ignore the technical jargon). A deficiency of Omega-3 is positively correlated with over 50 diseases and illness. Here is a partial list: arthritis asthma atherosclerosis autoimmune disease bipolar disorder cancer cardiovascular disease depression diabetes fibromyalgia gingivitis inflammatory bowel disease lupus erythematosus multiple sclerosis obesity psoriasis I’m not saying that every one of these conditions is 100% caused by inflammation. But, there is substantial evidence that inflammation plays a large part, if not a central role, in these diseases. The evidence shows that stopping systemic inflammation can play a major role in reversing these diseases and improving our overall health. For example, Paul M. Ridker, M.D., Ph.D., Harvard Medical School cardiologist and Director for the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston says that there is “a fundamental revolution in how we understand what causes heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes. It opens up phenomenal new ways to predict, prevent and treat killer diseases.” He has written and lectured extensively on the benefits of treating systemic inflammation. Bruce Ames from UC Berkeley and former board member of the National Cancer Institute has stated that "chronic inflammation is a major cause of cancer in the world because it releases powerful oxidants which both stimulate cell division and are mutagens." In this article, I will outline the causes of the rampant inflammation epidemic and some very simple steps you can take to put out the fire of chronic inflammation and substantially improve your health. How Did We Get Here It’s not a coincidence that many of the modern diseases listed above have exploded in the past two or three generations. If there is a connection between our diet and these diseases, what changed in the Western diet? A popular study in the early 1950’s created a theory called the “Lipid Hypothesis”. This theory blamed all of the modern dietary woes on saturated fat. This theory was quickly adopted by the medical community and led to a host of exceptionally bad products such as margarine, hydrogenated oils and trans fats. Now that we are a few decades wiser, we realize that these products are outright deadly. What the proponents of the Lipid Hypothesis failed to see is that another change in the Western diet was the culprit for the flurry of modern ailments. As part of the industrial revolution, we introduced vegetable oils into out diet at a rate never seen before in history. Today the four products that constitute 96% of all the oils in the American diet are soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, and canola oil. These vegetable oils are all devoid of Omega-3’s and have a high level of Omega-6’s. The problem with this is that the balance of these oils is crucial for our health. Historically, we had a 1:1 ratio between Omega-3’s and Omega- 6’s. Today, that ratio is closer to 20:1 in favor of Omega-6’s. We are tremendously deficient in Omega-3’s. At the same time, while the industrial revolution provided these vegetable oils for human consumption, our supplies of meat were undergoing a similar change. The modern method of raising livestock is to fatten them as quickly as possible to increase profits. The technique used is pen feeding of our livestock with grains that are high in Omega-6 and devoid of Omega-3. The result is a meat that is much higher in Omega-6 with very little Omega-3. As an example, an egg from a free-range chicken that eats grass and bugs has an Omega oil ratio close to 1:1 while an egg from a modern chicken farm is closer to 10:1. Likewise, a fish raised on a fish farm that grew up eating Purina Fish Chow instead of eating other smaller fish, who themselves fed on phytoplankton, results in a farm-grown fish with lower levels of Omega-3. You’ve heard the saying that you are what you eat? Well, that applies to our food supply also. We are eating many times as much Omega-6 oils as our great- grandparents and that’s what is getting us into so much trouble. Current estimates are that we consume 20 times as much Omega-6 as we do Omega-3. That’s a 20:1 ratio which should be closer to 1:1 for good health. So, What’s the Big Fat Deal? To explain the big fat deal, I’ll talk a little about the science of these fatty acids. Don’t check out on me. I promise to give you an easy to remember guideline. There are some fats that are “essential”. That means that our bodies need them for us to survive and our bodies can not synthesize them from other things that we eat. We have to get them directly from our diet. Omega-3 and Omega-6 are both “essential”. Therefore, Omega-6 is not the enemy. We need it for good health. We just get way too much of it. Here is the key to remember: Omega-6 is inflammatory