Unmasking Linoleic Acid: The Hidden Danger in Your Diet

Your cells are built mainly using fats. That's why it's important to eat the right kind of fats to stay healthy.

A lot of experts think too much sugar causes many health problems. But, the wrong types of fats (like seed oils) can be even worse.

Fats can be grouped into two main types:

- Saturated fats: These are fats that have all their carbon atoms paired with hydrogen atoms.

- Unsaturated fats: These fats have some missing hydrogen pairs. They can be of two types - monounsaturated (missing one pair) and polyunsaturated (missing multiple pairs).

Our bodies are mainly made of saturated and monounsaturated fats. So, we need more of these than polyunsaturated fats.

There are two main kinds of polyunsaturated fats: omega-3 and omega-6. We need only a little of these. One type of omega-6 fat, called linoleic acid (LA), is especially bad for us. It's a big cause of many health problems.

So, to stay healthy, it's crucial to eat fewer foods with linoleic acid. Above is a video explaining this in detail so you can understand better.

Fats can differ based on the mixture of fatty acids in them. Two main things determine a fat's nature:

Hydrogen Atom Count: How many hydrogen atoms they have.

Chain Length: How long their molecules, or "chains," are.

Hydrogen Atom Count:

- Saturated fats have the maximum number of hydrogen atoms. They are usually solid at room temperature (like butter and coconut oil).
- Unsaturated fats are missing some hydrogen atoms and can be:

-- Monounsaturated fats: Missing one hydrogen pair.
-- Polyunsaturated Fats (PUFAs): Missing multiple hydrogen pairs.

When fats lack hydrogen, their shape bends. The more they lack, the more they bend, making them liquid at room temperature.

Chain Length:

- Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs): Have 2-4 carbon atoms.
- Medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs): Have 6-10 carbon atoms.
- Long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs): Have 12-26 carbon atoms.
- Very-long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs): Have 26-30 carbon atoms.

The longer a fat's chain, the higher its melting point. For example, solid fats like butter have longer chains than liquid fats like olive oil. Among fats with similar chain lengths, seed oils (polyunsaturated fats) melt more easily than saturated fats.

There's a plant-based omega-3 fat called alpha linolenic acid, or ALA for short. Don't mix up ALA with LA. Even though they sound alike, they're different. LA is an omega-6 fat, while ALA is an omega-3 fat.

Also, there's another fat called CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). It might be tempting to think CLA and LA are the same because they're both omega-6 fats, but they're different. CLA is actually good for your health and doesn't cause the issues LA can.

Vegetable and seed oils often have a lot of PUFAs (polyunsaturated fats) and not many saturated fats. On the other hand, animal fats are usually the opposite: they have more saturated fats and fewer PUFAs. Our body prefers using saturated and monounsaturated fats, making animal fats generally a better choice for us.

The trouble with PUFAs is that they can easily be damaged. When our cells make energy, they can accidentally harm these PUFAs. This damage can then lead to other harmful reactions in the body, causing harm to our cells' outer layers, energy factories, and even our DNA.

Even though our body does need some PUFAs, like omega-3 and omega-6 fats, we don't need a lot of them. Another concern is that once PUFAs become part of our cell layers, they can stay there for up to 7 years. Because they're missing some building blocks called hydrogen atoms, they can break down and release harmful substances, further damaging our health.

"Essential fatty acids" (EFAs) are fats that our body needs but can't produce, so we must get them from food. Right now, there are two main types:

1. Omega-3 (with types like EPA, DHA, and ALA)

2. Omega-6 fat (known as LA)

However, including LA might be a mistake. Even though it's seen as essential, taking in too much can harm our cells. What's surprising is that we only need a tiny bit of LA. And since many foods have it, it's hard to not get enough.

Studies have found that animals can be healthy even after ten generations without any LA in their diet. Another interesting discovery is that when we eat too much LA, it can affect how our body uses another fat, ALA. This change makes us rely more on seafood to get some important fats, called EPA and DHA.

DHA and EPA are super important for our health. DHA helps reduce inflammation, which plays a part in many chronic diseases. On the other hand, EPA is great for our heart's health.

The video above discusses the health issues linked to vegetable and seed oils, common in many processed foods. There's a clear connection between the growth of chronic diseases like heart disease and the widespread use of these oils.

Before 1866, most people in the West ate animal-based fats. Think of fats like butter, lard, and tallow. In contrast, Eastern countries preferred naturally extracted oils, such as coconut and palm oil. Modern vegetable oils as we know them weren't around.

The biggest shift in our diet came around 1866 when companies started producing processed seed oils. Procter & Gamble led the way, turning leftover cotton seeds into a new kind of oil using a process called hydrogenation. They named it Crisco.

