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Fats That Heal: Fats That Kill
Dr. Udo Erasmus on
Thyroid Disease, Weight Loss, and the Optimal Diet for Thyroid Patients
May
2002 ... Based on an interview by Mary Shomon (www.thyroid-info.com)
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I had an opportunity to interview nutritional expert Dr. Udo Erasmus,
regarding the role of essential fatty acids in thyroid and metabolic
health. By way of introduction, Udo Erasmus received his BS degree
in Honors Zoology with a major in Psychology, followed by graduate studies in Biochemistry and Genetics from the University
of British Columbia.
Dr. Erasmus'
direction changed when he was poisoned while working with pesticides,
and when conventional approaches didn't work, sought to find
solutions in nutrition. Dr. Erasmus concentrated his research
on the effects of fats and oils on human health, and became
an expert in this area, leading to his best-seller Fats and
Oils. This book also became his thesis and earned him a Ph.D.
in nutrition in 1986. The book is now available in expanded,
revised, updated form as Fats That Heal Fats That Kill, which
is in its 10th printing, with over 150,000 copies sold. |

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Dr. Erasmus has pioneered the technology and formulation for pressing
and packaging fresh oils, ensuring that they remain nutritious, and
believed so much in the power of essential fatty acids that he worked
for years to create the famous "Udo's Oil," a balanced essential
fatty acid oil that is recommended by nutritionists and holistic practitioners
around the world. More than 15 years of exploring the practical aspects
of fats has earned Dr. Erasmus authoritative status in the field,
as well as the nicknames "The Fatman" and "His Royal
Oiliness!"
To understand
Dr. Erasmus' life work -- the study of essential fatty acids --
it's important to start with the basic premise -- what is an essential
fatty acid? There are a variety of different types of fats,
the only two that are considered "essential," are Omega
3 fats, and Omega 6 fats. These fats must be consumed directly from
food sources. Other fats, such as Omega 9 (monounsaturated) fats,
and saturated fats -- among others -- are not considered essential
because they can be produced by the body by consuming other sugars
and starches.
Omega 3 fatty acids
come from foods like flaxseeds, green leafy vegetables, and high fat,
cold water fish such as albacore tuna, sardines, Atlantic halibut
and salmon, coho, pink and king salmon, Pacific and Atlantic herring,
Atlantic mackerel, and lake trout. Omega 6 fatty acids are found in
sesame and sunflower seeds and other seeds and nuts. Some fish and
animal meats also provide a derivative form of Omega 6. When it comes
to fish, Dr. Erasmus always prefers the fish themselves to fish oil
supplements - which he claims can easily become ineffective or even
toxic.
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According
to Dr. Erasmus, since 1900, Omega 6 consumption has increased
by about 20 times the previous levels, primarily because of
increased use of certain vegetable oils in food preparation,
while Omega 3s are now only 1/6 of previous levels. This means
that we get too much Omega 6 and too little Omega 3 fatty acids.
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It's far more important to bring in the good fats than to
avoid the bad fats. Low-fat and no-fat take us in the wrong direction.
We need a right-fat approach.
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Ultimately, imbalances and deficiencies in essential fatty acids
are, according to Dr. Erasmus, the cause, a trigger, or a contributing
factor to many diseases and conditions, and addressing those deficiencies
through proper foods, or use of healthy oils, can have huge implications
for health. According to Dr. Erasmus, some benefits of proper
essential fatty acid intake and balance include:
- Increased
energy, performance, and stamina
- Reduced
risk factors for cardiovascular disease, especially
- high
blood pressure, triglycerides
- Improved
brain function, including mood, intelligence, behavior,
and vision
- Reduced
depression
- Improvement
in glandular and organ function, including liver, kidneys,
adrenal and thyroid
- Faster
recovery and healing
- Healthier
babies and pregnant women Improved digestion
- Decreased
infection
- Better
skin, hair, and nails
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There are other, more specific benefits that are pertinent for
thyroid sufferers.
Thyroid
Hormone Receptors
According
to Dr. Erasmus, essential fatty acids are critical to thyroid
function because, first, they are required for the integrity of
the structure for every membrane of every cell. Second, they increase
energy levels in the cell. And third, there is some evidence that
essential fatty acids, especially Omega 3s, improve the efficiency
of the hormones on the receptor sites.
To understand
the importance of the receptor issue, think about the situation
of diabetes. Pre-diabetes, the condition that is considered a
marker for future diabetes, is also known as insulin resistance.
Insulin is in the body, but it isn't being utilized because saturated
fats block insulin receptor function, and ultimately receptors
become desensitized -- and ultimately immune to and unable to
receive -- insulin. Essential fatty acids are required for receptor
function and can make diabetics more insulin sensitive. So diabetics
taking essential fatty acids may need less receptors, and ultimately,
less insulin.
Dr. Erasmus
believes that this same mechanism takes place with other hormonal
functions, such as the androgens, pineal glands, adrenal glands
-- and specifically, the thyroid.
