Fatty acids exist in the body primarily as triglycerides and phospholipids. Phospholipids make up the bilipid membrane of cells and the membranes of organelles within the cytoplasm. Fatty acids are split from the triglyceride glycerol backbone and broken down into carbon fragments which are then oxidized to provide energy. Usually, just the 16 carbon fatty acids or shorter are metabolized in this fashion.

[ Fatty Acid Break Down Image ]

http://www.wysong.net/articles/lipid/figures/figure13a.jpg

Fatty acids 16 carbons and longer from the omega-3 and -6 families can undergo the formation of double bonds and chain lengthening to create compounds called eicosanoids. These substances are autacoids, evanescent compounds which exert their effects locally in the microenvironment of the tissues where they are generated.1 Eicosanoids are cyclic oxygenated derivatives of fatty acids consisting of prostaglandins, leukotrienes, thromboxanes, prostacyclines, and lipoxins which are the moderators of life processes at the microcellular and tissue level (Fig. 14). They are intermediate between biochemicals and hormones. Their presence in extremely small nano and pico molar amounts exerts effects which are more powerful by many fold than various potent organ level hormones.

[ Functions Of Eicosanoids Image ]

http://www.wysong.net/articles/lipid/figures/figure14.jpg

Eicosanoids are regulatory, turning various life processes on and off. For example, eicosanoids can stimulate the clotting mechanism when blood vessels are injured, but they can also stop the clotting mechanism so it does not proceed to the point where circulation other than at the local site of injury is impaired.

Eicosanoids must exist in precise balances for life to continue without the presence of disease. Since the various eicosanoids are produced from dietary fatty acids, modifying the diet can shift eicosanoid balances. Overconsumption of one kind of fatty acid may overproduce one kind of eicosanoid. Its effect will then become predominant and not be properly balanced by its antagonistic eicosanoid and thus disease may result. For example, the overconsumption of omega-6 fatty acids can create eicosanoids which promote inflammation. If these fatty acids are consumed in excess at the expense of a balancing amount of omega-3 fatty acids, inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and allergic conditions may result. Balance is the essence of life.

The various metabolic pathways leading to the production of eicosanoids are complex. The pathways begin with the types of fatty acids in the diet. These in turn are converted by enzyme systems into progressively longer and more unsaturated fatty acids until they reach their eicosanoid destination. Figures 15 and 16 outline these synthetic pathways.

Desaturase and elongase enzymes responsible for these conversions vary in functionality from species to species, within the same species, and even within the same individual under differing circumstances. Additionally, it is believed, these enzyme systems can be affected adversely by various toxins and disease states. Thus not only diet, but environmental and genetic factors can influence eicosanoid balances.

In animal species, sufficient enzyme systems do not exist to permit formation of unsaturated bonds in the omega-3 and the omega-6 positions. Therefore, as discussed previously,

[ Fatty Acid Modification Image ]

http://www.wysong.net/articles/lipid/figures/figure15.jpg

[ Eicosanoid Pathways Image ]

http://www.wysong.net/articles/lipid/figures/figure16.jpg

omega-3 and -6 fatty acids are essential dietary constituents. Plant chloroplasts, on the other hand, have the enzyme systems necessary to form these omega-3 and -6 fatty acids and thus plant food sources become the ultimate source of these essential fatty acids for animals. This means even if an animal is a carnivore, it is consuming prey which in turn has consumed plant material containing these essential fatty acids. Such is the case for fish which concentrate high levels of omega-3 coming up to them through the food chain from phytoplankton.

A natural diet consisting of fresh, raw foods provides an entirely different spectrum of fatty acids than does the modern fare of fractionated, processed, stored, and otherwise altered foods. In a natural diet a wide range of fatty acids will be supplied in their biologically protected and active form. Fatty acids of the omega-3, -6 and -9 families will all be present in the ratios in which life was originally adapted to utilize them. Under these circumstances, eicosanoids are more likely to be properly in balance.

