Fats Also Carry Important Messages

Fats become messengers between cells and tissues

Apart from the important role that the right fats and oils perform in the structure of cells and neurons, they are also involved in carrying messages between cells.

The membranes of all your blood cells, vessels and neurons all require vast quantities of fatty acids. The balance of these fatty acids is determined by the type of fats and oils that you eat. If you are consuming the right kinds of fats and oils, undamaged, Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids in the right ratio, then your cell membranes will function optimally.

Furthermore, if you consume a lot of saturated fats, and processed, damaged oils, that contain damaged and toxic fat molecules, your cell membranes will also be unable to function properly, which will influence the communication between cells.

When you have the right fatty acids in your membranes, they not only form part of the structure of your membrane, they also change into messengers when they are required to send a message to another cell, because a call to action has been sent out. A trigger, such as a virus, a bacteria, a toxic chemical or even heavy metal or free radical, will start an action that chemically changes the fatty acids in the membrane, into another form.

These messengers come directly from the essential fats that you eat

They become very active, powerful, hormone-like compounds that are capable of performing a variety of very important functions within the brain and body. They used to be called prostaglandins, because they were originally discovered in the prostate gland, but are now better known as eicosanoids. We can call them messengers.

We now know that they are found throughout the body, and that they have very important functions to perform. They are formed directly from the Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids that come from your diet, so if you are not consuming enough of them, or in the right ratio, you will not enjoy optimal health.

As 95% of people are deficient in Omega 3 fatty acids, their membranes will be unable to perform the duties that support optimum health, by ensuring correct communication between cells and tissues.

The right ratio between Omega 3 and Omega 6 is very important

The reason the right ratio is so important is because the Omega 3 and Omega 6 eicosanoids generally have opposite functions, fostering balance in the body and brain. For example, the Omega 3 eicosanoids will tell the blood platelets to separate, while the Omega 6 variety will tell them to stick together, and in so doing, the correct 'stickiness' of the blood is maintained. If you have too much of either of these essential compounds, then your blood would either be too sticky or too thin. The balance is therefore critical.

These eicosanoids have the following functions in the body and brain:

Anti-depressant activity
Anti-inflammatory
Cardio Vascular health
Central Nervous System management
Fluid balance
Hormone balance
Immune enhancement
Improve ADHD symptoms
Memory function
Metabolism
Skin health

These special messengers work 24/7

Due to their important functions, and the role they play in ongoing communication, they have to be replenished daily. It is no use having some every now and again – the important communication that these Essential Fatty Acids(EFA's) are required for, need to continue 24/7.

They signal activity throughout the body, telling cells to perform various essential functions, and if the raw material for their production is missing, the important communication that they are responsible for, will fall silent, because they won't be there to do the talking.

References

Essential role of fats throughout the lifecycle. Background: the renaissance of fat: roles in membrane structure, signal transduction and gene expression. Denyer GS. Med J Aust. 2002 Jun 3;176 Suppl:S109-10.

N-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids for optimal function during brain development and ageing. Dangour AD, Uauy R. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008;17 Suppl 1:185-8.

Lipid-mediated cell signaling protects against injury and neurodegeneration. Zhang C, Bazan NG.

J Nutr. 2010 Apr;140(4):858-63. Epub 2010 Feb 24.

Smart Fats - how dietary fats and oils affect mental, physical and emotional intelligence. Schmidt, M. A. Frog Ltd Pub. Berkeley, California. 1997.

Fats that heal, fats that kill. Erasmus, U. Dr. Alive Books. Burnaby BC, Canada. 1993.

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