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Contrary to common trends, we all
need some fat in our diets. a teaspoon a day of monounsaturated
fats are essential for keeping the brain and heart functioning
properly, for protecting our appearance, for raising HDL
(good) cholesterol and lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol,
and for keeping our hair and skin from becoming dry. Good
sources of monounsaturated fats are olive oil and canola
oil.
Avoid saturated fats,
those found in potato chips, meats, cheeses, and palm
oil.
Polyunsaturated fats,
like those found in flaxseed oil, and fish are precursors
for Omega 3's, such as DHA and EPA, which prevent clotting
of blood and stickiness of platelets. Research shows that
these fats can get into the blood vessels and stabilize
plaque. People who eat one fish meal a week have a 50
percent reduction of sudden deaths over people who don’t.
Healthy sources of fish are deep-water migratory fish,
like salmon, halibut, and cod.
Ibuprofen and extra-virgin olive oil
have something in common; they both
reduce inflammation.
A recent study from the Monell Chemical
Senses Center in Philadelphia
demonstrated how four teaspoons of extra-virgin olive
oil taken daily for 12 weeks
reduced pain and morning stiffness among rheumatoid arthritis
patients. In the
journal Nature, the Monell team reports that the key to
olive oil's effectiveness is oleocanthoal.
Oleocanthol is a pungent compound that has
been shown to inhibit two key
inflammation triggers: COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes. In other
words, oleocanthol and
ibuprofen have the same beneficial effect on inflammation.
But that's where the
similarity ends. Because while ibuprofen can prompt bleeding
and
gastrointestinal damage, olive oil does not. In fact,
extra-virgin olive oil can be quite
good for you.
A 2002 study from the University of Barcelona
reported that virgin olive oil
contains high levels of vitamin E and phenols. Phenols
contain flavonoids -
biologically active compounds that are remarkably high
in antioxidants. The
study concluded that virgin olive oil may inhibit the
oxidation of LDL
cholesterol, and might even do a little cancer fighting
as well.
University of Athens Medical School study
in which researchers assessed dietary data, blood pressure,
physical activity and clinical variables on more than
20,000 subjects.
The result: High intakes of olive oil, vegetables and
fruits were significantly associated with lower systolic
and diastolic blood pressure. And of these three factors,
olive oil proved to have the most beneficial effect on
blood pressure.
Writing about the Monell study in
Healthnotes Newswire, Alan R. Gaby, M.D.,
notes that researchers don't know if oleocanthol remains
intact after the
refining of extra-virgin olive oil. ("Extra-virgin"
indicates that the oil is made
from only freshly harvested olives.) Dr. Gaby adds: "Several
other compounds
with potent antioxidant activity are almost entirely lost
in the refining of
olive oil; also, refined olive oil is less effective than
extra-virgin olive oil
as an inhibitor of LDL oxidation."
Coconut : A Healthy Choice for thyroid
Traditionally, polyunsaturated oils such
as soybean oil have been used for livestock feed because
they cause the animals to gain weight. These oils are
made up of what is known as long chain fatty acids--the
kind of fatty acids that promote weight gain. 4
Coconut oil, on the other hand, is a saturated
fat made up primarily of medium chain fatty acids. Also
known as medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), medium chain
fatty acids are known to increase metabolism and promote
weight loss. Coconut oil can also raise basal body temperatures
while increasing metabolism. This is good news for people
who suffer with low thyroid function. There have been
scores of testimonies to this effect.
Coconut Oil and Oxidative Stress
One of the reasons the long chain fatty
acids in vegetable oils are so damaging to the thyroid
is that they oxidize quickly and become rancid. Food manufacturers
know about this propensity towards rancidity and, therefore,
highly refine their vegetable oils. Considerable research
has shown that trans fatty acids, present when vegetable
oils are highly refined (hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated),
are especially damaging to cell tissue and can have a
negative affect on the thyroid as well as health in general.
Because the longer chain fatty acids are deposited in
cells more often as rancid and oxidizing fat, impairment
of the conversion of thyroid hormone T4 to T3 occurs,
which is symptomatic of hypothyroidism. To create the
enzymes needed to convert fats to energy, T4 must be converted
to T3.
Dr. Ray Peat says:
When the oils are stored in our tissues,
they are much warmer, and more directly exposed to oxygen
than they would be in the seeds, and so their tendency
to oxidize is very great. These oxidative processes can
damage enzymes and other parts of cells, and especially
their ability to produce energy. The enzymes which break
down proteins are inhibited by unsaturated fats; these
enzymes are needed not only for digestion, but also for
production of thyroid hormones, clot removal, immunity,
and the general adaptability of cells. The risks of abnormal
blood clotting, inflammation, immune deficiency, shock,
aging, obesity, and cancer are increased. Thyroid [hormones]
and progesterone are decreased.
Since the unsaturated oils block protein
digestion in the stomach, we can be malnourished even
while "eating well." There are many changes
in hormones caused by unsaturated fats. Their best understood
effect is their interference with the function of the
thyroid gland. Unsaturated oils block thyroid hormone
secretion, its movement in the circulatory system, and
the response of tissues to the hormone. Coconut oil is
unique in its ability to prevent weight-gain or cure obesity,
by stimulating metabolism. It is quickly metabolized,
and functions in some ways as an antioxidant.
Because coconut oil is saturated and very
stable (unrefined coconut oil has a shelf life of about
three to five years at room temperature), the body is
not burdened with oxidative stress as it is with the vegetable
oils. Coconut oil does not require the enzyme stress that
vegetable oils do, preventing T4 to T3 hormone conversion,
not only because it is a stable oil, but also because
it is processed differently in the body and does not need
to be broken down by enzyme dependent processes as do
long chain fatty acids.
Also, since the liver is the main place
where damage occurs from oxidized and rancid oils that
cause cell membrane damage, and since the liver is where
much of the conversion of T4 to T3 takes place, eliminating
long chain fatty acids from the diet and replacing them
with medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil can,
in time, help in rebuilding cell membranes and increasing
enzyme production that will assist in promoting the conversion
of T4 to T3 hormones.
Coconut oil has helped scores of women
who are menopausal, which is evidence that coconut oil
does indeed increases hormone production.
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