In the modem diet, however, it is possible to receive virtually no omega-3 fatty acids, extremely high levels of saturated fatty acids, oxidized cholesterol, trans-fatty acids and other isomers, and large proportions of omega-6 fatty acids as well as various oxidized forms of these fatty acids which result inevitably from processing. Such conditions imbalance eicosanoids by providing improper starting materials for eicosanoid synthesis and by introducing toxic elements which interfere with enzymatic pathways.

Proper nutrition should therefore be directed toward restoring the natural, unaltered diet and the elimination, as much as possible, of foods comprised of lipids in inappropriate ratios and altered from their natural forms.

References available within book text, click the following link to view this article on wysong.net:

http://www.wysong.net/articles/lipid/05_article_lipid_chapter_five_fatty_acid_pathways.shtml

For further reading, or for more information about, Dr Wysong and the Wysong Corporation please visit www.wysong.net or write to wysong@wysong.net. For resources on healthier foods for people including snacks, and breakfast cereals please visit www.cerealwysong.com.

Fatty acids exist in the body primarily as triglycerides and phospholipids. Phospholipids make up the bilipid membrane of cells and the membranes of organelles within the cytoplasm. Fatty acids are split from the triglyceride glycerol backbone and broken down into carbon fragments which are then oxidized to provide energy. Usually, just the 16 carbon fatty acids or shorter are metabolized in this fashion.

[ Fatty Acid Break Down Image ]

http://www.wysong.net/articles/lipid/figures/figure13a.jpg

Fatty acids 16 carbons and longer from the omega-3 and -6 families can undergo the formation of double bonds and chain lengthening to create compounds called eicosanoids. These substances are autacoids, evanescent compounds which exert their effects locally in the microenvironment of the tissues where they are generated.1 Eicosanoids are cyclic oxygenated derivatives of fatty acids consisting of prostaglandins, leukotrienes, thromboxanes, prostacyclines, and lipoxins which are the moderators of life processes at the microcellular and tissue level (Fig. 14). They are intermediate between biochemicals and hormones. Their presence in extremely small nano and pico molar amounts exerts effects which are more powerful by many fold than various potent organ level hormones.

[ Functions Of Eicosanoids Image ]

http://www.wysong.net/articles/lipid/figures/figure14.jpg

Eicosanoids are regulatory, turning various life processes on and off. For example, eicosanoids can stimulate the clotting mechanism when blood vessels are injured, but they can also stop the clotting mechanism so it does not proceed to the point where circulation other than at the local site of injury is impaired.

Eicosanoids must exist in precise balances for life to continue without the presence of disease. Since the various eicosanoids are produced from dietary fatty acids, modifying the diet can shift eicosanoid balances. Overconsumption of one kind of fatty acid may overproduce one kind of eicosanoid. Its effect will then become predominant and not be properly balanced by its antagonistic eicosanoid and thus disease may result. For example, the overconsumption of omega-6 fatty acids can create eicosanoids which promote inflammation. If these fatty acids are consumed in excess at the expense of a balancing amount of omega-3 fatty acids, inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and allergic conditions may result. Balance is the essence of life.

The various metabolic pathways leading to the production of eicosanoids are complex. The pathways begin with the types of fatty acids in the diet. These in turn are converted by enzyme systems into progressively longer and more unsaturated fatty acids until they reach their eicosanoid destination. Figures 15 and 16 outline these synthetic pathways.

Desaturase and elongase enzymes responsible for these conversions vary in functionality from species to species, within the same species, and even within the same individual under differing circumstances. Additionally, it is believed, these enzyme systems can be affected adversely by various toxins and disease states. Thus not only diet, but environmental and genetic factors can influence eicosanoid balances.