Omega-3 is anti-inflammatory Diets providing too much Omega-6 oils and not enough Omega-3 stimulate inflammation in the body. Omega-3 oils stimulate anti-inflammatory pathways in the body. As a result Omega-6 has been coined as "bad" and Omega-3 as "good". In fact both are essential for human health and it is the balance of the two in relation to each other that is important. When we eat a disproportionate amount of Omega-6, it begins a cascade of pro-inflammatory activity. The situation becomes chronic and the result is noticeable pain and unseen disease. In a landmark study, researchers in Japan found what they believe to be the basic cause of degenerative diseases in Japan, if not the world. Their work has confirmed the volumes of emerging scientific research which is revealing that the cause of degenerative diseases is based on a drastic reduction in our diets of Omega-3 along with the increase in our diets of Omega-6. Their findings came after a review of over 500 peer-reviewed studies. Here is a brief summary of their findings: In another study, the relationship between diet, inflammation, and cancer was demonstrated by researchers at the American Health Foundation in Valhalla, NY. In animal experiments, they noted that corn oil (rich in omega-6) increased Cox-2 activity, whereas fish oil (rich in omega-3) reduced Cox-2 activity. The researchers also showed that the omega-6 fatty acids could promote the growth of colon cancer, whereas the omega-3 fatty acids prevented cancer. Obviously, we need to get the ratio of these Omega oils into line in our diet. The good news is that it’s not that hard. But I'm Healthy - Do I Have A Problem? Everyone on a western diet will suffer from low grade inflammation eventually. Maybe you are young and healthy now but sooner or later your body will begin to show the effects of the western diet as chronic inflammation takes it's toll. So, you want proof that you are having unseen internal inflammation? I have the answer for you. The best marker for internal inflammation is routinely checked when your doctor does any blood work for you. It’s called C-reactive protein or CRP. The next time you have a physical, ask your doctor about your CRP level. It’s a measure of inflammation in the body and it’s a marker for peripheral vascular disease. The degree of inflammation correlates directly with the severity of the disease. The level of CRP is also strongly correlated with obesity and insulin resistance. It’s interesting to note that excess body fat oozes extra cytokines – those little things that promote inflammation. So, if you are healthy today, you can verify if you have a problem on the horizon by doing some simple blood work. However, if you want to save some time and money, just go with the research - if you eat a standard American diet, you have a problem. So, what should you do about this whole mess? How Do I Put Out The Fire? OK, so we have a problem. How do we fix it? The simplest and most biochemically sound way of turning down the body's pro-inflammatory activities is by restoring a balance between pro-inflammatory and anti- inflammatory foods. From a dietary perspective, this means switching away from vegetable oils – especially in cooking as the high heat turns them rancid. A good substitute is extra-virgin olive oil. When cooking with olive oil, add a small amount of water to the pan to keep the heat down. Olive oil will only survive undamaged in moderate heat. For high heat cooking, use coconut oil. I know, olive oil and coconut oil are vegetable oils. But, olive oil, coconut oil, and palm oil are different. They are actually good for you. You should also avoiding most processed (boxed, canned, or frozen) foods as much as reasonably possible because the manufacturers frequently add vegetable oils. By eating simple unprocessed foods such as baked chicken, a salad, and steamed vegetables it becomes easier to consume a more balanced ratio of Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids. However, if you're like most people you've been eating a diet high in Omega-6 fats for years. You will have to recognize that simply restoring a balance is not enough to quickly offset the accumulated damage. It's crucial to increase consumption of anti-inflammatory Omega-3’s and antioxidants. You can get Omega-3 supplements from several sources. Primarily from fish or from flaxseed. I’ll discuss this in a moment. First, I want to describe what will immediately happen when you begin to supplement with either fish oil or flaxseed oil. When diets are supplemented with omega-3’s, they partially replace the omega-6 in the membranes of practically all cells. This causes an effect on several aspects of cell function. It gets very technical but suffice it to say that you will begin to reap the