Are You Eating Enough Fat?
This is not a common question heard in doctor’s offices across the country. Many people still buy into the (now outdated) idea that fat is bad or that fat makes you fat. This is a myth worth busting.
Fat is hugely important to optimal health but the right balance of fats is important. Specifically, having a diet balanced in Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) is the factor I look at when guiding my patients through their healing path. Balancing EFA’s is, unfortunately, a commonly overlooked area in managing autoimmune, hormone imbalances, and repairing leaky gut. EFAs are converted to prostaglandins, which profoundly affect immune modulation. Industrialized vegetable oils and trans fatty acids promote the synthesis of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins while a healthy balance found in fresh, real food promotes an anti-inflammatory effect.
It is estimated that up to 80 percent of the U.S. population fails to get enough EFAs, thus promoting chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation. EFAs are “essential” because the body cannot make them and they must come from the diet.
There are 4 main types of EFA’s. To promote healing of tissues, reduce inflammation, and modulate autoimmunity, you must ingest a balance of omega-3, omega-6, omega-9, and arachidonic acid fats. Many foods contain these healthy fatty acids such as various types of fish as well as plant sources such as flaxseed, chia, walnut, and hemp seed.
Eating a diet high in omega-6 fats may also hinder this conversion of ALA to omega-3s. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate about a 1-to-1 ratio of omega-6 fats as omega-3. Today, the average American eats a ratio of as high as 25 to 1 — way too many omega-6 fats compared to omega-3 fats. This is due largely to sunflower, cottonseed, soybean, sesame, and canola oils in processed foods.
Fish oil is best if you have high blood sugar and insulin resistance. Insulin resistance plays a role in which omega-3 fatty acid sources are best for you, as many Americans are insulin resistant. You likely have insulin resistance if your fasting blood sugar is over 100 or your HbA1c is 5.6 or higher. (See my previous post for more discussion on insulin resistance). In these cases, fish is best as insulin resistance can hinder the body's ability to convert alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) which is the main type of omega-3 fatty acid found in plant sources.
Fish oil contains primarily Omega-3 Fatty Acids which are further broken down into EPA and DHA. These serve different functions within the body and both are critically important. EPA has more of an anti-inflammatory focus, while DHA has the greatest effect on brain health. If your goal is mainly to dampen inflammation, then regular fish oil or fish oil with concentrated EPA may be appropriate. If your goal is to impact your brain health, then consider fish oil with a high concentration of DHA. You should discuss your specific needs with your Functional Medicine Provider.
When it comes to Omega-6 and 9 fatty acids, although overconsuming omega 6 is pro-inflammatory, omega 6 and 9 fatty acids are still necessary for good immune health. Cold-processed rapeseed oil (not to be confused with standard canola oil) and flaxseed oil are good sources of omega 6. Omega-9 fatty acids are commonly found in olive and avocado oil.
Arachidonic acid (AA) is the last fatty acid to discuss. It is commonly vilified as pro-inflammatory, but we need it for healthy function. AA’s reputation for being pro-inflammatory comes from the overconsumption of omega-6 fatty acids in the general population. Sources of arachidonic acid include fatty meats, shellfish, butter, and ghee. (Many people with an intolerance to the dairy protein casein may tolerate butter and ghee.)
Eating a diverse source of these healthy fatty acids in your diet is critical to modulating inflammation, autoimmunity, and hormone balance.
Dietary sources of EFA’s include
SMASH fish
flax seeds
chia seeds
nuts (especially walnuts)
olives
avocados
cold pressed nut and seed oils
pasture grazed red meat
pasture grazed butter and ghee
