Fat is good.

Fat is good. Good fat is good, that is. In fact, good fat is great. Fat is great.

You are fat. I am fat. We are all fat – and lots of it. You are cells, I am cells – we are all a big cluster of cells. And cells are, largely – fat.

I know that this reads like a Dr. Seuss story, but it’s true –

I and you are simply that –

a big, beautiful, magnificent, brilliant blob of fat.

Forgive me, but between my 5 and 7 year old children and a budding fish oil company, all I seem to be reading nowadays are Seuss books and fatty acid research.

I try to give my patients a good dose of “WAK” with every visit, blog post, or workshop. WAK is Walk Around Knowledge. I prefer the “Know This – Do This” format. In fact, I secretly wish that the whole world of “experts” would serve us this way…”This is what you need to know…this is what you need to do.” Cut to it. Let me know what’s important here and set me to it.

I could not possibly overstate the importance of FAT is your life.

The right fats are the gateway (quite literally) to greater health, whereas the wrong fats are the slippery slope to a sure demise. Pun intended.

A thorough and comprehensive discussion of fats is outside the scope of this post – but available here.

The purpose of this segment of our fat discussion is to address a specific function of the fatty acids: EPA and DHA. These critical lipids are best recognized for their incredible cardio-protective qualities (heart health) and anti-inflammatory benefit; but these polyunsaturated fats are also powerfully effective in protecting against arthritis, diabetes, and some psychiatric disorders.

In addition to protection against disease, these fats are vital nutrients that promote optimal health – for every cell in the body!

Fats are the basic building blocks of the cell walls. Think of them as the “bricks in the wall”. These cell “walls” separate the internal environment of the cells with their external environment. This “semi-permeable membrane” plays a complex balancing act between the inside and the outside of the cells. Interspersed between the “bricks” are “doors” and “windows” made of protein. These proteins are highly specific shapes and sizes. These doors and windows are locked, and only specific molecules have the key to open them to get inside the cell.

What gets inside (or goes outside) of cells determines cell function, and therefore health.

The omega-3 fatty acids make a cell membrane more “fluid.” Science tells us that cells that have ideal “fluidity” function better. In short, they help the walls, the doors, and the windows work like they should.

Stay tuned to upcoming posts right here to learn more…

And join us this Wednesday, November 9^th for the Inflammation Nation workshop to learn how you can make choices that promote healthy cells for you and your family!

In health from within,

SF

Dr. Stephen Franson