benefits immediately. But, you may not feel the results for weeks. That’s because when cell membranes are damaged, no amount of Omega-3’s will completely reverse the damage. You have to wait for the cells to be replaced with new cells. Depending on which organ or part of the body in question, this can take weeks and months. So, the effects are cumulative over a period of time. Fight Fat With Fat One final but very exciting note before we get down to the “how to” of supplementing Omega-3’s in your diet. Believe it or not but adding Omega-3 oils to your diet can actually help you lose weight. Fantastic but true! Fascinating research is emerging from the world of sports nutrition to suggest that essential fats in our diet can exert significant control over key metabolic genes in our cells, particularly those involved with fat storage and fat burning. In other words, this means that proper fatty acid nutrition could help to reset or correct your genetic code! They are discovering that these fats, particularly the Omega-3’s, play essential roles in your glucose metabolism. In particular they observed a phenomenon known as ‘fuel partitioning’. If you are into body building, you’ve been reading about this for a couple of years by now. Increased intakes of Omega-3 appear to reduce tissue levels of triglycerides (stored fats), and improve the sensitivity of insulin (the hormone that causes blood sugar to be burned for fuel). This causes more of the calories you eat to be burned and fewer calories to be stored as fat. This is the holy grail for anyone who is trying to get lean! To sum it all up, fatty acids in general and Omega-3’s in particular help you burn more calories and store less fat. While it’s beyond the scope of this article, if you are an athlete and you are serious about top performance, you owe it to yourself to investigate the fuel partitioning effects of Omega-3’s. Search the web for articles on PPARα and SREBP’s. Also look for “uncoupling protein-3” and prepare to be amazed. One last note on weight loss. If you do not cut back on the ever-present Omega-6 oils in your diet and just add Omega-3’s, you will be increasing your total calorie intake. You should lower your intake of Omega-6 and replace it with Omega-3. Adding additional calories is not the way to lose weight. Fish Oil Versus Flaxseed Oil There is a tremendous debate on the topic of which is better – fish oil or flaxseed oil. No matter which side I come down on, someone will disagree with me. So, I’ll explain my rational carefully. Both are great sources of Omega-3 oils but there are some important differences. Not all Omega-3 oils are the same but all of them are “essential”. Confused? OK, here’s the deal. Fish oil has both DHA and EPA. I don’t want to confuse the issue with all the technical stuff so the bottom line is that both DHA and EPA are great but it’s the EPA that helps with the inflammation. Flaxseed oil has ALA which is also great but it needs to be converted to EPA to help with inflammation. The problem is that only a small percentage gets converted to EPA. Bottom line - while both fish oil and flax oil are good for you, go with fish oil to maximize the anti-inflammatory benefits. The Best Fish Oil So, it comes down to how to supplement with fish oil and how much you need. First of all, if you’ve ever taken a fish oil supplement and burped that fishy taste, you know that you never want to do that again. There is a much better way. Your supplement needs to be enteric coated for two reasons. One, the enteric coating will not allow the capsule to dissolve in the acidic environment of your stomach. When it reaches the alkaline environment of your upper intestine it will dissolve and you will not burp that fishy taste. The next benefit is that the Omega-3 oils will be undamaged and better assimilated in your intestine without being subjected to your stomach acid. The amount you take depends on several factors. The idea is to find a balance between the Omega-3’s and the Omega-6’s that you eat. Obviously, the more Omega-6 vegetable oils that you eat, the more Omega-3 supplements you will require to achieve balance. So, the first step is to recognize that most oils in our foods are upsetting your nutritional balance. You should limit the amount of corn oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil and soybean oil that you eat. Remember, you don’t need (or want) to eliminate Omega-6 fats - just reduce the amount you eat. I strongly recommend avoiding fried foods from restaurants. Read labels at the store and watch out for foods that list one of these Omega-6 oils as the first few ingredients. When cooking at home, use butter, olive oil or unflavored coconut oil when you cook and you will be doing yourself a huge favor. There is a lot of confusion