Examples of PUFA loaded, low quality vegetable oils are: corn, soy, cottonseed, safflower, sunflower, canola, peanut and of course plain old “vegetable oil". Look out for and avoid margerine and other immitation "butter spreads" as well.

Fats break down into three main groups – saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. The Omega 6 and 3 fatty acids we hear so much about belong to the polyunsaturated group which brings us to issue number one…

Anthropological evidence suggests our ancestors evolved on a diet of an approx 1:1 to 3:1 omega 6 to omega 3 ratio. Anthropological evidence also suggests that our ancestors were basically free from many of the degenerative diseases we face today. The polyunsaturated fat content of the low quality vegetable oils mentioned above, are almost entirely from omega 6 – with basically zero omega 3 content – which moves our omega 6 to 3 ratio further and further away from how we evolved. It is suggested that the average American’s omega 6 to 3 ratio is now more like 15:1 all the way up to 25:1  - now that refined vegetable oils make up the majority of cooking oils used today.

While these figures and theories regarding our ancestors and the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 they consumed is important, it's also important to note that the overall amount of polyunsaturated fats they consumed was far lower than what your average person consumes today. Vegetable oils were not around and the occasional nut and seed consumption would have paled in comparison to the amount we can eat today - since we often buy them shelled and or processed down into easy to (over) consume nut butters. 

Issue number 2 is that polyunsaturated fats are the most fragile fats. Meaning they break down, oxidize and turn rancid easily in the body. When fats oxidize and break down, they create free radical damage in the body and of course increased inflammation. This also includes the often very hyped omega 3 fatty acids. 

It’s a safe bet that when you eat out at a restaurant – ESPECIALLY fast food –  cheap, low quality vegetable oils will be used in the cooking process. The vast majority of junk and snack type foods (cookies, chips, crackers) are also going to use vegetable oils in the manufacturing process. Being overloaded on PUFA's increases systemic inflammation in the body. In our opinion excess inflammation is the root cause behind many of the diseases and health challenges we face today.

Saturated and monounsaturated fats are much more stable in the body and do not break down the way PUFA’s do. This of course goes against what many of us have heard our entire lives; that saturated fat (and dietary cholesterol) are bad for us and we should limit them.

It is interesting that several decades ago when government agencies began demonizing saturated fat and started recommending vegetable oils over more traditional fats and cooking oils (such as butter and lard) many degenerative diseases that AGAIN have a strong link to excess inflammation began to rise dramatically.

Problems such as: type II diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, obesity, autoimmune disease and more began to skyrocket with the introduction of these PUFA heavy oils. Of course there are probably multiple factors at play with regards to the dramatic rise of many degenerative diseases we face today. However, it is still interesting if not perplexing, that we are still being told to get more PUFA’s in our diet by certain groups and agencies when the research is clear regarding the dangers of excess PUFA’s in the diet.

Issue number three is in regards to PUFA’s and our hormones. Our hormones are involved in everything that goes on in the body and we want to eat and live in a manner that supports our “good” or “protective” hormones, and lowers “stress” hormones. PUFA’s have been shown time and time again to lower protective hormones such as progesterone, testosterone and thyroid hormones. In our opinion these are three of the more "youthful and protective" hormones that we should focus on protecting and even boosting. Progesterone more so with females and testosterone more so with males.

PUFA's can directly damage our thyroid gland (due to tissue damage from the excess free radicals in the body) while increasing stress hormones such as cortisol. PUFA's also directly block the active form of thyroid hormone (T3) from binding to receptors throughout the body!

Interestingly enough, saturated and monounsaturated fats do not appear to have this negative effect – if anything they appear to have a positive or protective effect on these hormones. PUFA’s have also shown to increase blood sugar dysregulation and insulin resistance; meaning the more PUFA’s you consume your chances of developing type II diabetes increases. We know that on the surface sugar often receives all the blame when it comes to type II diabetes, but dig a little deeper and look in to this connection between excess PUFA and diabetes.

Healthy fats and oils we recommend consuming and prioritizing would be: coconut oil, olive oil, grass fed butter, ghee, and quality meats, cheeses and eggs.

While detoxing from PUFA’s or when you know you will eating PUFA’s in excess (going out to eat) it would be a wise decision to get some additional antioxidants in your diet such as vitamin C, vitamin E and or the amazing antioxidant supplement Ningxia Red.

Vitamin E is especially powerful for our purposes here as it is a FAT soluble antioxidant. Many of the cheaper vitamin E products on the market are synthetic, so make sure to go with a naturally derived vitamin E supplement that contains multiple tocopherols. Here is the one we currently use:

https://amzn.to/2TGUUM2

Thank you for reading!

#Oilyevanstribe

Written by Will Evans

*This information includes ideas and suggestions that is educational in nature, and is provided only as general information. We are not medical professionals; and our advice should not be looked upon as medical treatment plans. This information does not represent the views or opinions of Young Living.*

https://patriotdirectfm.com/2017/12/polyunsaturated-fatty-acids-pufa-why-you-should-avoid-them-and-how-mainstream-nutrition-got-it-wrong/

https://www.alexfergus.com/blog/pufa-s-the-worst-thing-for-your-health-that-you-eat-everyday

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9029197

https://chriskresser.com/how-much-omega-3-is-enough-that-depends-on-omega-6/