Soon after, margarine, made from these seed oils, became popular. Over time, the main ingredients of Crisco have changed to include oils like palm, soy, and canola. Yet, cottonseed oil remains popular, especially in restaurant kitchens for frying.

To give an idea of how much seed oil we're eating now: back in 1865, people ate about 2 grams of it a day. By 2008, it was 29 grams daily. In the bigger picture, while seed oils were just a tiny fraction of our calories in 1865, they made up over a quarter of our caloric intake by 2010. That's a huge jump!

Many experts point fingers at sugar for the surge in chronic diseases. However, seed oils have an even bigger impact than sugar.

In 1822, Americans consumed an average of 6 pounds of sugar yearly. By 1999, this rose to 108 pounds. That's a 17-fold increase. Shockingly, seed oil consumption surged by 25 times during the same period.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Dr. Robert Atkins popularized low-carb diets. These diets cut out high-carb foods, which surprisingly are also packed with harmful seed oils. Consider foods like french fries, donuts, and pizza – they're high in both carbs and seed oils.

Processed foods might be around 21% sugar. But, more than half of their calories often come from seed oils. This is significant. While carb intake in the U.S. has been decreasing since 1997, obesity and Type 2 diabetes rates have risen. This rise parallels the growth in seed oil consumption.

Furthermore, seed oils stay in your system for a long time. LA, a component of seed oils, has a half-life of about two years. It'd take six years to replace most of the LA in your body with healthier fats. This is why it's crucial to limit LA intake. On the other hand, a sugar overload lasts only a day or two in your body, making seed oils a longer-lasting health concern.

Excessive LA consumption is bad for our health, mainly because it hinders our mitochondria, the energy factories inside our cells. These mitochondria make energy known as ATP. Without enough ATP, our cells can't function or heal properly.

LA, a type of PUFA, is vulnerable to damage by oxygen, a process named oxidation. This damage can produce harmful free radicals. These radicals lead to the creation of ALEs and, specifically for omega-6 fats, OXLAMs.

Both ALEs and OXLAMs disrupt the function of our mitochondria, and this disruption is a key feature of many chronic diseases. Besides causing oxidation and harming our mitochondria, processed seed oils can also:

- Hurt the cells inside our blood vessels.

- Affect memory and raise the risk of Alzheimer’s disease (with canola oil being especially linked).

- Deplete glutathione in the liver, which weakens our ability to fight off harmful substances.

- Block delta-6, an enzyme that helps turn short omega-3 fats into longer ones in our liver.

- Weaken our immune system and increase the risk of death.

- Make our fat cells respond too much to insulin, leading to insulin resistance.

- Interfere with cardiolipin, a vital fat in our mitochondria's inner membrane.

Cardiolipin, located in the inner membrane of your mitochondria, plays a crucial role in cellular function, and its health is heavily influenced by the fats we consume. Let's break this down:

1. A Sea of Mitochondria: Our bodies have an astonishing 40 to 100 quadrillion mitochondria. These are the powerhouses of our cells.

2. Cardiolipin's Location and Function: Inside the mitochondria, there's an inner membrane with folds called cristae. These cristae house a fat named cardiolipin. This fat shapes the cristae structure, which is vital since this is where energy production happens.

3. Energy Production: For optimal energy production, the complexes within the cristae need to form tight groups, known as supercomplexes. But if cardiolipin is damaged, these supercomplexes can't form properly, leading to decreased energy production.

4. Cardiolipin's Safety Mechanism: Cardiolipin is more than just a structural component; it also acts as a cellular watchdog. If a cell has issues, cardiolipin activates a process called apoptosis, which is a kind of controlled cell death. This prevents potentially harmful cells from continuing to grow, which might otherwise lead to conditions like cancer.

5. The Impact of Dietary Fats: The health of cardiolipin is closely tied to our diet. The fats that bolster its health are omega-3s, while those that can harm it include omega-6s, particularly LA.

6. The Power of Dietary Changes: While it might take years to significantly reduce the overall LA in your body, adjusting your diet can lead to positive changes in your cardiolipin's fat composition in just weeks or even days. This means potential health benefits start manifesting sooner than you might expect.

The provided image offers a visual representation of a typical mitochondria and how cardiolipin impacts its structure and function.

Heart disease and cancer rank among the top health threats in Western countries, and there's growing evidence pointing to LA's role in both conditions. Here's a simplified breakdown:

Heart Disease & LA:

- Atherosclerosis and Foam Cells: Atherosclerosis, which can lead to heart disease, begins when specific white blood cells, called macrophages, transform into foam cells. These cells are filled with fat and cholesterol.
- The Misconception: Given the presence of cholesterol and fat in foam cells, many people believe saturated fat and cholesterol cause heart disease.
- The Real Culprit: For foam cells to form, the cholesterol, specifically LDL, needs to oxidize. This oxidation is what seed oils cause. Thus, LDL cholesterol itself isn't the issue; it's the oxidative process influenced by LA from our diets.
- Fragile Cell Membranes: High amounts of PUFAs from seed oils can weaken cell membranes, making them more vulnerable to oxidation.