over coconut oil. In the near future I plan to write a complete article on the benefits of coconut oil. For now, please follow this link to Tropical Tradition's website and read more about this fabulous oil. They are a supplier of organic coconut products. I don't make a penny from this recommendation and I've used their products for years. They are the best! How Much Is Enough? So, once you reduce the over-abundance of Omega-6’s in your diet, how much Omega-3 do you need to take? This is such a subjective question that I can only give some very general guidelines. Everyone will be a little different. If you are 110 pounds, I might suggest 1 gram (1,000 mg) in the morning and then another gram in the evening. If you are 175 pounds, I would double that amount. If you are 250 pounds, I would triple that amount. These are just good general ideas. Also consider how long you have been enduring chronic inflammation and if you are suffering from any obvious symptoms. If you have obvious symptoms from chronic inflammation, you might want to increase your daily dose for the first several weeks. If you want to put out the flames of chronic inflammation and pain, you should also take some additional supplements. Whatever amount of fish oil you take, I recommend at least half as much vitamin C. Additionally, take some vitamin E both in the morning and evening. Both of these will help with inflammation plus they support a host of other vital functions in your body. Finally, round it out with a good multi-vitamin. It’s well documented that vitamins work in a synergistic manner and getting a daily dose of a broad spectrum of supplemental nutrition with a multi-vitamin is a great idea. Conclusion The bottom line is this - if you eat the Standard American Diet (SAD), then you will suffer from sub-acute chronic inflammation. Period. Even if you try to eat right, without supplements your ratio of fatty acids will likely be unbalanced and you will suffer from chronic inflammation. Even if you are a vegetarian, you will likely suffer from the same conditions. And, you can suffer from this condition of sub-acute inflammation for years without even knowing it until some symptoms of chronic disease pop up out of nowhere and then plague you for the rest of your life. The overwhelming prevalence of vegetable oils in our diets is causing an epidemic of unseen inflammation in our bodies. To fight off a long list of ailments and for our general health, we must supplement our diets with Omega-3 oils and consciously limit our intake of the Omega-6 fats found in most vegetable oils. The best Omega-3 supplement options are flaxseed oil and fish oil. The best choice is fish oil but you should use a supplement that is enteric coated not only for better assimilation but, more importantly, to avoid that unwelcome fishy aftertaste. Supplementing with Omega-3’s is one of the easiest and most important things you can do to improve your overall health and to fight chronic disease. Don’t let the unseen fire of chronic inflammation continue to burn. Put out the fire today. Related Articles Serrapeptase for Heart Health Heart disease is the #1 killer. Learn a simple way to improve your heart health while improving your overall health too. A Bad Rap for Omega 6 I keep seeing conflicting reports. Is Omega 6 bad for you or is it getting a bad rap? Find out the whole truth. How to Quit Smoking My personal story of how I quit smoking. What I learned will help you quit smoking too. Understand the difference between a habit and an addiction and how to overcome both. |
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| "In this review, we summarize the evidence which indicates that increased dietary linoleic acid (Omega 6) and relative Omega 3 deficiency are major risk factors for western type cancers cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and also for allergic hyper-reactivity. We also raise the possibility that a relative Omega 3 deficiency may be affecting the behavioral patterns of a proportion of the young generations in industrialized countries." "It is proposed that dietary intervention with Omega 3 supplementation, and the reduction of Omega 6 in the diet could successfully reverse rising trend toward westernized degenerative diseases in Japan, and the world. The dietary transition to a westernized diet in Japan occurring in the last 50 years and the subsequent rise in degenerative disease is merely a microcosm of the transition which occurred in the United States beginning with the Industrial Revolution." Source: www.barleans.com/literature.... |
| “There is an absolute need for fish oil if you’re going to quell inflammation,” says Jim LaValle of the Longer Living Institute in Cincinnati, OH. |
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