Good Fat - Bad Fat - Low Fat - High Fat

Source: HealthNewsDigest.com
Date Published: June 26, 2000

American families are challenged to find the best fat combination for healthy mind and body.

What is the most desired combination for a healthy diet and body? Are you getting enough of the right nutrients and "good fat" from your diet? Doing so may lead to healthier bodies and lives!

According to Dr. Tori Hudson, author of Women's Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, "Our bodies require a proper balance of nutrients for optimal health. What people may not realize is that especially the type of fats you eat affect many health conditions. This is particularly true for individuals combating arthritis, PMS, and skin conditions such as eczema."

Fish and flaxseed oils have received a lot of media attention lately for their heart-healthy benefits. But another equally important fatty acid has been overlooked: Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA), which comes from the seeds of Borage and Evening Primrose Oil. This quiet cousin to popular fish and flaxseed oils is just as important for maintaining a delicate balance in the body's healing response. The body uses GLA and other "good fats" to produce a class of metabolites called prostaglandins-hormone-like compounds that play an important role in regulating some of the most basic body functions. Borage oil, also known as starflower oil, is the richest natural source of GLA.

Research supports that diets high in saturated and processed, polyunsaturated fats or "bad fat" inhibit healing. These fats include saturated fats from dairy and cooking oil or margarine from hydrogenated vegetable oils (corn and sunflower oils).

Conversely, diets rich in unprocessed, polyunsaturated fats or "good fat" that maintain healthy body functions include cold-water fish (salmon, tuna, herring), dark, leafy green vegetables, flaxseed oil, and soy foods (tofu, soy milk).

"In fact, essential fatty acids are as important as other essential vitamins and minerals," said Hudson.

How do you know if you are getting enough?

"Dietary management is key. If possible, including 1-2 servings of fresh cold water fish (even canned tuna) per week and the addition of canola oil salad dressing will help the body heal itself," said Hudson. "However, it is very difficult to get enough good fat in the foods we eat - daily supplements that contain a mix of borage oil, flax oil, and fish oil, can greatly enhance the integrity of healthy cell functions.

FACTS ON ESSENTIAL FAT

Essential Fats, or Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are essential nutrients that the human body can't produce itself. The only way humans can get these nutrients is through diet and supplementation. EFAs are polyunsaturated fats, which are considered "good" fats. EFAs contribute to the healthy functioning of cell membranes, and are also critical for the synthesis of eicosanoids, a family of hormone-like substances that help in cell maintenance on a minute-to-minute basis. Research with EFA supplementation has shown promise in a number of areas including: rheumatoid arthritis, skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, high blood cholesterol, coronary heart disease, diabetic neuropathy, high blood pressure, high blood triglycerides, and cancer.

There are a number of natural sources of EFAs, including several plants and some species of fish. Oils are made from these sources for dietary supplementation. Natural sources of EFAs include Borage (also known as Starflower), Evening Primrose, Black Currant, Flax, Fish, and Hemp. Borage Oil is the quiet cousin to popular fish and flaxseed oil and has yielded positive results in a number of studies including rheumatoid arthritis, skin conditions such as eczema, diabetic neuropathy and coronary heart disease. Borage Oil is the richest natural source of the fatty acid GLA.

Oil produced from the Borage seed contains between 20 and 24% GLA.

The body uses GLA to produce eicosanoids that are highly anti-inflammatory, dilate blood vessels. And reduce blood clotting. GLA has clinically indicated to have therapeutic benefits in many other health conditions including: rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, diabetic neuropathy, cancer, and skin diseases.

Dr. Tori Hudson

Naturopathic Physician

Dr. Tori Hudson, Naturopathic Physician, graduated from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in 1984. She has served the college in several capacities including: Medical Director, Associate Academic Dean, and Interim Academic Dean. In addition, she has over 15 years of extensive clinical experience through being a clinical faculty member in the college's teaching cline, and through her private practice. Currently, Dr. Hudson is a professor of Gynecology at the National College of Naturopathic medicine and maintains a private practice at two locations: A Woman's Time and in the office of four obstetricians/gynecologists.

In October of 1999 the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians awarded Dr. Hudson the prestigious honor of being named "Physician of the Year." In 1990 Dr. Hudson was also awarded by the AANP the President's award for her research in the field of women's health care. Her research has been in the areas of cervical dysplasia, menopause, genital warts, and breast cancer. She is also active as a consultant in the establishment of the Office for the Study of Alternative Medicine within the National Institute of Health. Dr. Hudson serves on several editorial boards and advisory panels and a consultant to the natural food industry.

Dr. Hudson's work is accessible through her published studies in the Journal of Naturopathic Medicine, a monthly women's health update in the Townsend Letter of Doctors, her textbook titled Gynecology and Naturopathic Medicine, and her new book Women's Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Keats Publishing. She is a contributor to Alternative Medicine, the Definitive Guide on Alternative Medicine, the Definitive Guide on Cancer, numerous Rodale Press books, natural health magazines and articles, and HealthNotes Online. Dr. Hudson was recently named as one of the "19 Healers for the New Millennium" by Healthy Living magazine. She is a nationally recognized lecturer for both professionals and the general public, and serves as "Naturopath on Call" for Prevention Online.

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