Udo Erasmus, pioneer of essential fatty acids, EFA's, omega-3, omega fats, Udo's Choice, Udo's Oil, cold-pressed flax-seed oil, trans-fats, Trans Fatty acids

 

POWER: Mind & Muscle > Jan. 2000

Fats That Heal Fats That Kill: An Interview with Udo Erasmus. Part I: Good Fats and Bad Fats

Interview by Ori Hofmekler, January 2000 Premier Issue.

What began as a personal disaster - being poisoned on the job by industrial pesticides - was turned into the triumph of a best-selling book. ("Knowing that the poisons I had been exposed to were carcinogenic and that cancer often involves fats, I needed clear, accurate, factual information.") Following is an exclusive interview with Udo Erasmus, Ph.D., author of Fats That Heal Fats That Kill. Erasmus is considered by many to be one of the most serious health gurus today, especially concerning fat metabolism, but also libido, aging, and beauty.


Says Erasmus in the preface of his book, "My health is my responsibility... Our drug-oriented medical approaches cannot lead us to health... Foods and nutrition are primary options for self-help in health."

With this credo as a guiding thread, Erasmus has fashioned a thought-provoking, sometimes controversial - but always nutritionally sound - understanding of the role of fats (both good and bad) in our diet.

POWER: There seems to be a fat phobia in this country. Americans were never on diets the way they have been in the last couple of decades. And still people keep getting fatter and fatter. What do you think is the reason?

ERASMUS: There are several themes in your question. First of all, I think the reason for the fat phobia is that people have heard only half the story on fats. The complete story is that there are fats that heal as well as fats that kill. Everybody has been told to avoid the fats that kill, but the importance of the fats that heal has been neglected. Yet the healing fats are even more important than the avoidance of bad fats, because we cannot stay alive if we don't get enough of the healing fats. If you know only half the story - if you think that all fats are bad - then it makes sense that you would avoid all of them.
The second reason people aren't getting fats is industrial. The food industry likes its products to have a long shelf life. Like perishable groceries, the healing fats spoil easily and cause shorter shelf life.


POWER: What are the fats that heal - the good fats? And what do they heal?
ERASMUS: The fats that heal really involve three substances. One is called Omega-3 essential fatty acid, or alpha-linolenic acid. The second is Omega-6, or linoleic acid. If you take these in the right ratio - which is important - and you get enough of the both, the body makes several derivatives that are important for health. And some of these derivatives are turned into hormones called prostaglandins that are vital to optimal body functioning.

The third area that's important is what we call "minor" ingredients. These are substances found in oils that are simply squeezed out of seeds or nuts and not further processed. They make up only 2 percent of an oil, which is why they are called "minor", but they have major benefits for health. Among them are phytosterols, lecithin, carotene, chlorophyll, vitamin E, and many others. They are removed or destroyed in the usual processing of oils, in order to achieve a longer shelf life.

The healing fats heal everything that one suffers from getting less than optimal amounts of them. They optimize energy level and performance; improve brain function, mood, behavior, and intelligence; make skin soft, smooth, and velvety; improve digestive, gland, and organ functions; lower most cardiovascular risk factors; are anti-inflammatory, and dampen the over-response of the immune system in autoimmune conditions; help transport minerals and keep bones strong; protect our genes from being damaged; are required for hemoglobin production, cell growth, and cell division; have anti-cancer properties; and help in fat loss and weight normalization.



POWER: Can the body produce essential fatty acids on its own?

ERASMUS: The word "essential" means that they are substances the body cannot produce itself. By definition, essential fatty aids come from dietary fat; our body cannot make them but must have them to be able to live. Essential fatty acids must therefore come from foods. A no-fat diet cannot provide them, and a low-fat diet will not provide enough. If you don't get enough essential fatty acids, your health deteriorates. You pass through a progressively worsening set of degenerative deficiency symptoms, and if the deficiency is sustained long enough, you die, Also part of the definition of "essential" is that if you are deteriorating from a deficiency of essential fatty acids, and you put enough of them back into the deficient diet, the deficiency symptoms are reversed and you recover your health. So they have great healing potential in all conditions that result from essential-fatty-acid deficiency.

