An average adult U.S. male eats about 2.7 kg (5.9 pounds) of food per day. Less than 1000 calories, which usually result in weight loss, are contained in 2.7 kg of broccoli but over 10,800 calories, which must result in
How can we change the fat content of our body? To increase the amount of w3 EFAs in our fat tissue, which is desirable for both beauty (they make skin soft and velvety) and health (they decrease our risk of
The fatty acids profile of body fat can vary greatly as a direct consequence of differing contents of saturated, monounsaturated, and essential fatty acids (EFAs) in different diets. The percentages of linoleic acid (LA, 18:2w6) and alpha-linolenic acid (LNA, 18:3w3)
Our body’s fat content tends to increase with age, although this is not inevitable. Old natives of South Sea Islands are as slim as their young, and as active and child- like. Their use of unrefined foods, active life-style, simplicity,
Next to water, which makes up about 70% of the total weight of a human adult, and 84% of that of a newborn infant, fat is the most abundant substance found in our body. We may not like that, but
Plants make enzymes that ‘insert’ a double bond into (desaturate) fatty acids at positions w3 and w6 to make w3 and w6 fatty acids, but humans do not produce these enzymes. This means that LA and LNA are not essential
To unfold some of their functions, LA and LNA must first be converted into EFA derivatives, or into prostaglandins. These conversions require vitamins B3, B6 and C and the minerals magnesium and zinc. Other vitamins and minerals may also modify
In ways that are poorly understood and require further study, EFAs seem to be involved in electron and energy transport. EFAs are involved in the transport (esterification) of cholesterol. LNA and its derivatives can lower elevated blood fats (serum triglycerides)
Much is still unknown about the functions of EFAs in our body. Of the two, LA has been studied far more extensively than LNA. Both are difficult to work with, because they are easily destroyed, but LNA is five times
The usefulness of LA and LNA in our body results from their chemical properties.
EFAs attract oxygen. This property made EFA-rich oils useful to the paint industry as ‘drying’ oils, which dry and harden when exposed to air. Oils commonly