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THE POWER OF OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS A Guide to Healthy Fats

The statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

© 2014 BLUEBONNET NUTRITION CORPORATION

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CONQUERING THE FEAR OF FAT

FATS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR GOOD HEALTH

Quite possibly the most feared word in the world of nutrition is “fat.” While it’s true that, in large quantities, some types of fat are bad for your health, this does not apply to all fats. In fact, there are some fats that you simply can’t live without. Among them are the omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s not only play an important role in the health of every cell in your body, they influence heart, joint, brain, and skin health. These remarkable fats aid in vitamin absorption. They provide structural components to cell membranes, and insulate and protect your vital organs. Omega-3s perform as lubricants, particularly for body surfaces, and help remove fatty plaque from your artery walls. They even act as signaling molecules in your brain.

FOOD SOURCES OF OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS

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Fats – also called lipids – are some of the most important macronutrients in your body. Their primary function is to provide energy. In fact, pound per pound, fat is your body’s most efficient source of energy. It takes six pounds of stored carbohydrates to produce the same amount of energy as one pound of fat. Some fats – called triglycerides – are even considered “protein-sparing,” meaning they’re burned for energy, saving valuable proteins, so they can support muscle tissue, enzymes, antibodies, and more. You already know that fats make food taste better. But you may not know that fats slow down the absorption of food in your stomach, so you feel full longer. That means fats actually help you better manage your caloric intake – and, potentially, your weight. The human body is a well-oiled machine that requires three major sources of “fuel” – what we call calories – one of which is fat. It operates at its best when 20 to 35 percent of your total calories come from fat, 10 to 35 percent come from protein, and 45 to 65 percent come from carbohydrates. When this balance is disrupted, your body cannot process these nutrients and function at its best. So the right fats in the right quantities aren’t just good for you, they’re essential for healthy, daily living.

Cod liver oil, 1 tbsp

3 grams

Ground flaxseed, 2 tbsp

3 grams

Salmon oil, 1 tbsp

2.8 grams

Canola oil, 1 tbsp

1.5 grams

DIETARY GUIDELINES

English walnuts, 2 tbsp

1 gram

• HEALTHY ESSENTIAL FATS: 20-35%

Soybean oil, 1 tbsp

1 gram

Soybeans, ½ cup

0.5 gram

Tofu, ½ cup

0.5 gram

Margarine, 1 tbsp

0.2 gram

Soybean oil, 1 tbsp

0.2 gram

Olive oil, 1 tbsp

0.1 gram

Wheat germ oil, 1 tbsp

0.1 gram

Corn oil, 1 tbsp

trace

Foods - such as low-fat milk, lean meats (fish, poultry), vegetables, and nuts - that contain omega-3, -6 and -9 fatty acids

• HIGH-QUALITY PROTEIN: 10-35% Baked, broiled or grilled lean meats (fish, poultry), as well as beans, peas, nuts, seeds, and soybeans

• COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES: 45-65% Whole grain products (cereals, breads, crackers, rice, pasta); dark green vegetables (broccoli, kale, spinach); orange and yellow vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, squash); fruits (apples, bananas blueberries, cranberries, pomegranates, prunes, raspberries) Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intake for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 2002

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THREE FORMS OF FAT Fats come in three different forms: triglycerides, phospholipids, and sterols. Your body requires all three to function properly. However, each form includes both saturated (bad) and unsaturated (good) fats. For healthier living, choose unsaturated fats and keep your overall fat intake to 20 to 35 percent of your total daily calories. > TRIGLYCERIDES are the form in which most fats exist in food as well as in your body. Triglycerides act as energy storage and protect vital organs from damage. They insulate your body, helping you maintain a core body temperature, and protect you from the cold. Triglycerides also dissolve and transport fat-soluble vitamins, such as A, D, E and K, as well as carotenoids Mouth Lingual lipase like beta-carotene. Triglycerides help give food its flavor, aroma, and texture, so it tastes good. And it’s triglycerides that make se lipa tric you feel full longer. Omega-3 s a G fatty acids fall into this category. Stomach

of vitamin D and hormones like adrenaline, estrogen and testosterone. In fact, nerve and brain tissues need abundant quantities of cholesterol to function properly, and your liver uses cholesterol to aid in fat digestion. Plant-derived sterols are even considered heart-healthy foods because they help reduce intestinal absorption and reabsorption of cholesterol.♦

FAT DIGESTION AND ABSORPTION Omega-3 fatty acids are quickly absorbed and put to use in your body. In fact, they’ll start to show up in the bloodstream within only one or two hours after ingestion. That’s why, when you’re selecting omega-3 supplements, it is best to choose natural triglyceride forms. Fats become tiny droplets

30% of triglycerides become diglycerides and fatty acids

Like the omega-3 fatty acids in food, omega-3 supplements in the natural triglyceride form are more quickly absorbed. They are more bioavailable and far more stable than most other fish oil forms – particularly the synthetic ethyl ester form, which is subject to oxidation and rancidity that can render the fish oil less effective.

