The Good News About Fat - A Love/Hate Relationship

With so many health experts urging Americans to cut the fat out of their diets, it's easy to lose track of the importance of certain types of fat, such as the essential fatty acids. Essential fatty acids, as their name implies, are a necessary part of a healthy diet.

Essential fatty acids are divided into two categories:

omega-3 fatty acids (also called linolenic acid) and omega- fatty acids (also called linoleic acid). !ince the "ody cannot produce these, "oth types of essential fatty acids must "e supplied from food or supplemental sources to ensure continued good health.

Fat & Cancer: A Love/Hate Relation

When researchers at the European #ancer $re%ention &ead'uarters examined the typical diets of ( European and )orth American countries, they found that cancers of the colon and "reast *ere most pre%alent in the countries *ith the highest intake of animal fat. +ut -- for the good ne*s -- fat-lo%ing countries *ith high intake of fish or fish oil some*hat tempered this increased cancer risk. ,his suggests that fish oils can some*hat cancel out the health risks of a poor diet. ,he researchers suggest that colon cancer deaths could drop "y up to 3-. if Americans ate /0. less animal fat and increased their fish oil intake three-fold. (1) 2ore good ne*s a"out fish oils and "reast cancer emerged as this issue of 34 *ent to press. A study pu"lished in the 5ournal of the National Cancer Institute indicates that *omen *ho take fish oil supplements for as little as three months experience fa%ora"le changes to their "reast tissue *hich should correlate to a lo*er risk of "reast cancer.

CLA: New Kid On T e !loc"

#on6ugated linoleic acid, or #7A for short, is a modified form of the essential fatty acid linoleic acid (other*ise kno*n as the omega- fatty acids). #7A is found naturally meat and dairy products, "ut since these #7A-rich foods are also high in saturated fats and other unhealthful compounds, most people eat less #7A than in prior decades. 2ost of the research on the potential health "enefits of #7A has merged from researchers at the uni%ersity of Wisconsin, 2adison. 8or example, studies from this la"oratory suggest that #7A enhances immune function, acts as an antioxidant, and e%en lo*ers the risk of cancer. (/-) $erhaps the most exciting search including #7A are those linking #7A to impro%ed "ody composition. 9ne such study, in%ol%ing animals, found #7A to reduce the accumulation of "ody fat, inhi"it *eight gain and lo*er food intake, *hile increasing muscle mass. ,his indicates that con6ugated linoleic acid may play a %alua"le role in decreasing fat, *hile maintaining or gaining muscle.