The final part of the definition is that a nutrient cannot be called "essential" until researchers have identified at least one biochemical reaction in the body in which that substance is required, and without which that reaction cannot take place. Many of the degenerative conditions on which traditional medicine has had a hard time getting a handle are the result of insufficient or suboptimal intake of one or more of the essential nutrients - some 20 minerals, 13 vitamins, 8 essential amino acids from proteins, and 2 essential fatty acids from fats. If you optimize their presence in the diet, you get reversals of all those conditions that result from deficiency. Which explains why the nutritional approach works so well today. Many modern illnesses (sometimes called the "diseases of civilization", which really means diseases caused by food processing) result from not getting enough of one or more of the essential nutrients, or from toxic influences that interfere with our biochemistry - in other words poison us.

POWER: In your book you say that there are fats that make you actually lose body fat. Is this true?


ERASMUS: Yes. In fact, the notion that fats make you fat has never been true. Even the wrong fats help you lose weight, because they suppress appetite. High-fat, high-protein diets have been used for weight loss for the past 40 years. They work. If it's the wrong kind of fat, it will be hard on kidneys and liver eventually, but it still works for weight loss. If you eat the right fats - the ones I call the healing fats or essential fats - they increase your metabolic rate.

Your burn more calories and you feel more like being active because they increase energy levels.
Essential fats also work to curb food cravings. And they are anti-inflammatory, helping get rid of water in inflamed tissues, which can be part of the over-weight problem. As I said, they make your skin soft and velvety, elevate your mood, improve thinking ability, make you feel energetic and more like taking care of yourself. If your skin is lousy, your mood is low, you can't think straight, and have no energy, your self-esteem will likely be affected in a negative way. In the past ten years in America we have reduced fat intake from 42 percent of calories to 35 percent. In those same ten years the incidence of obesity increased from 20 to 33 percent of the population. Which means that eating less fat will likely make you fatter.



POWER: What kinds of fats make you lose fat? Is it the combination of Omega-3 and Omega-6, or is it just Omega-3? You state in your book that there is already too much Omega-6 in our diet.

ERASMUS: All fats have some weight loss benefits, because they suppress appetite, but Omega-3's reduce weight far better than Omega-6's or other fats. We use a ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 of two to one. We find that a ratio any higher than 2.5 times richer in Omega-3 runs the risk of making people Omega-6 deficient, which can lead to degenerative deficiency problems.

POWER: Is there any connection between fat and libido?

ERASMUS: Fat and libido are connected in several ways. First, essential fats increase energy levels, because they increase the body's ability to use oxygen. That means they increase stamina, improve performance, and speed recovery from fatigue - all of which are certainly helpful to libido.

Second, Essential fats are required for hormone production. Animal studies show that hydrogenated fats - found in some margarines, shortening, and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils - lower testosterone levels, and essential fat deficiency impairs testosterone production.
Third essential fats improve the functions of liver, thyroid, and other glands and organs. They improve general health, which can result in increased libido.

Fourth, essential fats make skin really nice. Because of this effect, we sometimes call them the "essensual" or "essexual" fats.

POWER: Do monounsaturated fats like olive oil or almond oil increase testosterone? And is it true that cholesterol increases testosterone increases testosterone levels?

ERASMUS: Our body makes testosterone from cholesterol. That doesn't mean, however, that you have to consume cholesterol, because your body can also make cholesterol, and it makes however much you need.
If testosterone levels are low, then stimulating cholesterol production is good. Essential fats help to accomplish this by giving our glands the energy they need to their job better, and longer.

Regarding olive oil which is low in Omega-6 and contains almost no Omega-3s at all, I haven't seen an increase in libido, unless the person had previously had low energy levels from being on a low-fat or no-fat diet. Extra-virgin olive oil does have some minor ingredients that are very good for health. Good health is a very powerful aphrodisiac, especially if you are also in love.

POWER: I just encountered some research which said that when people eat high amounts of monounsaturated fats, such as occur in nuts and olives, they increase testosterone more than other oils. Is this true?

ERASMUS: I don't think so. Your body can make monounsaturated fats out of sugar and starch, so if monounsaturates were the key testosterone production should not be a problem. Many researchers also state that monounsaturates are good for cardiovascular disease. But in extra-virgin olive oil it is the minor ingredients, which make up only 2 percent of the oil, that carry most of the cardiovascular benefits.

POWER: People are being exposed to increasing amounts of estrogen from the environment. Both males and females suffer from too much estrogen in the body as a result of aging, as well as the hormones in beef, chicken and dairy products, from plastics, petroleum fertilizers, and pesticides that pollute our water and food. Too much estrogen in the body creates stubborn fat, and can cause breast cancer and other hazards.