Cancer & LA:

- Seed Oils and Cancer: High intake of seed oils has been linked to cancer. In studies, animals often develop cancer when their diet contains 4% to 10% LA.
- Comparing with Human Consumption: Alarmingly, many people consume up to 25% of their daily calorie intake from seed oils. Historically, our ancestors consumed less than 2% from omega-6 sources.
- Sunburn and Skin Cancer: Eliminating seed oils from your diet can even decrease your risk of sunburn and, consequently, skin cancer. This is because LA in the diet influences how our skin reacts to UV radiation.

In essence, reducing our intake of seed oils could play a pivotal role in decreasing the risk of some of the most common and severe health conditions we face today.

LA is found abundantly in certain foods and oils. Here's a guide to help you minimize your intake.

High LA Sources to Avoid or Limit:

Cooking Seed Oils: These are common in households and restaurants.

Processed Foods: Many contain seed oils as ingredients.

Restaurant Foods: Often made using seed oils.

Condiments: They can have seed oils as their base.

Seeds and Nuts: Naturally high in LA.

Grain-fed Animal Foods: Like conventional chicken and pork, they have higher LA due to their diet.

Most Olive and Avocado Oils: Surprisingly, due to common adulteration with cheaper seed oils. Look for pure olive avocado oil sources.

How Much is Too Much?

- Aim to consume less than 7 grams of LA daily, aligning with historical human intake levels.

- To track your LA consumption, use a nutrition tracker like Cronometer. This tool breaks down the omega-6 in your diet, and around 90% of that is typically LA. Consuming over 10 grams of LA daily could be harmful.

Healthy Fat Alternatives:

- Tallow, Butter, and Ghee: Not only are these low in LA, but they're also rich in essential fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K2.

- Coconut Oil: Low in LA, though it lacks the vitamins found in tallow and butter.

Comparison of Cooking Oils:

The image below illustrates the LA content in commonly used oils. Generally, butter and beef tallow stand out as the best options due to their low LA content and nutritional value. Remember, choosing the right fats for cooking and consumption is crucial for maintaining optimal health. Making informed decisions can lead to long-term benefits.

Olive and avocado oils are often lauded for their health benefits, but there's an alarming issue: many of the oils on the market aren't pure.

Olive Oil’s Dubious Quality:

- Olive oil consumption in the U.S. has skyrocketed over the past few decades, thanks to its renowned health benefits.

- Shockingly, studies show that 60% to 90% of olive oils in American markets might be mixed with cheaper, oxidized vegetable oils or low-quality olive oils not fit for human consumption.

- Even if a bottle is labeled "extra virgin", there's no guarantee. Many of these mixed oils won't list their additional ingredients, leaving consumers in the dark.

- Many might not even recognize the taste of genuine, high-quality olive oil due to the prevalence of these adulterated versions.

Avocado Oil Isn't Safe Either:

- Avocado oil, often considered as healthful as olive oil, faces similar quality concerns.

- A 2020 study found a staggering 82% of avocado oils were either of low quality, mislabeled, or mixed with other oils.

Who's Watching Out?

- While many trust the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate and ensure the quality of our foods, the reality is a bit different. The FDA mainly focuses on ingredient label accuracy and tracking food-related illnesses.

- Unfortunately, they don't actively prevent the sale of adulterated food products, leaving consumers vulnerable.

What Can You Do?:

Unless you can verify the purity of your olive or avocado oil, it's wise to be cautious. Being discerning and proactive in sourcing oils can ensure that you're truly getting the health benefits they offer.

Many health enthusiasts consider nuts and seeds as beneficial for heart health. Yet, a closer look reveals that most of these foods have a high Linoleic Acid (LA) content, which can be concerning.

Why Worry About LA in Nuts?:

- Several nuts and seeds, despite their reputation, have a high LA content. For instance, pecans contain LA in half of their fat content.

- Although nuts and seeds are often natural and unprocessed, their high LA content can still pose health risks.

- Consuming more than 5 grams of LA daily can lead to oxidation, resulting in the creation of harmful free radicals that might be detrimental to health.

Are All Nuts a Concern?:

- Not necessarily. Macadamia nuts stand out as an exception.

- Only 2% of macadamia nut fat is LA, so enjoying 10 to 30 daily won't drastically impact your LA levels.

Takeaway: For those keen on reducing their LA intake, it's advisable to limit or even cut out most nuts and seeds from their diet, with the exception of macadamia nuts.