Small Intestine > PHOSPHOLIPIDS are a small Pancreatic lipas e Large Intestine group of phosphorus-containing Just like carbohydrates and proteins, fats that can be obtained from Triglycerides and diglycerides fats need to be broken down into become glycerol, monoglycerides food or manufactured by your and free fatty acids smaller substances for your body body. Unlike other fats, phos- to absorb and digest. But digestive pholipids are both water- and fatsecretions are water-based. When they come into contact with fats, soluble, making them versatile and crucial players in supporting it’s the body’s equivalent of oil and water. So your digestive system cell membranes, bodily fluids, and digestion. They store fatty has to treat them a bit differently than other nutrients. acids for short periods of time to produce regulatory chemicals called eicosanoids. And, phospholipids aid in choline transport, Digestion of triglycerides begins the moment you take a bite. supporting nerve cells and cognitive health. As you chew, lingual lipase (a water-based digestive enzyme) and dietary phospholipids start to emulsify the food. Then you swallow, > STEROLS: Like phospholipids, sterols are components of cell and the softened food enters your stomach. Another digestive membranes and provide a protective coating – called the enzyme (gastric lipase) joins the endeavor as the food is mixed myelin sheath – around nerve cells. The best-known sterol is and churned to disperse the fat. cholesterol. While high levels of cholesterol are infamous for

their negative effects on heart health, cholesterol is an important structural component of cell membranes and aids in production

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The triglycerides are then broken down into diglycerides as the food makes its way into the intestinal tract. In the small intestine, another solution of enzymes mixes with the predigested food and breaks down nearly all of the accessible triglycerides into monoglycerides and free fatty acids. The monoglycerides and free fatty acids form micelles – water-soluble globules with fatty centers – and the fat is primed for absorption. As the micelles carry the triglycerides through the small intestine, they are absorbed into the lymphatic system, and the fats are dispersed into the bloodstream.

HOW FATS GOT A BAD RAP It all started back in 1977 when the U.S. Department of Public Health issued a statement encouraging Americans to eat less fat. More than a decade later, in 1988, the U.S. Surgeon General recommended restricting consumption of dietary fat. Food manufacturers quickly started producing fat-free and low-fat versions of almost every conceivable food. Consumers jumped on the bandwagon in an effort to improve their health. Most of us assumed that eating less fat would make us thinner and healthier. Some of us even believed that it was okay to eat as much fat-free food as we wanted. In fact, adopting a fat-free diet has its own inherent problems. After eating a big, fat-free meal, you can still feel hungry and experience cravings – because you need some fat in your diet to help you feel full. Plus, all foods – with or without fat – contain calories. The simple truth is that if you consume more calories than you burn, you’re going to gain weight. That’s what has happened to a whole generation of overweight and obese Americans. Still, virtually no one mentioned the benefits of “good” fats like the omega-3s – and how they differ from the “bad,” cholesterolbuilding, artery-clogging fats until much later.

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GOOD FATS AND BAD FATS All fats fall into one of three categories: unsaturated (mono- and poly-), saturated, and trans fats. As a rule, “good” fats are the unsaturated fats, which include omega-3 fatty acids. These are the dietary fats that research has shown can help maintain the health of your heart, joints, brain, and skin. > MONOUNSATURATED FATS are found in avocados, nuts, and canola and olive oils – all foods that are the backbone of the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet. Scientists believe that increased consumption of monounsaturated fats may help lower LDL cholesterol, the “bad” cholesterol. (LDL is closely associated with atherosclerosis and an increased risk of coronary heartdisease.) > POLYUNSATURATED FATS also lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Seafood, walnuts, and sardines are particularly high in polyunsaturated fats – as are soybean, corn, soy, safflower, sunflower, fish, borage, evening primrose, and flaxseed oils. Omega-3 fatty acids belong to this group. Unfortunately, the typical American, on-the-go diet is high in saturated and trans fats – often referred to as “bad” fats. Consumed in excess over time, foods that are rich in these fats have been linked to a litany of health risks. > SATURATED FATS: Most fast foods, as well as many processed foods are high in saturated fats. Excess intake of these fats can raise your blood cholesterol and increase your risk of developing coronary artery disease. Saturated fats are found primarily in animal products. These include such foods as red meat, butter, whole milk, cream, and eggs. Coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil are also high in saturated fats. > TRANS FATS – sometimes known as partially hydrogenated oils – also fall into the category of “bad” fats. These commercially made fats were invented to help foods withstand the production process and have a longer shelf life. You’ll find them in many packaged foods, fried fast foods, vegetable shortenings, and hard-stick margarine. They are foreign to the body and linked to just about every imaginable disease related to the heart.

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OMEGA-3s: ONE OF THE GOOD FATS Omega-3s are essential fatty acids. That means they are necessary for human health, but your body can’t make them. You must get them through food and supplementation. All essential fatty acids are polyunsaturated – that is, “good” fats – and they are necessary for normal growth and development. Unlike other fatty acids, essential fatty acids offer important structural and signaling properties that have been well established in support of brain, vision, cardiovascular, joint, and skin health. ♦ Plant foods are rich in the omega-3 fatty-acid known as alphalinolenic acid (ALA). These non-marine sources of omega-3 fatty acids include flaxseed, nut and canola oils, broccoli, cantaloupe, kidney beans, spinach, grape leaves, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, and walnuts. Animal products – particularly fish – have the highest concentrations of the important omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION FAT GUIDELINES

• EPA’s positive influence on heart and joint health has been observed in people whose diets are high in fish and fish oils. EPA produces hormone like compounds that interfere with the chemical reactions that cause inflammation in your body, making it an effective anecdote for skin and joint health. EPA also reduces your body’s ability to make triglycerides, thus supporting your cardiovascular health. ♦ • DHA is the major building block of human brain tissue and is particularly abundant in the grey matter of the brain and in other neural tissues, including the light-sensitive cells in the retina of the eye. DHA enhances the response of rhodopsin – a pigment that allows for night vision – for optimal visual health. DHA also mediates the transport of choline (a neurotransmitter) and amino acids in the brain for cognitive health. In fact, DHA deficiency has been linked with cognitive decline and mood abnormalities, making its presence from the diet critical. ♦

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Healthy Americans over two years of age should:

• Limit total fat to