ERASMUS: Not to mention fat deposits on men's pectoral muscles, what some people in body building call "bitch tits." A study in Canada found that men who eat a lot of (inorganic) chicken actually grow female-shaped breasts from estrogen hormones fed to chickens to make the birds grow faster for commercial reasons.

 



POWER: Can proper fat metabolism protect you from this estrogen syndrome?

ERASMUS: Optimal testosterone production, encouraged by optimal essential-fat intake, can help because men produce some estrogen, just as women produce some testosterone, but the normal ratio of testosterone to estrogen is much higher in men than in women. So higher testosterone levels in men can help prevent the feminization of their chest. Optimal testosterone production helps muscular development. Essential fats also improve insulin function, which also plays a role in muscular growth.



POWER: Is it true that lignans in flax act like an estrogen blocker? Can they mimic estrogen?
ERASMUS: Yes. The lignans in flax are phytoestrogens, which have weak estrogen activity. They can raise low estrogen levels and lower high estrogen, because they occupy the estrogen-activity sites.

POWER: So you could say flaxseed oil has an estrogen-balancing effect?
ERASMUS: It's possible. That's interesting, but not likely, because almost all of the phytoestrogens in flax remain in the seed cake and don't end up in the oil. I ascribe the benefits of flax oil to the fact that the Omega-3s in flax oil help to build muscle. Omega-3 deficiency causes weakness. When people use flax oil (properly balanced with Omega-6), they can work out longer; their muscles grow quicker; they recover quicker. And there's the testosterone production effect.

I ascribe these effects to the Omega-3s. But remember that flax can make you Omega-6 deficient, and then every tissue in the body falls apart. So flax should be enriched with Omega-6-rich sunflower and sesame oils to get the Omega-6s up.

POWER: Is it true that flaxseed oil, if eaten with starches, can offset or reduce the weight gain that's associated with eating starches? If so, what is the reason? Is it the effect on the glycemic index?
ERASMUS: There are a couple of reasons. One is that Omega-3s, not the flax, can increase the metabolic rate and help increase oxygen metabolism, so you burn more of the starch calories.

Fats generally can lower the glycemic index by slowing stomach-emptying time, so you absorb the carbohydrates more gradually.
I would be really cautious, though. Slower stomach emptying also means more time for digestion, which may result in absorbing more calories from starch, so some people who put flax oil on their potatoes actually gain a little weight. It's the potato that makes them fat. Any starch that, when digested into glucose and absorbed, is in excess of what is needed for fuel is automatically turned into fat by the body. In other words, overweight people are wearing extra fuel as fat, waiting for a famine. People who have major weight problems - the seriously obese - are fat-phobic carbohydrate junkies.

POWER: So there is no difference between complex carbohydrates and simple carbohydrates in terms of how much we should eat?
ERASMUS: You get worse effects from simple carbohydrates (sugars), because they are absorbed so rapidly, flood the bloodstream, and must then be turned into fat. You'll also get more hypoglycemia and diabetic problems with sugars than with starches. But too much complex carbohydrates (starches) can also turn to fats. The key issue is not to eat more fuel than you burn. Carbohydrates are good fuel. They burn clean. The problem is the too much. Only the excess turns into fat. We tell people who want to reduce excess weight to lower their intake of carbohydrates and raise their intake of greens/vegetables.

POWER: That's approximately the philosophy of Barry Sears, author of The Zone, who advocates a diet of 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent fat, 30 percent protein. What do you think? Is this the ideal diet?
ERASMUS: No, it's not. If you're an athlete, you may be able to eat 60 to 70 percent of your calories as carbohydrates and burn them off and not get fat. If you're sedentary, 40 percent might be too much. It's different for different people. You cannot make one diet that works for everybody, because everybody's metabolism and lifestyle are different. Carbohydrates are good fuel. We should not malign them unfairly. It is the excess carbohydrates that we don't need, the excess fuel we don't burn and which the body must turn into fat, that causes weight problems. Look, it's not complicated to figure out how much carbohydrate a person should take in. Your body tells you. How? If you're getting fat, you're eating too many carbs.

