Published April 16, 2008 in the North Island Weekender 

Michael, age 45, came into my office seeking help to reduce his blood cholesterol. He had just been diagnosed and was seeking an alternative treatment to avoid taking lipid lowering medications. He told me he had started taking flax oil and hemp hearts which are polyunsaturated essential fatty acids when he read they were important for a healthy cardiovascular system.

I reminded Michael that 50% of people have normal cholesterol at the time of their heart attack and heart health isn’t just about cholesterol and saturated fats in the diet. In fact some saturated fats have health benefits, such as coconut oil, which is high in the medium chain triglyceride, lauric acid, and also has anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-microbial actions and helps maintains the immune system. It also promotes weight loss, healthy skin and normalizes HDL/LDL cholesterol ratios. Most saturated fats however increase the body’s requirements for Omega 3 and 6 oils.

Michael is not the only one confused about essential fatty acids (EFA’s)  which are omega 3 and omega 6 oils that are essential to life but which the body does not make so they must be ingested. It is common amongst health care providers to believe that olive oil is a good source of omega 3 and 6 essential fats when in fact they have none, but are instead a good source of omega 9 mono-unsaturated fat. Olive oil has many healthy benefits by mainly keeping the membranes of cells in the body more flexible or “fluid” which is very important for cancer prevention and brain health.

There are 2 major types of omega 3 fatty acids in our diets. One type is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) which is found in flax, hemp and chia seeds (Salba). The other type is EPA (eicosopentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) found in fatty fish. Each of these EFA’s has different effects on the body and the confusion starts because it is thought that the body can convert ALA to EPA and DHA but this does not happen readily to any great extent, so they need to be ingested. Therefore if someone is ingesting flax, hemp or chia seeds they are not getting enough EPA and DHA unless they are eating salmon, anchovies, sardines or herring 3-4 times per week. DHA is an important fatty acid because the highest amounts are found in the brain at 17% and in the retina at 50-55%. EPA is also important for its anti-inflammatory and blood thinning properties.

The “bad” fat that really hampers membrane fluidity are “trans” fats found in hydrogenated oil in the food manufacturing process. They can contribute to the elevation of the LDL (bad cholesterol) lipid in the blood. Avoiding packaged foods containing margarine, hydrogenated peanut butter and bakery products such as breads, rolls, cookies, crackers, pies and cakes and avoiding eating out a lot in restaurants will lower these in the body over time. Watch for partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oil in the ingredient list.

According to Dr. Patricia Kane, author of “The Detoxx Book”, we are as healthy as our membranes. She goes on to say that the body cannot detoxify properly if the cell membranes are not working properly. All cells in the body have cell membranes so when people ask how important are essential fats I say they are important for every cell in the body and everyone needs help with adding essential fats to their diet.

This is the reason I spent a lot of time explaining to Michael the importance of taking a fish oil supplement to get the proper dosages of omega 3 EPA and DHA. The easiest way is ingesting fish (salmon, sardines or herring preferably) 3-4 times per week and or taking a fish oil supplement. Michael understood that it wasn’t enough for the label to say “a good source of omega 3 essential fats”, that is should also indicate the amount of EPA and DHA per serving. The reason I suggest cod liver oil over herring oil, is that cod liver oil also contains good amounts of vitamin A or vitamin D.

To maintain a balance of omega 6 oils while ingesting the fish oils high in omega 3 oils I suggested Michael add to his diet pure organic sunflower and safflower oils, organic non genetically modified soybeans and nuts such as walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, Brazil nuts, pistachios and pecans.

Michael’s LDL cholesterols came down with these recommendations within 6 months and he was happy he did not require a prescription.