In animal species, sufficient enzyme systems do not exist to permit formation of unsaturated bonds in the omega-3 and the omega-6 positions. Therefore, as discussed previously,

[ Fatty Acid Modification Image ]

http://www.wysong.net/articles/lipid/figures/figure15.jpg

[ Eicosanoid Pathways Image ]

http://www.wysong.net/articles/lipid/figures/figure16.jpg

omega-3 and -6 fatty acids are essential dietary constituents. Plant chloroplasts, on the other hand, have the enzyme systems necessary to form these omega-3 and -6 fatty acids and thus plant food sources become the ultimate source of these essential fatty acids for animals. This means even if an animal is a carnivore, it is consuming prey which in turn has consumed plant material containing these essential fatty acids. Such is the case for fish which concentrate high levels of omega-3 coming up to them through the food chain from phytoplankton.

A natural diet consisting of fresh, raw foods provides an entirely different spectrum of fatty acids than does the modern fare of fractionated, processed, stored, and otherwise altered foods. In a natural diet a wide range of fatty acids will be supplied in their biologically protected and active form. Fatty acids of the omega-3, -6 and -9 families will all be present in the ratios in which life was originally adapted to utilize them. Under these circumstances, eicosanoids are more likely to be properly in balance.

In the modem diet, however, it is possible to receive virtually no omega-3 fatty acids, extremely high levels of saturated fatty acids, oxidized cholesterol, trans-fatty acids and other isomers, and large proportions of omega-6 fatty acids as well as various oxidized forms of these fatty acids which result inevitably from processing. Such conditions imbalance eicosanoids by providing improper starting materials for eicosanoid synthesis and by introducing toxic elements which interfere with enzymatic pathways.

Proper nutrition should therefore be directed toward restoring the natural, unaltered diet and the elimination, as much as possible, of foods comprised of lipids in inappropriate ratios and altered from their natural forms.

References available within book text, click the following link to view this article on wysong.net:

http://www.wysong.net/articles/lipid/05_article_lipid_chapter_five_fatty_acid_pathways.shtml

For further reading, or for more information about, Dr Wysong and the Wysong Corporation please visit www.wysong.net or write to wysong@wysong.net. For resources on healthier foods for people including snacks, and breakfast cereals please visit www.cerealwysong.com.

Startling Evidence of Brain Decay at Age 39

The coating on your nerves, like the black protection around electrical wires, is called myelin sheathing.  Deterioration of myelin sheathing causes a “leakage” of electrical energy out the sides of nerves, resulting in disrupted function.  This can cause shaking, poor balance, and/or a lack of coordination. It also causes easier fatigue from almost anything. A news study in healthy men clearly shows that loss of myelin sheathing begins at age 39, a slow decay of nerve function which also relates to memory. The initial sign is simply a loss of reflex speed.

The researchers explained “Studies have shown us that as we age, myelin breakdown and repair is continually occurring over the brain’s entire neural network. But in older age, we begin losing the repair battle. That means the average performance of the networks gradually declines with age at an accelerating rate…After middle age, we start to lose the battle to repair the myelin in our brain, and our motor and cognitive functions begin a long, slow downhill slide.”

Your myelin sheathing is made of phospholipids, which are in turn built from various nutrients. Providing nutritional support for myelin sheathing is important for a variety of reasons, especially if there are signs of slowing reflexes, balance or coordination issues, or easy fatigue from stress.

The top nutrients that support making the phospholipid structure of myelin sheathing are Calcium AEP, Phosphatidyl Serine, and Shark Liver Oil. Fat soluble antioxidants, such as the tocotrienol form of vitamin E, help protect the cell membranes of all cells, including the phospholipids-rich structures of the myelin sheathing.

Although they say that preventing is by far better than curing, one still has to cope with the problems of high blood pressure when faced with them. The following are a set of well fundamented suggestions appliable to both the suffering and the healthy one in order to lower the blood pressure in his body. This not a drug based treatment, but merely natural principles that go with any medicine your doctor prescribes.

Tip no1. Anyone who is seeking to lower his blood pressure should first consider stopping smoking. The carve for nicotine can be reduced by eating sunflower seeds, and nettle and oat infusion is also widely recognized as a great help. You should also try to quit smoking not all of a sudden, but do it gradually, in the course of 4 to 6 weeks.