POWER: So there is no one formula that is good for everyone?
ERASMUS: That's correct. All people need the same essential nutrients - fewer than 50 of them - but everyone's optimum is different. Optimums can vary by a factor of ten among individuals, sometimes even more. Genetic, climatic, activity, lifestyle, and toxicity factors all play a role in determining optimums.

POWER: What is your opinion of Dr. Atkins's diet, which is extremely high-protein, high-fat, almost no carbs?
ERASMUS: Atkins's diet works for weight loss. I pay more attention to getting the right kinds of fat in the diet, rather than just any fat, because the wrong kinds of fat eventually have detrimental effects on liver, kidneys, and other organs. The right fats will not cause such problems, and in fact they improve the functions of the inner organs. But Atkins's diet has helped many people normalize weight, simply because it addresses the excessive carbohydrate intake that leads to fat production in the body.

POWER: People who attack Dr. Atkins's diet mostly do so regarding the side effects of ketones in the body. Do you agree with this criticism - or with Dr. Atkins, who feels ketones are good for you?
ERASMUS: Atkins is right, in that ketones suppress appetite. His critics are right as to damage caused by ketones in the long term. The Atkins diet would work better if it emphasized oils rich in the right ratio of essential fats.
The difficulty is that such oils have to be made with care, need to be used with care - not for frying - and need to be richer in Omega-3's, which help in weight reduction for several reasons. They increase energy and calorie burning; they decrease inflammation, thereby releasing water held in inflamed, swollen tissues; they lift depression, a common reason for overeating; and they suppress appetite while reducing cravings for carbohydrate junk foods and sugar.
Oils made with health in mind should be stored in brown glass bottles, in a box that will protect them from light, in the fridge. They can be found in health-food stores, gyms, and the dispensaries of natural healers. Part of the problem has been the need for re-education on the right oils.




POWER: Do you think that people can live in high-protein, high-fat diets with no carbs?
ERASMUS: For a time, yes. But long term, we need carbs. I prefer that people get their carbs from greens, rather than starchy vegetables like potatoes, grains, or fruit.

Greens are the most important food on this planet. They provide minerals, vitamins, amino acids, fatty acids, fiber, as well as enzymes and friendly bowel bacteria if they are eaten raw. They are also rich in antioxidants, and provide healing phytonutrients. They provide water, hold water in the soil, and make oxygen. They even make our beef (cows are made from grass). For weight management, greens are also exceptional, because it is almost impossible to get fat on greens.

POWER: So carbohydrates are connected to metabolism - gaining fat or losing fat?
ERASMUS: Yes, they are the key factor.

POWER: And they're also connected to the glycemic index, which is tied to insulin response?
ERASMUS: Yes. They are the foods with the highest glycemic index, which is an indicator of the insulin activity required to deal with them. When the body turns fats into carbs they block insulin activity, which makes you insulin resistant. Sugars also remove minerals like chromium and magnesium from your body. These, along with zinc and essential fats, are required for insulin to be able to function.

POWER:People who have high insulin sensitivity might not gain weight at all, even if they ate excessive amounts of carbohydrates. Is this true?
ERASMUS: No. People with genetically based high metabolic rates do burn carbs readily, and don't get fat on them because they burn them. People with more muscle mass can also can also eat more carbs without getting fat, because muscles burn a lot of carbohydrates during activity, and activity is what makes muscles grow.
Whatever stimulates insulin to put glucose into cells will not be helpful to weight loss. The relationship of insulin to carbs goes like this: Carbs are digested into glucose, which is absorbed into the body. Glucose stimulates insulin production. Insulin gets glucose into the cells, where they enter the cell furnace (Krebs cycle), which "burns" them to make energy. If you don't need all the energy that comes from burning glucose, the body turns glucose-breakdown products (acetates) from the cell furnace into hard (saturated) fats. Hard fats interfere with insulin function, as do sugars and other carbs that the body turns into hard fats.
If insulin does a good job, you end up with stored fat as well as low blood sugar. Low blood sugar has two results. One, you get hungry again and eat more, which can trigger the above fat-producing cycle. Two, your adrenals kick in to make glucose (gluconeogenesis) from proteins, so you lose muscle mass, lowering your metabolic rate and making you even more sugar-sensitive.
The short answer: Limit carbohydrate intake if you want to avoid losing muscle and gaining fat.

