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~ The Who
What do you see, when you see food?
When you see a vibrant, succulent orange, do you think; “I cannot wait to devour those 70 mg of vitamin C.”
When you smell the fresh whole-grain bread wafting from the oven as the dough magically crisps, do you say out loud; “That 16 grams daily serving of fiber is so going to hit the spot.”
Does the meat crackling over the flame as it grills to perfection evoke a primal recall; “Here comes my daily RDA of protein.”
Of course not.
As the only senses directly wired into our limbic system; taste and smell tap unswervingly into that nebulous nether region of memory, emotion, pleasure, and reward. Such sophisticated and complex programming along with the necessity of consumption for survival makes the act of eating, the meal, much more than a basic instinct.
Add in the intricate and intimate web of humankind’s societal nature and the importance of the food experience increases exponentially. Our current technological and societal construct, the most complex in the history of the world, likely had humble origins around the campfire.
It was not only the world’s very first chefs birthing the art of cooking, a feat that remains un-replicated by any species on the planet save our own, but the choice of comestibles that gave rise to intellect and ultimately planetary domination. Among the protein sources that supplied the building blocks for superior brainpower, the evidence suggests that marine sources provided a critical foundation.
At that time and for many millennia to come, until very recently, all such food was wholesome, organic, and authentic. It is only within very recent memory that we have tried to correct our adulterations of the naturally occurring food and food pathways through supplementation. An approach which has led to massive profits for a select few and massive confusion for most everyone else.
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation (omega-3 PUFAs), primarily through the use of fish oil processing, is a prime example. Lovaza, the prescription FDA approved fish oil supplement, has recorded over $1 billion worth of sales. Ask most people why they spend the money and engage in such adjunctive measures and the vast majority will respond that is to prevent myocardial infarction, or heart attack. The truth of the matter is that the data has never definitively supported such claim. That is why the only FDA approved indication to take fish oil is to treat hypertriglyceridemia or high blood levels of triglycerides. Despite millions of dollars and years of studies to prove the efficacy of the magic bullet – substitution approach to health; the waters remain as murky as when I wrote about it years ago. For details on insight into fish oil as the new snake oil you can read the article here: Dr. Mike’s Outside Magazine fish oil article
What is truly remarkable, although it shouldn’t be, is that despite the inability to identify a real super food isolate – and amass a fortune marketing and selling it – the results with real, whole food have been consistent and impressive.
A recent study examined the connection between omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and the development and risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Unlike some previous analyses which used methods like dietary recall questionnaires to measure consumption – an understandably inaccurate measure – this analysis examined nineteen studies that measured fatty acid biomarkers to accurately reflect the levels of omega-3PUFA intake.
The combined studies comprised sixteen countries and over 45,000 individuals. There were four specific omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids that were identified. Three came from marine sources; eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). One was derived from plant sources; alpha linolenic acid (ALA).
Higher levels of the seafood derived omega-3 PUFAs was associated with an approximately 11% reduction in the risk of developing fatal coronary heart disease. In other words, regular consumption of seafood reduces your risk of dying from heart disease by over 10%. Higher levels of docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) were also associated with an approximately 6% reduction in the risk of developing any CHD at all.
Naturally occurring sources of DPA include fat rich fish like salmon or tuna, and grass fed beef. In addition to reducing platelet aggregation (the cause of heart attacks), improving endothelial function (abnormal function of the lining of the blood vessels is the earliest sign of atherosclerosis), DPA appears to improve neural health and reduce overall chronic inflammation. It is interesting to note that DPA is a prominent constituent, in terms of omega-3 PUFAs, in human breast milk suggesting an important role in healthy development.
It appears that adequate levels of DPA, as well as EPA and DHA are best achieved through direct consumption. Eating plants high in the essential fatty acid ALA, does not yield increased levels of EPA, DHA or DPA. This is because in the human body the conversion of ALA to EPA, DHA or DPA is minimal to absent. Healthy young women can convert over 20% of plant derived LA to EPA, but only 9% to DHA and even less at about 6% to DPA. Men fare even worse being able to convert only about 8% of ALA to EPA and DPA and lack the ability to convert any ALA to DHA. Strikingly, these amounts are reduced even further by about 40% when the diets are high in the pro-inflammatory omega-six fatty acids; a characteristic of the modern Western diet. This is because omega-6 PUFAs compete with omega-3 PUFAs for the same enzymatic pathways. Genetic variations can result in even less efficacy.
Increased consumption of the plant derived alpha linolenic acid was associated with an approximately 9% lower risk of fatal coronary heart disease. It did not appear to reduce the risk for developing coronary heart disease or suffering a nonfatal myocardial infarction. However, a diet rich in both plant and animal derived omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids impacts not only the development of cardiovascular disease but attenuates such risk factors as triglyceride levels, blood pressure, heart rate, heart rate variability, endothelial function, and myocardial oxygen demand. Along with the animal derived omega-3 PUFAs, plant derived ALA appears to act in concert by also reducing overall inflammation. Chronic, continuous inflammation being the common root to many of the modern maladies we suffer.
In contradistinction to whole foods, the experience with supplementation has been a mixed bag. So instead of spending time and money in an attempt to supplement your way to good health; why not simply eat deliciously? Fresh fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, and sardines make savory and scrumptious meals. The consumption of just 12 ounces of salmon would provide up to 1,336 mg DPA per week (USDA, 2014). A serving of grass fed beef or lamb with fresh garden vegetables is a tremendous source of these potent anti-inflammatory omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.
But the most important reason to eat them is because they taste great. When we see food it makes us hunger for the simple natural pleasures were born to consume. By indulging in such whole, natural and authentic comestibles we achieve satisfaction in both body and soul. Epicurean enlightenment is there for the taking; simply expand your vision and reward your taste buds.
References:
Burdge, G., & Wootton., S. (2002). Conversion of alpha-linolenic acid to eicosapentaenoic, docosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids in young women. British Journal of Nutrition, 88:411-420.
Burdge, G., J. A., & Wootton, S. (2002 ). Eicosapentaenoic and docosapentaenoic acids are the principal products of alpha-linolenic acid metabolism in young men*. Br J Nutr. , 88(4):355-63.
Byelashov, O. A., Sinclair, A. J., & Kaur, G. (2015). Dietary sources, current intakes, and nutritional role of omega-3 docosapentaenoic acid. Lipid Technology, 27 (4): 79 – 82 DOI 10.1002/lite.201500013.
Del Gobbo, L. C., Inamura, F., Aslibekyan, S., Marklund, M., Virtanen, J. K., Wennberg, M., . . . Mozzafarian, D. (2016). Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Biomarkers and Coronary Heart Disease Pooling Project of 19 Cohort Studies. JAMA, doi:10.100/jamainternmed.2016.2925.
Fenster, M. (2012, April 25). Is Fish Oil the New Snake Oil? Outside Magazine, pp. http://www.outsideonline.com/1899001/fish-oil-new-snake-oil.
Fenster, M. S. (2014). The Fallacy of The Calorie: Why the Modern Western Diet is Killing Us and How to Stop It. New York, NY: Koehler Books.
Harris, W., Miller, M., Tighe, A., Davidson, M., & Schaefer, E. (2008 ). Omega-3 fatty acids and coronary heart disease risk: clinical and mechanistic perspectives. Atherosclerosis, 197(1):12-24.
Koletzko, B., Mrotzek, M., & Bremer, H. ( 1988 ). Fatty acid composition of mature human milk in Germany. Am J Clin Nutr., 47(6):954-9.
