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Fitness Fats and Misfit Fats
by Udo Erasmus
How do fats affect performance? Marathon Runners benefit from EFA's,  omega-3 & balanced flax seed oil blend..

The answer is:

It all depends on the type and the quality of the fat under discussion. There are fats that improve both physical and mental performance (I call them 'fitness fats'), and, there are fats that interfere with physical and mental performance (I call them 'misfit fats').

As outlined in the book FATS THAT HEAL FATS THAT KILL, we must come to terms with two opposite stories on fats. This is as true for fitness as it is for cardiovascular, immune, and inner organ systems, bones, joints, brain, skin, and all other parts of the body.

'Fitness fats' are fats the body cannot make, but must have for optimum performance and health. The body must obtain 'fitness fats' from outside sources. The technical name for 'fitness fats' is 'essential' fatty acids, and they come in omega-3 and omega-6 forms. Most people get too little omega-3, and people on 'low fat' diets, falsely advertised as healthy, get too little omega-6 as well as omega-3.

'Misfit fats' are those that have been damaged by destructive processing, and these are not only unnecessary and unhelpful for fitness, but they interfere with and are detrimental to performance and health. 'Misfit fats' come in margarine and shortening forms as trans-fatty acids, in fried fats, and in over-processed, overheated commercial oils. To some extent, saturated fats, sugars, and starches also fit into this category, because they make an already existing shortage of 'fitness fats' even worse.

While 'misfit fats' slow down energy production and performance, 'fitness fats' improve energy production, stamina, muscular development, and the ability to focus. They improve reflexes, speed learning, improve performance, and speed recovery and healing. 'Fitness fats' also improve protein metabolism and slow down muscle catabolism.

This is not a new invention, since it has been true in nature for a very long time. It is not even a new discovery. What is new is its rediscovery. In industry's great efforts to make products more shelf-stable, they have removed the 'fitness fats' from foods to extend product shelf life. Since 'fitness fats' are easily destroyed by light, air, and heat, it also means that these three things shorten the shelf life of products as well. This makes them a manufacturer's nightmare, to be avoided at all costs. Care needs to be taken in the production, storage and use of 'fitness fats'. When the needed care is not taken, fitness fats are turned into 'misfit fats'.

Sports rely on fitness and endurance, EFA's help the body's natural stamina maintain peak levels!'Misfit fats' are those that have been damaged by destructive processing, and these are not only unnecessary and unhelpful for fitness, but they interfere with and are detrimental to performance and health.

To avoid damage, 'fitness fats' must be made, stored, and used with care. During manufacture and storage, 'fitness fats' need protection from the damage done to them by light, air, and heat. They should never be fried during food preparation, as frying damages these delicate fats and makes them toxic. 'Fitness fats' can be used in cold, warm, and even hot foods such as soups or steamed vegetables. In food use, 'fitness fats' are compatible with all foods: vegetables, proteins, starchy foods, fruit, and juices. They are best mixed in foods, because they enhance food flavors and improve the absorption of oil-soluble ingredients present in foods, thereby improving food value.

Given to athletes in the appropriate amounts and blended to produce the right ratio of omega-3 to omega-6, 'fitness fats' can substantially increase the stamina of athletes pushing the limits of their performance. They notice this increase in their energy resources within a few weeks, although some get improvement sooner. The study included runners, cyclists, body builders, martial artists, and boxers. The details of the entire study, including side effects, can be found in the Danish Athlete Study.


Athletes taking 'fitness fats' were able to work out for longer periods before they became tired. They recovered from fatigue more rapidly, experienced faster healing from injuries, saw faster muscular development, found it easier to lose body fat, had less joint pain, were able to focus better (one boxer said that his 'reflexes were sharper'), and had better skin, better mood, and sounder sleep. They were able to train more often without incurring over-training problems.

Concentration, performance and initiative! Omega-3 fats aid in the body's natural metabolic performance!Given to athletes in the appropriate amounts and blended to produce the right ratio of omega-3 to omega-6, 'fitness fats' can substantially increase the stamina of athletes pushing the limits of their performance.