Linoleic Acid (LA) isn't just prevalent in seed oils; it's also found in several animal-based foods. Here's a breakdown:

Ruminant Animals:

- These include cows, buffalo, sheep, lamb, goats, deer, elk, and many game animals.

- Due to their multi-chambered stomachs filled with special bacteria, they can convert high LA fats into saturated and monounsaturated fats.

- Consequently, the milk and meat of these animals have a low LA content, regardless of their diet.

Single-Stomached Animals:

- Chickens and pigs fall under this category.

- Unlike ruminants, these animals can't convert high LA fats they consume. So, if their diet is rich in corn and soy, their meat and eggs will contain more LA.

- Notably, most chicken and pork meats consist of over 25% LA. While chicken eggs contain less than 1 gram of LA each, even when the chickens are fed commercial feeds rich in LA.

Grass-fed vs. Conventional Beef:

- The difference in LA content between 100% grass-fed ruminants and those fed on corn and soy is minimal, around 0.5%.

- However, grass-fed beef is preferable since it often contains fewer harmful substances like glyphosate and hormones.

Recommendations:

- For a lower LA intake, consider sourcing most of your animal protein from ruminant animals.

- Limit or reduce consumption of chicken and pork.

- Opt for organic meats where animals aren't exposed to contaminants like glyphosate or other pesticides. Favorites for many include bison and lamb, but any ruminant meat is generally a better option.

Omega-3 Sources in Seafood:

- Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for our health and are primarily found in fatty, cold-water fish.

- Top sources include wild-caught Alaskan salmon, sardines, anchovies, mackerel, and herring.

The Downside of Farmed Fish:

- While farmed fish might seem like a sustainable alternative to reduce pressure on wild fish populations, it has significant drawbacks.

- Issues mirror those of land-based concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) such as pollution, disease spread, and a generally lower nutritional profile.

Diet of Farmed Fish:

- Many farmed fish are fed with genetically engineered (GE) corn and soy, an unnatural diet for marine species. This diet leads to a higher omega-6 content, which can be detrimental.

- Some are given fishmeal, which can have industrial chemical contaminants, including PCBs and dioxins.

Nutritional Discrepancies:

- Farmed salmon generally contain only half the omega-3s found in their wild counterparts.

- They also have a mere one-fourth of vitamin D content when compared to wild salmon.

- Moreover, farmed salmon can have over 5.5 times more omega-6 fats.

- Regular exposure to antibiotics and pesticides is common in fish farming, further deteriorating their nutritional quality.

When aiming to reap the benefits of omega-3s from seafood, it's vital to opt for wild-caught varieties. The nutritional richness, coupled with the avoidance of contaminants and unnatural diets, makes wild fish a healthier choice.

The Role of Carnosine: Carnosine, a dipeptide created by our body, consists of two amino acids: beta-alanine and histidine. This powerful peptide offers protective benefits against the oxidative damage induced by linoleic acid (LA).

Acting as a Shield: As an oxidative "sacrificial sink", carnosine attracts and neutralizes harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Advanced Lipoxidation End-products (ALEs). Instead of allowing these destructive molecules to damage vital cellular components like our mitochondria, DNA, or proteins, carnosine steps in, acting like a shield, taking on the damage upon itself.

Sources of Carnosine:

- Carnosine is naturally present in meats.

- Consuming animal proteins is an effective way to elevate our carnosine levels.

- Carnosine isn’t found in plant-based foods.

Supplementing with Carnosine:

- For those considering a supplement, beta-alanine emerges as a more efficient option to elevate carnosine levels.

- Beta-alanine serves as the limiting factor in carnosine synthesis.

- Not only is it more effective, but beta-alanine supplements are also typically more affordable compared to carnosine.

As our bodies work to eliminate excess stored LA, integrating carnosine, either through diet or supplementation, can serve as a strategic measure to guard against LA-induced oxidative stress.

Eliminate Seed Oils: Begin the process of removing all seed oils from your diet to potentially prevent various chronic degenerative diseases.

Be Wary of "Healthy" Oils: Although olive and avocado oils are considered healthy, many on the market are adulterated with cheaper seed oils. Ensure the authenticity of your purchase.

Choose Safer Cooking Fats: Opt for cooking with ghee, butter, or beef tallow. These are less likely to oxidize and are devoid of seed oils.

Avoid Processed Foods: Most processed foods come loaded with unhealthy seed oils. Always check the ingredient list.

Limit Eating Out: Restaurants typically use substantial amounts of seed oils for cooking, sauces, and dressings. When dining out, inquire about the cooking mediums used.

Select Healthier Meat Options: Prioritize consuming meats like bison and lamb, which are generally leaner and healthier. Reduce or eliminate intake of chicken and pork due to their potential higher LA content.

By following these guidelines, you can make informed dietary choices that align with your health goals.