On Tue, 20 May 2003 09:42:44 EDT, Adrienne Smith <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

on:
>> Saturated fat, in laymen's terms, "hardens" cell walls, making it harder
>> >for
>> >insulin to flow in and out of the cell and, thus, leading to excess
>> insulin
>> >(hyperinsulinemia).
>>
>
>If this is true, then by the same logic, wouldn't too much polyunsaturated
>fish oil would "weaken" cell walls increasing risk of stroke?

Less harder cell walls with PUFAs are not "weaker", they are more flexible
and more permeable. Such a cell has a lot of input and output. It has no
mouth -- all has to go through the cell walls.

If it has less input (less PUFA), less nutrients can pass to keep the cell
healthy. As far as insulin triggers the intake (for glucose and some amino
acids it does so) this is called insulin resistance - a pest.

Risk of stroke? A stroke is when a small deposition on blood vessels drops
away into the bloodstream, reaches the brain and blocks an artery there -
the related brain cells die.
Stroke risk increases with
1. higher platalet aggregation (mediated by prostaglandins)
2. higher blood pressure (more flexible blood cells and blood vessels lower
BP because the blood cells can enter more easily into tissues)
Everybody agree so far?

>
>Here's an interesting article from Barry Groves site:
>.. http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/fats_and_cancer.html
>Although much of it has to do with polyunsaturated veggie oils, if you skip
>down to the subsection called Polyunsatured Fats Suppress the Immune >System,
>and look at the next to the last paragraph, there is mention of fish oil
>specifically.

Polyunsaturates (PUFA) are everything with more than one double bind,
starting from LNA and LA, not only fish oils.
Fish oils also contain HUFA (highly unsaturated..) like EPA DHA.
The latter 2 suppress the imune system, particularly when eaten in amounts.
Additionally PUFAs and HUFAs are in danger of beeing oxidized by free
radicals and *then* cause themselfes a danger of cancer.
*If* they are not protected by antioxidants (predominately vitamins E and
C). Most supermarket vegetable oils have their vitamin E removed in the
process of bleaching desodorizing and stealing away it's taste.
That fuels cancer statistics.

Also most supermarket vegetable oils are nearly only omega-6 type, LA.
That fuels synthesis of AA (arachidonic acid) which is the precursor of all
the bad prostaglandins (see above). Invocing again cancer, CHD and inflammation.

Against creation if AA out of LA works:
- Presence of LNA (an omega-3 oil, competing for d5d)
- not elevated insulin levels
- sesamin (of sesam seeds) and cucurmin (from turmeric)
(the latter I discovered by a post from Lyle on the usenet recently -
very interesting case I think)

My suggestion still is:
To have 35% of all fat als PUFA, namely LA and LNA,
optionally small amounts of DHA and EPA.
And LNA in a relation of about 25% of LA.
All from natural fresh sources (with it's vitamin E and non-spoiled).
Little fat deposits in the body (consuming vitamin E for sole storage).
And avoid AA as good as possible (dietary AA and body made AA).
For our mass-agriculture society I don't see a path without flax oil (in
very high fresh quality like oxyguard-pressed) and olive oil.

Btw.: Burning of fatty acids:
PUFA oils are burnt more readily than harder fats for fuel.
If you had much PUFA in you fat cells if would be easier to use it therefore.
But the fat composition in your fat cells accumulates from the last years.
Many will have predominately SFA and LA in it.
In this case I could imagine that eating (moderate) SFA would alleviate
the usage of LA from fat cells.
I also think - and this is reported some times - that there's some time
necessary for the cells to get used to fat burning. Particularly for muscle
cells. Reducing carb availability (and carb burning precesses) are the main
thing which would do that, I think. Not adding more fat.

regards

Amadeus S.