POWER: What other things can you suggest to increase the insulin sensitivity?
ERASMUS: You can reverse most cases of insulin-resistent, type-II diabetes if you ensure optimal intake of zinc, chromium, magnesium, and essential fats; reduce intake of sugars, sweets, carbohydrates, and hard (saturated) fats; and increase your intake of green foods. That is, provided that no permanent damage has been done to vital tissues. Make sure you get enough good proteins and good fats, because these supply essential nutrients that the body must have but cannot make. Be active to build muscle.

END OF PART 1

Fats That Heal Fats That Kill: An Interview with Udo Erasmus. Part II: Essential Fatty Acids, Hormonal Manipulation, and Nutritional Supplements


Interview by Ori Hofmekler, April 2000.

What began as a personal disaster - being poisoned on the job by industrial pesticides - was turned into the triumph of a best-selling book. ("Knowing that the poisons I had been exposed to were carcinogenic and that cancer often involves fats, I needed clear, accurate, factual information.") Following is an exclusive interview with Udo Erasmus, Ph.D., author of Fats That Heal Fats That Kill. Erasmus is considered by many to be one of the most serious health gurus today, especially concerning fat metabolism, but also libido, aging, and beauty.

Says Erasmus in the preface of his book, "My health is my responsibility... Our drug-oriented medical approaches cannot lead us to health... Foods and nutrition are primary options for self-help in health."

With this credo as a guiding thread, Erasmus has fashioned a thought-provoking, sometimes controversial - but always nutritionally sound - understanding of the role of fats (both good and bad) in our diet.

POWER: Can you explain what prostaglandins are and how they are connected to essential fatty acids?
ERASMUS: The prostaglandins are hormones that are made from essential fatty acids. There are also hormones that are made from cholesterol, hormones made from amino acids, and hormones made from proteins. Prostaglandins come in three families, two of them good and one that causes some problems. They each have their place. In the jungle, the prostaglandin 2's are very good for survival. And the prostaglandin 1's and 3's make sure that the prostaglandin 2's don't get out of hand. There are prostaglandins that relax arterial muscle tone. There are prostaglandins that constrict arterial muscle tone. You would expect that some prostaglandins will help to maintain an erection. So they could be very helpful. Of course it also helps to be near a desirable object - and maybe it helps to be in love.

POWER: You said that there is a relationship between beauty and essential fatty acids. Does this refer to skin that is beautiful? Beauty in general? The aging process? Or all of these?
ERASMUS: Well, if you look at it from its foundation, you cannot separate health, performance, and beauty. Because performance requires health, and beauty is really the external manifestation of healthy biochemical function. It sounds very unromantic, but that's how it is. And it's also manifested on the skin. Because the essential fats, besides improving cardiovascular health, energy levels, and brain function, are required for brain development, healthy glands and organs, and [they] help with weight loss. They are also anti-inflammatory and anti-autoimmune - which all together makes beautiful skin, if you get the right ratio and enough of them. We measure optimum intake by how the skin feels. When you get the optimum amount of essential fatty acids they form a barrier in the skin against the loss of moisture, and so they are nature's perfect moisturizer.

POWER: Can you use them topically on the skin?
ERASMUS: They're not used in external cosmetics because if you put them on the skin they'll go rancid. That's why you need to take them internally, and they will make the skin soft and velvety. The reason we use skin as our measure for optimum intake is because skin gets the essential fats last.

POWER: Do you know how much Omega 3's and 6's one should take, and how long one would need to take them before seeing a change in one's skin?
ERASMUS: To do our work we use a blend that is twice as rich in Omega-3's as Omega-6's. Usually adults need between two and three tablespoons a day. I use about 3 tablespoonfuls a day in the summer, and four in the winter, because during the fall when the weather turns people begin to notice their skin gets dry, and that's nature telling them they need more oil. Bodybuilders may need to take seven or eight to get the same results on their skin that I feel I get with three or four.

POWER: Is there anything like too much of a good oil?
ERASMUS: Too much? We have people take 50 percent of their calories from fats. That's a lot of fat. They lose weight on them, they lose their arthritic symptoms on them.
The Eskimos got up to 60 percent of their calories from fat, and they didn't have clogged arteries, get diabetes, cancer, or multiple sclerosis. Although their diet was much higher in fat [than the diets that were killing us], theirs was unprocessed and our was processed; theirs was very rich in essential-fat derivatives, whereas ours was a poor source of essential fats.