Within a short time after discontinuing intake of 'fitness fats', athletes found that they lost the extra energy they had experienced while on the oil blend used as their source of 'fitness fats'. Soon after going back on the oil blend, the increased stamina returned.

An older athlete performed at a level considered appropriate for someone much younger than his chronological age, and competed well against younger contenders. A boxer taking the 'fitness fats' oil blend increased his workout time from 1.5 hours to 2.5 hours twice daily. A runner using the oil blend increased his weekly running distance from 90km to 147km. A cyclist used the oil blend to increase his daily cycling distance from 60-80km to 120km-180km per day. This cyclist had saddle sores before he began to use the 'fitness fats'. Contrary to expectations, his saddle sores healed while his daily distance increased.

We also measured cardiovascular risk factors. After 106 days, their resting blood glucose was slightly lower, triglycerides were significantly reduced, 'good' HDL cholesterol was significantly higher, 'bad' cholesterol was down significantly, and HDL/LDL ratio was better.

One Type I diabetic was able to lower his insulin intake, and change from fast-acting to slow-acting while taking the oil blend. When he discontinued the 'fitness fats', he had to return to fast-acting insulin at the higher dose. When he returned to using the oil blend, he was able to lower his dose and go back to slow-acting insulin. This indicates that the 'fitness fats' stabilized his blood sugar or made him more insulin-sensitive, or both. The same diabetic boxer was underweight at the beginning of the study. Using protein and creatine, efforts to increase his weight had been largely ineffective. On the oil blend and creatine, he gained 11 pounds of lean body mass in 4 weeks.


'Fitness fats' also provide benefits to non-athletes. Physical and mental energy improve substantially, as do healing, skin, brain function, mood, learning, and physical co-ordination. People deal better with stress. Many report sounder sleep. Risk factors for cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes decrease. Mineral metabolism improves. 'Fitness fats' show benefits both for mothers' health and children's development. 'Fitness fats' have anti-inflammatory effects, and dampen the over-response of the immune system in auto-immune conditions. Last, but not least, 'fitness fats' help to reduce body fat. Research shows that they do so by increasing the body's fat-burning, decreasing its fat production, and increasing heat (thermogenesis), which keeps people warm in winter, and burns off calories even during times of inactivity.


Long-distance runners, marathon, triathlon athletes all benefit from Udo's Choice™ Products!Physical and mental energy improve substantially, as do healing, skin, brain function, mood, learning, and physical co-ordination. People deal better with stress. Many report sounder sleep. Risk factors for cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes decrease. Mineral metabolism improves.

Why do 'fitness fats' work so effectively? Here's a short review to help give context to 'fitness fats' in the modern world:

  • 'Fitness fats' (omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids) are required by every cell, tissue, gland, and organ in the body.
  • They cannot be made by the body, and must therefore come from foods.
  • They are easily destroyed by light, air, and heat.
  • Omega-3 is destroyed 5 times faster than omega-6.
  • Omega-3 is less abundant in our food supply.
  • Average omega-3 intake today is about 16% of omega-3 intake 150 years ago. Omega-6 intake has doubled during that time, except for people on low fat diets).
  • To extend shelf life, manufacturers remove omega-3 and omega-6 from foods because of their tendency to react with oxygen and become rancid. Manufacturers then promote 'low fat' products with implications that they improve health (which they do not).
  • Both essential fats are inadequately supplied in the diets of fat-phobic people on low fat and no fat diets, leading to health problems (low fat diets are damaging to health).
  • Omega-3 is inadequately present in the diets of 95-99% of the population, leading to sub-optimal health.
  • Because they are lacking in many diets, the introduction of omega-3s into the diet makes them more effective therapeutically in more conditions than omega-6s.

  • Replacing the missing or damaged omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids benefits all parts of the body, and improves all conditions that are caused by their insufficiency.
(see also, the Danish Athlete Study, a study administed to 61 physically-active people representing a wide variety of sports and fitness-related disciplines)

 

 
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