Tip no2. Another good way to lower blood pressure is to consume a lot of seaweeds. They are great because of their special property to lower the blood pressure by leveling the concentration of triglycerides, phospholipids and colesterols.
In addition to this, seaweeds contain substances that dissolve the ‘fatty build-ups’ on the blood vessels, helping to create a steady heart beat.

Tip no3. Beta-carotens do miracles when it comes to cutting the risk of a stroke attack, so foods with a high concentration of such compounds should definitely be part of your regular diet. Some of the most common examples are carrots, cabbage, dark leafy greens, apricots, winter squash and sweet potatoes. Natural food does play an important role in lowering blood pressure.

Tip no4. Garlic is yet another remedy Mother Nature offers, very benefic for lowering the blood pressure. In addition to its other good effects on health, studies state that garlic has the abilities to reduce phospholipids and cholesterol, increasing immunity of the organism and reducing chances of strokes. So, the advice is to eat several garlic cloves a day, raw or lightly cooked for lowering blood pressure

Tip no5. Choosing food low in salts and sodium is crucial for lowering blood pressure. Most Americans today are accustomed with high salted food when in fact the dosage recommended is an average of 2.5 grams of sodium per day. This roughly equals 6 grams of table salt, almost a teaspoon. In order for the lowering blood pressure system to give good results it is indicate to consume less high salted foods.

The next 5 tips will be in the second part of this article.

This medical article has been written by Groshan Fabiola. She is a professional writer since 1990, writing many article on various domain from agriculture finance to web development or web research, but now aiming only on health related articles. So if you want to find more about how to lower blood pressure please visit http://www.lowerbloodpressure.info.

How to lower your blood pressure:

Although they say that preventing is by far better than curing, one still has to cope with the problems of high blood pressure when faced with them. The following are a set of well researched suggestions applicable to both the suffering and the healthy one in order to lower the blood pressure in his body. This is not a drug based treatment, but merely natural principles that go with any medicine your doctor prescribes. Tip no 1. Anyone who is seeking to lower his blood pressure should first consider stopping smoking. The craving for nicotine can be reduced by eating sunflower seeds, and nettle and oat infusion is widely recognized as a great help. You should also try to quit smoking not all of a sudden, but do it gradually, in the course of 4 to 6 weeks. Tip no 2. Another good way to lower blood pressure is to consume a lot of seaweeds. They are great because of their special property to lower the blood pressure by leveling the concentration of triglycerides, phospholipids and cholesterols. In addition to this, seaweeds contain substances that dissolve the ‘fatty build-ups’ on the blood vessels, helping to create a steady heart beat. Tip no 3. Beta-carotens do miracles when it comes to cutting the risk of a stroke attack, so foods with a high concentration of such compounds should definitely be part of your regular diet. Some of the most common examples are carrots, cabbage, dark leafy greens, apricots, winter squash and sweet potatoes. Natural food does play an important role in lowering blood pressure. Tip no 4. Garlic is yet another remedy Mother Nature offers, very benefic for lowering the blood pressure. In addition to its other good effects on health, studies state that garlic has the abilities to reduce phospholipids and cholesterol, increasing immunity of the organism and reducing chances of strokes. So, the advice is to eat several garlic cloves a day, raw or lightly cooked for lowering blood pressure Tip no 5. Choosing food low in salts and sodium is crucial for lowering blood pressure. Most Americans today are accustomed with high salted food when in fact the dosage recommended is an average of 2.5 grams of sodium per day. This roughly equals 6 grams of table salt, almost a teaspoon. In order for the lowering blood pressure system to give good results it is indicate to consume less high salted foods. Did you find this article useful? For more useful tips, hints, points to ponder and keep in mind, techniques, and insights pertaining to guides on smoking, heart problems ,with solutions , do plea

Choline is an essential nutrient but not, strictly speaking, a vitamin although it is often mistakenly thought of as a member of the B complex, with which it has numerous functions in common. Choline should be found in abundance in a normally healthy diet, but deficiencies have been linked with cardiovascular and liver disease, as well as impaired cognitive function.

