We all understand classic inflammation. It hurts. You get a
cut and it gets red, hot and hurts as part of the healing process. You sprain
you ankle. It becomes swollen and hurts as it heals. Your body fights an
infection and you develop a temperature as part of the healing process. In each
instance your body is doing its job to remove infection, and repair cell
damage. Silent inflammation on the other hand may or may not have telltale
signs. Some of the outward signs that suggest silent inflammation at work
include high blood sugar levels including diabetes, being overweight, craving
carbohydrates, constant hunger, being tired especially after exercise, brittle
fingernails, constipation, groggy thinking and difficulty concentrating,
chronic headaches or chronic ‘unexplained’ pain. Silent inflammation presents
itself at a cellular level and drains energy from your body as your body
continuously tries to heal the condition. Through this process your immune
system is weakened and becomes vulnerable to attack. As in our previous
example, when the soldiers, firefighters, EMT responders, and trash collectors
all are involved trying to clear up chronic silent inflammation, the infant
stages of cancer cell development may be overlooked.
The really interesting part of this silent inflammation
process is that we do it to ourselves. Just like pouring gasoline on a fire,
the average American daily feeds their silent inflammation thus overwhelming
their body’s defenses. Silent inflammation is created by Eicosanoids
within the vary cells of our bodies. Eicosanoids are considered to be our 1st
hormone, and a master hormone that controls other hormones. There have been more
than 100 (and still counting) types of eicosanoids discovered. Their actions
and level of activity, is directly controlled by the Omega-3 and Omega-6 in
nearly everything you eat!
Omega-3 driven
eicosanoids decrease blood clotting, widen blood vessels, are anti-inflammatory,
enhance the immune system, increase oxygen flow, decrease cell proliferation,
decrease pain, widen respiratory passages, and increase endurance. Omega-6 driven eicosanoids do the opposite. They increase
blood clotting, narrow vessels, create inflammation, suppress the immune system, decrease oxygen flow, increase cell
growth, increase pain, narrow respiratory
passages, and lower endurance. YOU MUST HAVE BOTH OF THESE WORKING
IN HARMONY TO SURVIVE AND BE HEALTHY. Omega-3 and Omega-6 only come from what we eat and are not
made by our bodies. Because they are so important and necessary for life, they
are called the ‘essential oils’. Humans were designed to run on an even balance
of the two. Our ancestors lived with a 1:1 balance. Then came the agricultural
revolution, and we gradually developed into consuming a 1:4 ratio, acceptable
as our bodies adjusted. Beyond that, with processed foods flooding the market,
our ratio today of Omega-3 to Omega-6 has jumped totally out of whack to 1:20
or 1:25. In fact there are some near death people consuming a ratio as high as
1:40.
So where are we getting all the extra Omega-6… mostly from
the vegetable oils in the processed foods eaten today. One tablespoon of
Sunflower oil has essentially no Omega-3 to around 4 grams of Omega-6 pending
on the variety . Safflower oil is even worse with almost no Omega-3 to 10 grams
of Omega-6. Canola oil ratios can vary, but much of it is in the 1:4 ratio
ranges. All you need do is start reading labels, or go to nutritional internet sites,
to see how much of these oils you consume daily. This of course doesn’t begin
to consider the amount of these oils you consume in home cooked and fast foods.
Consider french fries for example, and butter substitutes. Add to this the
naturally high Omega-6 foods such as almonds (0g to 3.4g), walnuts (2.6g to
10.8g), soybean oil (0.4g to 4.7g), avocados (0.2g to 2.3g), etc. Nearly all
foods have Omega-3 and Omega-6 at some levels. As a direct result of our modern
processed food diet, Americans are overdosing on Omega-6, flooding their bodies
with unnecessary pain and Silent Inflammation thereby opening the doors for
cancer and all manner of chronic diseases.
But wait, there’s more, an over abundance of Omega-6 driven
eicosanoids are not only creating silent inflammation throughout your body,
they are thought to be the root cause of diabetes. Whereas supplementing with Omega-3 tends to reverse this process,
in addition to reducing fat storage and
fighting cancer. Through their
process, inflammatory cells make pro-inflammatory proteins called cytokines.
These cytokines then enter the pancreas and start to destroy its ability to
make insulin. At the same time the Omega-6 eicosanoids affect the brain to artificially drive hunger and appetite to higher and higher levels. With
high Omega-6 concentrations you find yourself hungry all the time while your
body becomes insulin resistant. Over time you body turns into a fat storage machine
and you find yourself joining the millions of Americans who are overweight or
obese. This is just one more stressor to monopolize and overcome your body’s
defenses allowing cancer its foothold.