There are
practitioners who believe that thyroid hormone resistance is not
a rare occurrence, and is actually a more common sign of impending
thyroid disease, much like insulin resistance is a precursor to
diabetes. This issue of receptors is critical, because according
to Dr. Erasmus, "With proper essential fatty acid nutrition,
what will sometime happen is that you get fewer receptors but
they work better." This would mean that proper levels of
essential fatty acids might make the thyroid hormone receptors
work better, so that thyroid hormone actually accomplishes its
mission.
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Inflammation
Dr.
Erasmus also points to the role that essential fatty acids
play in preventing and reducing inflammation. In particular,
essential fatty acids make hormone-like eicosanoids that regulate
immune and inflammatory responses, and Omega 3s in particular
have anti-inflammatory effects that can slow autoimmune damage.
Inflammation
of the thyroid -- known as goiter -- is central to many cases
of autoimmune thyroid disease, and inflammation is seen in
almost all autoimmune diseases in general.
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Says Dr. Erasmus:
I believe that inflammation is at the core of nearly everything
that goes wrong in the body, including cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular
problems. We know that Omega 3s decrease inflammation.
If proteins are the juice, fats are the insulators, not just of
nerves, but cells and membranes.) Protein reactions lead to inflammation,
allergies and autoimmune disease. Essential fatty acids seem to
help to prevent the proteins from becoming hyperactive -- and therefore
triggering these various immune reactions
Weight Loss
When thyroid
function goes down, the metabolic rate goes down, and the body burns
fewer carbohydrates. Dr. Erasmus believes that people with hypothyroidism
should switch from grains and starches to green vegetables as their
primary source of carbohydrates. Green vegetables, plus good fats
and proteins, should form the core of the diet.
Sufficient essential
fatty acids help increase energy and suppress appetite, thereby
aiding in weight loss. In addition, they have been found to block
the genes that produce fat in the body (saturated and Trans Fat
do not have this same effect) and increase thermogenesis -- the
burning of fat.
Dr. Erasmus
actually feels that Omega 3s work better than the heralded conjugated
linoleic acid (CLA). He feels that CLA may have some negative side
effects, particularly at higher doses.
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The
Optimal Thyroid Diet
According to
Dr. Erasmus, for a thyroid patient to lose weight, they need:
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Green
vegetables (While he says the efforts at 5 fruits and vegetables
a day or 9 a day are a step in the right direction, the reality
is that we should strive for more like 1 fruit, and 8 or 9
vegetables each day.)
Good
fats
Protein
Proper
digestion
Limited
carbohydrates. ("If you gain weight, you're not burning
enough carbs," says Dr. Erasmus. How much should you
limit them? "Until your weight is normal!")
Exercise
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In addition to supplementing with essential fatty acids, he also
recommends proper balance of zinc, vitamin C, and digestive enzymes.
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Udo's
Oil: How Much Do You Need?
Certainly, if
we could also focus our diet on vegetables, fish, and good fats
from other foods, we'd be working toward redressing the imbalances
in essential fatty acids.
But when diet
is less than optimal, or you can't get enough of the foods that
provide the right balance and quantity of Omega 3s and Omega 6s,
then an option is to consider a supplement, such as Dr. Erasmus'
oil, known as "Udo's Oil." Udo's Oil is an organic blend
of oils, from fresh flax, sesame and sunflower seeds, as well as
oils from evening primrose, rice germ and oat germ. This is a product
I personally use and recommend, and have seen a number of people
stabilize their thyroid function and lose weight after switching
over to Dr. Erasmus' dietary recommendations, plus use of his oil.
Dr. Erasmus
recommends a tablespoon of oil per 50 pounds of body weight per
day in winter. That would mean 4 tablespoons a day for a 200 pound
person in winter. The way you know you've taken enough oil is, according
to Dr. Erasmus, your skin is not dry, flaky or itchy -- common complaints
in the winter. Summer dosages can be dropped slightly, and again,
dryness of skin should be used as the evaluation.
For weight loss,
Dr. Erasmus has said that working with obese people, he has had
them on as much as 5 tablespoons of oil a day. For rheumatoid arthritis
patients, he's had them on as much as 10 tablespoons a day.
At high levels
of oil, calorie intake goes up, so to reduce overall caloric intake,
Dr. Erasmus recommends taking out carbohydrate calories - particularly
starches, grains and fruits -- to make up for the calories in the
oil, and concentrate the diet on healthy protein, green vegetables
and the oil.
Is supplementation
with essential fatty acids the answer for you? It may be worth trying
for a few weeks to start, to see if you start to feel any of the
short-term benefits, and notice a difference in your skin. Just
remember that to avoid weight gain, you should decrease the amount
of carbohydrates you are eating, in order to offset the oil's calories
and maintain an optimal amount of daily calories.

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Reproduction by permission only.
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to visit our ARTICLES
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