Why does Your Health require more Omega-3 Fatty Acids and less Omega-6 Fatty Acids?

This is a reprint an Oct 14, 2008 article by the American Associate of Health Freedom (AAHF).

When Time magazine asked to Dr. Water Willett, of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard, to name the most significant scientific news of the 20th century, he said simply, “We changed the fats in our diet.”


According to the September 2008 PUFA newsletter, the link between the type and amount of fats consumed and long-term cardiac health is now dubbed “the Japanese Paradox.” Why do Japanese men smoke, have high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure, yet have half the mortality from heart disease as Caucasian American men? And why do Japanese men who migrate to the U.S. develop atherosclerosis (commonly known as hardening of the arteries) as readily or more so than American white males?


Recent research indicates a long-term diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids tends to counteract the development of atherosclerosis. Other studies indicate the Japanese have less carotid artery plaque and a lower incidence of nonfatal heart attacks simply because of their consumption of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.


Dr. Willett’s point is that our fast and overly processed American diet changed the traditional ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids. This shift not only created more inflammation but more allergies than ever before. And current research indicates that when the ratio is skewed above a certain level, depression and suicidal behavior rise dramatically.



Giants in the field of orthomolecular psychiatry like Abram Hoffer, M.D., and Richard Kunin, M.D., have successfully treated schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, and other brain biochemistry diagnoses by focusing on lifestyle choices that include diet and supplements. Though they have solid scientific backing, these physicians often suffered the attacks of peers and boards of medicine; at the same time, the media were beginning to report that vested interests were affecting many specialties in medicine, but psychiatry in particular.

Other new research showed that women who ate fish more than three times a week had fewer non-fatal heart events; additionally, they had fewer tiny hemorrhages in the brain. People without these brain lesions are less likely to have a stroke or impaired cognitive/thinking ability. Another study showed that EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) supplements reduced the likelihood of having a second stroke in those who have already had one. The incidence of stroke has increased dramatically in recent years, and is now the leading cause of disability in the U.S. Omega-3 fatty acids now appear to be integral to the healthy performance of nearly all the body’s major systems.

Dr. Phil Landrigan of Mt. Sinai School of Medicine says that one in seven American children have a learning or behavior disorder. So it is sobering indeed that there has been so little focus on omega-3 fatty acids in the food pyramid, in school lunch menus, and in other federal guidelines. Research shows that children whose mothers eat more than 12 ounces of fish per week outperform those whose mothers avoid eating fish.

Practitioners like Carol Locke, M.D., and Andrew Stoll, M.D., author of The Omega-3 Connection, found that U.S. women have the lowest levels of DHA among all industrialized countries. Their work with bipolar disorder and omega-3 supplements was groundbreaking, though far too few physicians use key supplements like the omega-3 fatty acids in their treatments.

The science is clear: a public health campaign to “change the fats in our diet” would have far-reaching health benefits for every American.

Quinoa benefits people with high cholesterol and more!

Quinoa, though not technically a cereal grain like wheat or oats,
has been cultivated and eaten as a cereal for thousands of years
by South Americans. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is the tiny seed
of the Chenopodium Quinoa, a leafy plant that is a distant
relative of spinach and beets.

Quinoa was called the "mother grain" by the Incas (chisiya mama).
Now, as people in the rest of the world learn more about Quinoa,
they're discovering that its ancient nickname was well deserved -
Quinoa is indeed a nutritional powerhouse.

Quinoa's protein content, about 16 percent, is higher than that
of any other grain. Wheat also has a high protein content, about
14 percent, but the protein in wheat and most other grains is
lacking in the amino acid lysine, which Quinoa has in abundance.
In fact, the amino acid composition in Quinoa is almost perfect.

The World Health Organization has judged the protein in Quinoa
to be as complete as that in milk. In addition, Quinoa contains
more iron than most grains, and is a good source of calcium,
phosphorus, folate, and many B vitamins.

Eating a serving of whole grains, such as Quinoa, at least 6 times each week is an especially good idea for postmenopausal women with high cholesterol, high blood pressure or other signs of cardiovascular disease.

A 3-year prospective study of 229 postmenopausal women with
cardiovascular disease, published in the July 2005 issue of the
American Heart Journal, shows that those eating at least 6
servings of whole grains each week experienced slowed progression
of atherosclerosis, the build-up of plaque that narrows the
vessels through which blood flows and lss progression in
stenosis, the narrowing of the diameter of arterial passageways.

Quinoa can be found in your favorite Wholefood Farmacy foods
such as Phi Plus, as well as all seven of our Wholefood Farinas:
AmpliPhi, BeautiPhi, ClariPhi, DetoxiPhi, ElectriPhi, FructiPhi
& GloriPhi.

Hook up With Health and Quinoa today.

PS. To try great tasting Phi Plus and our seven Wholefood Farinas click the link at the Hook Up With Health tab.

PSS. The prices on some of our most popular products just got lower! Give them a try now