Polyunsaturated Fat Deposits
 

German news website
www.astrazeneca.ch/astrazeneca/news/ astranews/1994/a05/art03.html

Polyunsaturated Fat Deposits
British Researchers Criticize New Diet Trend

(azpd) Polyunsaturated fatty acids are perhaps in the long run not as healthy for heart and vascular health as we once believed. British researchers found larger quantities of it in arterial deposits. Thus they formed deposits in arteries where one believed deposits were prevented by these types of fatty acids.

Up to now polyunsaturated fatty acids as they occur, for example in fish, were considered as actual protective agents against myocardial infarction. This opinion relied on epidemiological medical investigations. Humans, who eat a great quantity of fish, rarely suffer from heart and vascular diseases according to these studies. Dietary agencies thereafter formulated recommendations based on these studies.

The researchers, who now report skepticism, examined the fat content of the blood, the fatty tissue and the deposits in the blood vessel walls of deceased humans. The composition of the blood fats and the fatty tissue reflects rather exactly the intake of the different types of fats. The more unsaturated fatty acids that were present in the blood, the more unsaturated fatty acids were present in the arterial plaque deposits.

Still polyunsaturated fatty acids are absolutely necessary for health. It is important above all to maintain the measure of fat in the diet with saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in a balance.
- AstraZeneca-Pressedienst - 22 November 1994

Source:
Felton CV et al: Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids and composition of human aortic plaques. Lancet 1994; 344:1195 1196

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My personal conclusion from this study is that it doesn't matter what types of fats you eat or what types are in the blood because there is some other mechanism that causes fat to clog arteries other than the type of fat you eat or have in your blood. My vote is high carbohydrates and subsequent insulin spikes.

Very good find, Voyager! I have only one question: where to do they get the idea that polyunsaturated fats, which come primarily from plant sources, are essential to health? What I have read is that it's the Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids that are essential, and we get better supplies, especially of Omega 3s from saturated fats like butter and meats.

;-Deb

Omega-3 and omega-6 are polyunsaturated fats.

The best source of omega-3 is flaxseed oil and fish oil. Omega-6 is found in meat, dairy, grain, nuts, seeds primarily. However, many foods contain various ratios of both omega-3 and omega-6. Just eating meat and dairy will give you plenty of omega-6, but not enough omega-3. You need to eat fish too to get enough omega-3 for a really good ratio.

Meat has a mixture of fats: 50% saturated/50% poly- and unsaturated for a porterhouse steak. It's the polyunsaturated part that has the essential fats.

Thanks for the clarification, Voyager. I get my omega-3s from fish oil capsules and eating fish. One thing I read, in one of your posts, I think, was that the omega-3s in vegetable oils is short-chain and has to be converted to long-chain to be used. The omega-3s in fish oil and other protein sources is already long chain. It seems more efficient for my body to get it from protein sources. I don't worry about getting omega-6 since it seems to be in overabundance everywhere.

;-Deb