hi dig,

i am afraid that most people just do not understand fats. hopefully this dissertation may prove helpful. the reason why the 2 essential fats are essential, is not because they are polyunsaturated. there are many polyunsaturated fats that are not helpful to the body, including all the trans-fats created by partial hydrogenation.

our bodies just did not evolve, to manufacture any enzymes that can place double bonds between the 3rd and 4th carbon atoms in a fat molecule, nor can we place a double bond between the 6th and 7th carbon atoms (creating omega 3 and omega 6 fats). we do however have the ability to make a double bond between the 9th and 10th carbon atoms (omega 9 or oleic acid, which is the main oil in olive oil.

olive oil is monounsaturated, while coconut oil is completely saturated, so they are quite different. however, all fats can be easily made by the body, with the exception of our 2 omegas, which is also the metabolic pathway for many of our prostaglandins. the essential fats are extremely reactive, which is both good and bad. they can be easily destroyed, even in our bodies, without anti-oxidants. but they also play extremely important roles in our bodies, by harnessing light and oxygen energy.

the body can not make glucose from fat, so if we do not get enough sugar in our diet, our body needs to break down our much-needed protein, to make enough sugar for us, to run our brains, and supply us with some energy, along with some fats. dietary fat will always stay as fat. some of it is used anabolically, to help keep the essential fats from reacting with each other. the rest is stored as energy reserves, or burned as fuel.

when sugar is broken down, it forms 2-carbon acetate fragments. these can either be burned for energy, or created as fat. these fragments are simply added together, making c2, c4, c6, c8, c10, c12, c14, c16(palmitic), or c18(stearic). the body will make whatever it needs. it can take c18, and place a double bond in the 9th position, creating omega 9 (i.e. oleic acid from olive oil).

as you know, my fat intake comes exclusively from safflower oil and flax meal. from sources i have read, and that you guys have substantiated, most of the saturated fat contained in these products is palmitic. when i look at my latest blood test from 5 years ago, my palmitic stands at 145, reference range between 85-150. my stearic acid stands at 75, reference between 50-80. so as you can see, i am at the high end of each scale, but very balanced between the two. while my intake of stearic is close to nil, my body still managed to have very balanced amounts, showing that it is very easy to make stearic from palmitic. actually, that whole chain is easily transgressed in both ways. if you eat lots of stearic, the body will make whatever palmitic it needs. the body is not supposed to have any real levels of c10(capric), c12(lauric), or c14(myristic), as these fats are either built up to the 2 important long-chain fats, or as you stated, burned for energy.

the main point, is that these fats are easily created from any sort of excess calories. i have no problem with some saturated fat in our diet, for if we had none, the body would still make what it needs. the same is true with cholesterol. it is an absolute need for our cells. my fear for you guys, is simply the AMOUNT that you eat. saturated fat is very sticky, and is very prone to creating larger globules. cholesterol is a 27-chain carbon fatty acid, so it is all that much stickier. the good carbs that i eat have tons of phytos that fat-foods just don't have. this constant supply of sugar helps to keep my glycogen in my muscles supplied, as well as my liver, for my bloodstream and brain. our bodies just can't store great amounts of sugar, so we need to eat it every day (but appropriate amounts from appropriate foods, along with all the phytos).

the medium chain fats have been around in the health buzz for years, but for the most part, is just part of the advertisers desire to sell their product, in this case coconut oil. again, the body can go up and down the scale from c2 to c18, easily. if capric or lauric acid is digested, the body will decide what to do with it (catabolize for energy, or build up towards palmitic or stearic for anabolism/fat storage), based upon the body's need at the time. fats can be made from excess sugar, but not the reverse. so if one is not sugar-impaired, err on the side of too much sugar, rather than too much fat.