Posted by joe schmoe on December 12, 2012, at 6:58:51
In reply to Re: How do I lower pro-inflammatory cytokines? » joe schmoe, posted by Trotter on December 11, 2012, at 23:46:52
> Right you are that both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated oils.
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> I don't consume much in the way of omega-6 from vegetable oils. I cook with virgin olive oil (at relatively low temperature). I think my main source of omega-6 is from red meat and cheese.
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> After doing some more research today I now believe that supplementation with EPA (but not DHA) omega-3 oil is beneficial because it reduces inflammation. EPA also seems to be the omega-3 that is effective in reducing depression, possibly through its antiinflammatory action.
Olive oil is not a seed oil and is high in monounsaturated fat so it is certainly a better choice to cook with than seed oils like corn oil or canola oil. It still vulnerable to some oxidation from heat however so I only use it on salads. Personally I prefer to cook with coconut oil since it is almost entirely saturated fat and very resistant to oxidation.I take fish oil every day, to rebalance my omega 3's and 6's since they compete for the same enzymes to make different inflammatory chemicals, but have never noticed any effect on my mood from it. The impression I get from lipid experts is to reduce omega 6 intake by cutting out processed foods/seed oils as much as possible, and eat more fish/supplement with fish oil, but not to overdo it, since you don't want to be eating a lot of polyunsaturated fats of any kind. It's more important to reduce omega 6 consumption. There is a magic level of calorie intake from omega 6, I think it's 4%, above this bad things seem to happen regardless of omega 3 intake.
While I'm at it let me link you to a couple posts at a nutrition researcher's excellent blog. I highly recommend reading as much of this blog as you can. There is a lot of great information there.
http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2009/05/eicosanoids-and-ischemic-heart-diseas.html
http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2009/05/for-those-not-scientifically-inclined.html
Incidentally you can also get omega 3's (and vitamin K2) from more naturally raised food - eggs from free range chickens (they eat insects, not just corn), butter and cheese from grass fed cows, beef from grass fed cattle. Products from animals that are penned up and fed corn tend to be very low in omega 3's.
poster:joe schmoe
thread:1032810
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20121130/msgs/1032895.html