PUFAs 2023

Specifically, it is about the toxicity of PUFAs that are extracted from food. Once extracted, PUFAs are then consumed as oils - as salad dressings; as supplements - as EPA; and as ingredients in many processed/prepackaged food - potato and corn chips, pizza, bread. Linoleic acid, the most prevalent omega-6 PUFA, is extracted from plants yielding sunflower, safflower, soy, sesame and corn oils.  The primary omega-3 PUFA’s, EPA and DHA, are extracted from fish oils. There are two double bond between carbons in omega-6 PUFAs, five double bonds in EPA and six in DHA. The double bonds make omega-6 and omega-3 PUFAs highly active. They are essential players in the structure and function of all membranes in the body - from those of mitochondria and cells to those of blood vessels and skin.  They also play crucial roles in immunity and the body’s lipid defense. The very double bonds that make PUFAs such invaluable players in the body’s structure and defense, turn extracted PUFAs into toxins! Once extracted, PUFAs are oxidized, generating free radicals that damage proteins, DNA, membranes and lipids. Oxidation products of linoleic acid are found in LDL cholesterol and plaque! Early last century linoleic acid was 1-2% of our calories. Now on average, it is 6-10% of our calories, sometimes as high as 20%. Excess linoleic acid consumption is a major cause of all chronic degenerative diseases, from inflammation, osteoporosis, fluid retention and decreased testosterone to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia and cancer. The coronary heart disease “epidemic” took off in the 1930s and ‘40s. The epidemic took off at the same time the dietary ratio of linoleic acid to saturated fats increased dramatically. The increase in heart disease deaths from the early 20th century until the 1960s parallels an increase in the prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis as documented by autopsy studies. This increase is attributed to dietary changes that led to an increase in serum cholesterol levels. Ironically, an increase in cholesterol is the body’s defense against the inflammation caused by PUFAs!!!! It is also ironic that PUFAs were introduced and promulgated by two industries, neither with concerns for health nor nutrition. Cotton provided the PUFAs to make candles. With the advent of electricity, another use for all the cotton seed oil was found … in PUFAs. Later, dues to fuel shortages during WWII, vast amounts of soybeans were planted. Soy oil can be converted to fuel for diesel engines. After the war, another use for all the soybean oil was found … PUFAs. Per capita consumption of soybean oil (which contains approximately 55% linoleic acid) increased 1000-fold from 1909 to 1999! The double bonds of omega-3 EPA are much less stable than those of linoleic acid. EPA oxidizes before reaching the bloodstream. The brain is very sensitive to oxidation by EPA and its toxins. Age pigment, those brown spots on skin, is lipids damaged by PUFA oxidation. This pigment occurs in the brain.  Linoleic acid is the precursor of two highly inflammatory fatty acids: prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and leukotrienes. Since omega-3 EPA can block this conversion of linoleic acid to these inflammatory fatty acids, EPA’s anti-inflammatory affects have been emphasized … and yes, used acutely they work! However, since the block is temporary, continuous ingestion of EPA is required for diets high in linolenic acid. Nevertheless … Beware! NO amount of antioxidants can negate their deleterious effects! How did we get here? Foods riddled with PUFAs that causes obesity, heart disease and much more? Organic food is not exempt! A researcher named Ancel Keys, a physiologist in the 1950’s, hypothesized replacing dietary cholesterol and saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat reduces cardiovascular disease. This hypothesis was a perfect prize for the vegetable oil industry and is unfortunately still alive today.