Is there some good news in all of this? Yes, this deadly
process is easily fixed. Start eating healthy whole foods, and stop eating the
foods that are killing you. A study published December 25, 2013
emphasizes this point. Fourteen clinical trials were analyzed involving 32,656
participants over a varying 4.6 year period. Their results were conclusive.
Participants receiving supplements of Omega-3 to bring their essential oil
ratios back into balance had a significant reduction from dying of cardiac
problems or ‘Any Other Causes’. So if you want to be healthy, live longer with
less pain, reduce weight, avoid diabetes, and have a chance at fighting cancer,
then reduce your intake of high Omega-6 fats and increase your Omega-3 fats to
bring your body back into balance. This is the natural state in which it was
originally designed to be.
When you start to think about it, reducing unnecessary
Omega-6 fats is easy. Learn to read labels. Stop eating processed foods with
the Sunflower, Safflower and Canola oils. Instead start using Cold Pressed,
Extra Virgin Olive Oil. High in Omega-9
it lowers cholesterol, raises HDL, and keeps your heart healthy. You can also
use Organic Flax seed oil high in Omega-3 with low temperature foods or as a
supplement. For high temperature cooking Macadamia Nut Oil is high in Omega-9
with a balanced Omega-3/Omega-6 ratio, and coconut oil is an excellent choice.
The best high temperature cooking oil appears to be Camelina oil. It's
light, stable, has a delightful nutty taste, and is 34.2% Omega-3, 19.8% Omega-6, and
16.2% Omega-9 with a smoke point at 475ºF. (As an aside, If you like nuts, raw
macadamia nuts for a snack appear to have the best Omega ratios in the nutty world.) It is important to note
that these Omega-3's are plant based; therefore the Omega-3 is in its ALA
(a-linolenic acid) form. Here’s the rub. Our bodies must convert the ALA into
the more usable EPA and DHA forms of Omega-3 for it to be used properly. As we
get older this becomes a harder process, and let’s face it prostate cancer is
a more mature man’s concern. While it is very important to switch to high Omega-3
and Omega-9 plant based sources, it is even more important to supplement with a
quality EPA and DHA supplement. The best sources of these appear to be marine
fish oils from krill or fatty fish like wild Alaskan salmon. Omega-3 is found
in abundance in fish oil from salmon and has multiple components: EPA, DHA, and
DPA. The EPA (iecosapentaenoic acid) in fish oil acts to reduce inflammation,
clot blood, and reduce heart attacks. DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is essential
for brain, nerve and eye tissue. It also assists the liver, kidneys, heart and
muscles to stay healthy. DPA
(docosapentaenoic acid) is found in blood vessel walls, reduces inflammation,
and promotes wound healing. Not surprising, studies have shown that cancer
patients who supplemented with Omega-3 fish oil had less inflammation and cancer proliferation
Many people are already taking fish oil to enhance their
Omega-3 intake. Unfortunately there can be dangerous toxic substances allowed
to remain in fish oil supplements on the market. You will want the purest, cleanest possible supplements. Here are a few hints to use in your quest to
choose the best one that’s right for you.
1)
Start by looking for the highest ‘Total Omega-3’ to ‘Total Fat’ ratio.
An
amount of 60% to 70% Omega-3 is desired.
2)
Raw fish oil may be full of toxins, heavy metals, and dangerous compounds.
Look
for molecular distillation filtration, and independent quality batch testing.
3)
Make sure no chemicals or excessive heat is used in the manufacturing process.
4)
Look for an oxygen free environment for processing and storage.
I currently supplement with Nordic Naturals, Ultimate
Omega Extra in liquid form. Because of its
quality, there is no fish oil taste, or aftertaste.
So how much do you take as an Omega-3 supplement. That
should be decided between you and your doctor or professional nutritional
advisor. I hear that medical professionals suggest upwards of 2g per day for a
healthy person, and as high as 6g to 8g per day for someone dealing with
cancer. Since Omega-3 driven eicosanoids act upon so many bodily systems, be
sure to consult a medical professional especially if you are taking
prescription drugs or are scheduled for surgery.
Next step, let’s look at sugar, how it can cause and feed cancer,
while fattening America.
Looking for more help
and support?
Go to:
http://steve-warren.healthcoach.integrativenutrition.com/
……..
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