When people
think of animal fat – they tend to fall into one of two camps:
Animal Fat is Artery-clogging
and the cause of all problems with diets.
Animal Fat is
the key to managing weight and having a healthy diet
The
facts about plant and animal fats
Like
many aspects of diet and nutrition the facts behind animal and plant fats and
effects on health and weight management are much more complex than the two
points of view expressed above.
Fat is
not just for insulation and energy storage, it’s also for nutrient absorption,
cell signaling, immune function, and many other critical processes. Many people
think the main difference between plant and animal fats is that animal-sourced
foods contain more saturated fat, but that is NOT the case – nor is it is a sample
as saying saturated fat is bad. Here
are some key facts about fat that may surprise you:
1. All
whole plant and animal foods naturally contain a mixture of saturated and
unsaturated fats.
2. Some
plant foods are higher in saturated fat than animal foods, with coconut oil
topping the charts at 90 percent saturated fat. That’s more than twice the
saturated fat found in beef fat (tallow).
3. The
primary type of fat found in pork is a monounsaturated fatty acid called
oleic acid, the exact same fat found in olive oil.
Essential
Fatty Acids
There
are essential fatty acids that humans cannot manufacture and therefore must be
obtained from your diet and they fall into three categories:
·
Omega 3 Fatty Acids – in plants the Omega 3 fatty acid is called
Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA for short).
·
In fish and animals the Omega 3 Fatty Acids come in the form of
EPA/DHA
·
The essential dietary omega-6 is called Linoleic Acid (LA for
short).
What
often goes unsaid is that both ALA and LA are found in a wide variety of both
plant and animal foods, so it is rather easy to obtain both of these fats,
regardless of your dietary preferences, so long as you are including enough fat
in your diet.
But
here’s the rub: Our bodies cannot use ALA and LA in our cells. ALA and LA are
considered upstream/”parent” fatty acids, because they are used to manufacture
the form of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids our cells can use: EPA, DHA, and AA—none
of which exist in plant foods!.
EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) is an omega-3 that serves primarily
anti-inflammatory and healing functions.
AA (arachidonic acid) is an omega-6 often thought of as a “bad”
fatty acid, because it promotes inflammation. But inflammation is an important
and necessary part of a healthy immune response and AA has many other crucial responsibilities,
and even promotes healing.
DHA
– (docosahexaenoic acid) is an omega-3 that has many important
functions – particularly in our brains.
Our brains are extremely rich in fat. About two-thirds of
the human brain is fat, and a full 20 percent of that fat is DHA.
Among
many other functions, DHA participates in the formation of myelin, the white
matter that insulates our brain circuits and nerves. It also helps maintain the
integrity of the blood-brain barrier, which keeps the brain safe from unwanted
outside influences.
DHA is
critical to the development of the human cortex—the part of the brain
responsible for higher-order thinking. Without DHA, the highly sophisticated
connections necessary for sustained attention, and decision-making do not form
properly
DHA
and Fetal/Neonatal Brain Development and Health
The
most rapid phase of development of the infant cortex takes place form the third
trimester of pregnancy through Age Two. If
there is not enough DHA available during this time, there can be severe and
irreversible consequences. For example, a higher likelihood of psychiatric
disorders including those that tend to show up early in life like Autism and
ADHD.
Plant
foods contain absolutely no DHA
For
those who choose vegan diets, it is important to know that plant foods
contain no DHA. The omega-3 fatty acid found in plant foods like flax,
walnut, and chia is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Unfortunately, it appears
to be rather difficult for the majority of adults to make DHA out of ALA,
with most studies finding a conversion rate of less than 10%. Quite a few studies show ZERO conversion, and there are genetic variations that allow a small percentage of people to convert very well
while for the majority there is little to no conversion.
Indeed,
it appears that the fewer animal foods we eat (fish IS an animal for this
discussion), the lower our DHA levels tend to be DHA levels are on average 31% lower in
vegetarians and 59% lower in Vegans compared to Omnivores.
When it
comes to children under 2, the science is clear that the conversion pathway
from ALA to DHA cannot and should not be relied upon to keep pace with the DHA
demands of the rapidly growing body and brain. Therefore,
most experts agree that caretakers should
provide infants and very young children with dietary or supplemental sources of
DHA, as ALA alone is not sufficient to support healthy infant development.
It has
been estimated that as many as 80 percent of Americans have sub-optimal blood levels of DHA.
Include
animal-sourced DHA foods in your diet if you can
The
easiest way to obtain DHA is to include some fatty fish in your diet, but
as you can see from the list below, there are other options.
Sardines
– 2,205 mg per serving
Wild Salmon
– 1,800 mg per serving
Oysters
– 613 mg per serving
Herring
- 3,181 mg per serving
Anchovies
– 951 mg per serving
Cavier –
1,906 mg per serving
Mussels
– 506 mg per serving
Egg –
60 mg per egg yolk (only in yolks!)
DHA
Fortified (chickens fed fish feed) – 168mg per egg
Chicken
Meat Roasted – 30 mg per serving
Turkey
Breast Roasted – 30 mg per serving
Lamb
Roasted – 10 mg per serving
Shrimp
cooked – 10 mg per serving
Minimize
consumption of vegetable oils
Nearly
all processed foods, prepared hot foods, packaged snacks, and convenience foods
are made with refined vegetable oils, such as soybean or sunflower oil. Most
vegetable oils are extremely, unnaturally high in LA (linoleic acid), an
omega-6 fatty acid that reduces the production and effectiveness of DHA within your body. Excess linoleic acid drives systemic
inflammation. Your best plant oil choices are olive oil, avocado oil,
coconut oil, or red palm oil.
Lowering
your vegetable oil intake increases the availability of DHA in your body,
decreasing your need for dietary and/or supplemental DHA. The presence of high
amounts of linoleic acid in the typical modern diet may help to explain why so
many people appear to have low DHA levels even though most people do include
animal foods in their diet already.
If
you choose a plant-based diet, supplement properly
Thankfully,
vegetarian and vegan-friendly DHA supplements extracted from algae are
available. These supplements are more expensive and contain lower
concentrations of DHA than fish or krill oil supplements (meaning higher doses
are recommended), but may be important for maintaining healthy DHA
levels, particularly in mothers and babies during pregnancy and while
breastfeeding. All baby formula in the U.S. is supplemented with DHA already to
mirror human mother's milk, which naturally contains DHA. If weaning your child
before age 2, be sure to include DHA in your child’s diet as food or
supplements.
If
you have psychiatric symptoms, consider supplementation
As
pointed out already, taking a decent dose of DHA without also lowering
your linoleic acid consumption (by avoiding vegetable oils) may not be very
helpful. However, supplementation is widely viewed as safe, and some studies
noted modest benefits at doses of (combined EPA+DHA) of 1,000 to 2,000 mg per
day, particularly for people with depression.
The
bottom line about DHA
Minimize
refined vegetable oils and other processed foods, and either include some
animal foods in the diet or supplement appropriately to avoid issues with
inadequate availability of the Omega 3 Fatty Acids DHA and EPA.