POWER: In other words, there is no limit to how much good fat you can take?
ERASMUS: Well, there is one limit: If you take more fat at any one time than your liver can process - because your liver has to process fats - then you will feel heavy or nauseated, and what that means is you need to spread it out over the day so you never give your liver more than it can handle. Some people can take a huge amount of fat and not have a problem with it, and some people can only take a little at a time. That's really the main symptom you might get.




POWER: You produce your own oil, Udo's Choice Perfected Oil Blend. Is this the best combination of oil on the market today?
ERASMUS: I'm the guy who pioneered the whole deal. I'm the guy who dug out the information. I had cancer to look forward to. I knew that cancer often involves fats, and I didn't know how, so I dug out the information. It took me six years of digging through the journals. That's a long time to spend researching something. And then I developed machinery for making oils with health in mind. Of all the people who are going in this direction, I'm the only one who has the education. I get a lot of feedback because I work with a lot of people. I try it on myself, my friends - and if that works, then I expand the circle.
The reason why we use skin to determine what's optimum is because your brain, your liver, your heart require the oils - and if they were deprived because the oil went to the skin first, then you would have serious health problems. But you can live with dry skin. It's not beautiful, but you can live with it. So nature's wisdom says skin gets it last. By the time your skin is soft and velvety, you also know that you have dealt your health issues, because the rest of your body has what it needs.

POWER: So you know that all your inside organs have enough fat?
ERASMUS: Right.

POWER: Some men and women suffer from water retention under the skin, usually puffiness under the eyes. Is there any way that this oil can remove it?
ERASMUS: Well, there are a couple of issues we are talking about here. One is kidney function. The essential fats are extremely important for kidney function, and if your kidney doesn't work you retain water. But that's more a bodywide thing, and again the Omega-3's do a better job here, but you've got to have enough Omega-6's not to become deficient. So don't just use flax oil for it. You really need more Omega-6. We use flax with some sunflower and sesame to improve the ratio. The other issue is involved with allergies or liver function. And if it involves allergies you need to make sure that foods are properly digested or you need to remove certain foods. I would rather improve digestion than remove foods. And that is a result of histamine and prostaglandin action in the body as a result of allergies.

POWER: How are you going to digest the food if you're allergic?
ERASMUS: What we do is give people the oil to improve gut integrity and prevent leaky gut that leads to food allergies. And then we give them enzymes to replace the enzymes destroyed when foods are cooked. And we give them particular enzyme mixtures that are very rich in proteases, because poorly digested protein causes most of the problems. When food is completely digested, there is virtually nothing left to be allergic to anymore. So that's why we would rather replace the enzymes, taking them a little closer to how it was in nature again, than to remove foods. Because we've seen people remove so many foods from their diet that the only thing they could eat was oatmeal, and oatmeal is not a balanced diet. So I would rather go in the direction of helping digestion than removing foods.

POWER: Can stretch marks be helped? Women often get stretch marks after birth. Men can get them when they lose weight, or pump up too much when bodybuilding. What about wrinkles? Is there any way to remove or reduce these two hazards of aging skin?
ERASMUS: For stretch marks I only preventative [measures]. Most of those people end up with a zinc deficiency, and then the collagen comes apart. That's what the stretch marks are from. So that's preventable. But I don't know of any reversal for it. Once you got 'em you got 'em. So if you don't think stretch marks are very beautiful, this is a very good reason to take the wise road of getting the nutrients you need before you have problems.
In terms of water under the skin, with bodybuilders who want to look shredded before their competitions - which means no fat under the skin so you can see all the muscle striations - we have consistently used oils rich in Omega-3's, and when properly balanced, they can attain [the] fat burn-off under the skin they want. This can be done with oils now. They used to do it with diuretics. Diuretics are very hard on kidney function, and they deprive you of potassium, which is also hard on cardiovascular function. The athletes are getting just as good results - probably better - with the proper use of oils.





POWER: Do the oils burn the fat or remove water under the skin?
ERASMUS: Burn the fat. Now while it could also be water - it would remove the water as well, provided the kidneys aren't doing their job of getting rid of excess water. So it could actually be both - but the oils do a good job on both.