Until as recently as 1998 it was believed that the body could manufacture an adequate supply of choline from the closely associated nutrients, vitamin B12 and folic acid. It is now accepted, however, that although the body can indeed synthesise choline in limited quantities, an adequate supply from the daily diet is also required for the avoidance of a number of potentially serious deficiency conditions and diseases.

Most choline in the body is contained in the phospholipids, a particular type of fat molecule of which the most common, phosphatidylcholine, more commonly known as lecithin, is also an important dietary source of choline.

Choline is known to be crucial for the proper functioning of the brain’s neurotransmitters, and in the form of lecithin is an important element in the composition of cell membranes and effective biochemical communication between cells.

Lecithin, moreover, is vital for the liver’s ability to break down fat and cholesterol into the “Very Low Density Lipoproteins” (VLDLs) which are carried around the body in the bloodstream. Any deficiency of choline or lecithin may therefore result in the liver becoming unable to metabolise dietary fat and cholesterol in this way, and the resulting accumulation may lead to the condition known as “fatty liver” and ultimately perhaps to serious liver disease. Some research even suggests that the changes in the liver brought about by choline deficiency may lead to an increased risk of liver cancer, although not all authorities regard this research as conclusive.

VLDLs are also necessary for the production of the High Density Lipoproteins (HDLs), the so-called “good cholesterol”, which is generally recognised as a significant protector against cardiovascular disease. There is also some evidence, although the research is not yet universally accepted, that choline may assist in the breaking down of homocysteine, a naturally occurring protein within the body, which is strongly associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

These protective effects may appear somewhat paradoxical, because the milk, eggs and liver which are the richest food sources of choline have been condemned in the past for the amounts of supposedly dangerous cholesterol they introduce to the body.

A small (3oz) serving of beef liver, for example, will provide more than 350 mg of choline, and a single large egg perhaps 125 mg or more. So strict vegetarians who adopt a low fat, and supposedly low cholesterol diet which excludes these choline rich foods, may paradoxically be placing their cardiovascular health at risk.

Fortunately, however, this is a relatively simple problem to resolve, as supplies of lecithin manufactured from soy beans are readily available from health food stores. A single teaspoon (3.5g) of the granular supplement may provide around 130 mg of choline and is reasonably palatable when sprinkled in suitable drinks or on cereals. Peanuts and wheatgerm are also useful vegetarian sources.

To put the quantities mentioned above in some kind of context: the US Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) has recommended an “Adequate Intake” amount for choline of 550 mg a day, or a mere 4-5 teaspoons of granular lecithin and it has been estimated that most adults are able to obtain between 700 and 1,000 mg a day from a normally healthy diet. Caution should be exercised, however, in the treatment of the FNB recommendation which appears to have been set at the lowest level necessary to avoid liver damage. And it may be noted also that the 700 mg figure for the lower end of the range of normal intake seems perilously close to the 550 mg a day regarded as adequate by the FNB.

But the avoidance of serious damage to a vital organ is, to put it mildly, the very minimum one would reasonably expect of a “healthy” diet, and a very long way indeed from the optimum health which nutritional practitioners insist should be the aim.

For example, although conventional medicine remains reluctant to accept the link as proven, there is some evidence that choline in amounts of up to 1g can improve cognitive function and particularly memory. Choline is known to act as a stimulant to the production of essential neurotransmitting chemicals, and there is also some evidence that high intakes during pregnancy may encourage optimal development of the foetal brain and nervous system.

Although the possible reasons are not fully understood, there is also good evidence that high doses of choline may significantly improve athletic performance in long distance endurance events such as marathon or triathlon.

So given that the FNB has established 3.5 grams (ie 3,500 mg) a day as the upper safe limit for choline intake before any potential (and minor) side-effects might be encountered, and that choline cannot be stored in the body, there seems no reason not to aim for an intake well in excess of the recommended minimum or “adequate” amount.

Granular soy lecithin can provide a simple and convenient means of supplementation with such doses.