POWER: Well, it could also be that Omega-3 is an estrogen blocker, and it is estrogen that gives you a lot of body fat under the skin.
ERASMUS: And wrinkles come from skin being dry. Those essential fats - if you get them in the right ratio, in the right amount, and the right kind - will remove some. I've seen people in their eighties with soft, velvety skin. They'll have some brown spots, but their skin is soft and velvety. The character lines, which are the deep wrinkles, I have not seen reversed. I mean, I don't know, I'm 56 - I don't have a whole lot of wrinkles. I will get those character lines. But the oil does a wonderful job if you get enough oil to keep the face from getting all the other wrinkles that come from dryness. And then the other [areas] where it works well [are] eczema, psoriasis, and acne. It's also very helpful on those conditions.

POWER: There are some degenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis or other physical problems that, according to traditional medicine, don't show any serious solution right now. Is there anything you want to say about myasthenia gravis, for example, and other degenerative diseases?
ERASMUS: Well, there is research that shows that in places where essential fat intake is high, multiple sclerosis is very rare. So that's from one end. From the other end, people who get multiple sclerosis, if you look at their diets, they're usually very poor diets, lots of crackers and cheese, very few greens and very few fats...And then the third place to come from is that we have seen people with multiple sclerosis arrest the progression of the disease and improve their energy levels. In some cases, with lots of greens - because greens are really important there - even reverse it.
You know, wisdom is better than hind sight. It's better to head it off doing things right in the first place than to wait until you have the problem and try to reverse it. Prevention is always easier than reversal. The only people at this point in the general sense in this society who are taking the wise approach are actually the people who want to look good and be fit. The people who are interested in beauty and performance. Those are the people who are embracing the idea of good nutrition on a preventative basis. Whereas the rest of the population generally neglect themselves until something goes wrong, and then they try to look for some technology to fix it. So the kids are the wisest of the bunch in this area.

POWER: Do you have any opinion about people suffering from mental problems like obsessive behavior?
ERASMUS: There is some research on obsessive-compulsive disorder that [says] fats are important. Certainly in depression, [there is] good research and consistent feedback [that says] when people make the oil change we recommend, their mood is elevated and their depression is lifted. Hyperactivity responds, dyslexia responds, clumsiness responds, attention deficit responds... Also, in schizophrenia, there's less hallucination. People deal with stress better and feel calmer. Also intelligence improves, and there's research on that - I.Q. goes up by six to nine points.

POWER: Talk more about eating disorder and obsessive-compulsive behavior. Eating disorder is a big disease today, for women especially.
ERASMUS: Yes. There are a couple of things I know. The essential fats should be helpful. They're also helpful in Alzheimer's. But zinc is also important in eating disorders. I guess what I would say to those people [with eating disorders] is that you will never be perfect externally, even if you're very beautiful. Perfection is meant to be an inner experience. Go a little easier on yourself, maybe break a few rules, be a little bit rebellious - and try not to be perfect in other people's eyes.
I talked to a fourteen year old girl in Australia. I was at one of the conferences. And her mother said, "Would you tell my daughter what she needs to do?" - because she had an eating disorder. So I talked to her just about a few things, and finally I whispered in her ear, "You're far too beautiful to treat yourself this badly." And she started to cry. And that was the beginning of changing for her. And I had no idea that would happen.

POWER: What is your opinion about hormonal injection therapy? Is there any better way to go about it?
ERASMUS: Well, first of all, I would not get involved with hormone manipulation if I hadn't first put the natural program in place - making sure you get all your minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and essential fatty acids in optimum quantities for your needs. Food is number one. Food is primary health care, because the body is made out of food, and if you deal with that, just about everything will work. Your genetic material knows what to do if it's given the tools that it needs. I would not do hormone manipulation. The other thing is that foods are very safe.

POWER: Do not inject anything foreign before you try all your options?
ERASMUS: Right. Hormones are very powerful - much more powerful than nutrients, so they have to be used with a much greater degree of caution. There are many stories about bodybuilders that were so intent on getting huge that have had serious health problems. I've talked to some of them; I do consultations with them sometimes. So I would caution people about hormones simply because they are so powerful and they act in such tiny doses that you really need to know what you are doing. I would not use them unless the nutritional program had been put in place; you were at an age where you had a particular glandular problem that had been measured; and you were really clear [on what you were doing].
Thyroid hormone will help in some cases like that; testosterone or estrogen or progesterone might help. Growth hormone, I would have some serious problems with because it's a protein, and people become allergic to it. I would maybe use D.H.Ea., but only if there was a measured deficiency, and the person was over 50. But certainly not for people who are young.

END OF PART II

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