Alzheimer’s Part 6 – Why NOT Vegetable (Seed) Oils!
Woops! I see that my series has mentioned avoiding vegetable (seed) oils repeatedly but never explained why that is important. A seed is something that can be planted in the ground (grain and legumes are the main ones) and will grow. So let’s just clear that up.
Fats
Fats come in three forms in different combinations in every food. If there is any fat in a food, there will be some of all three.
- Saturated – most abundant in meats, butter, coconut oil, anything that is solid at room temperature.
- Monounsaturated – most abundant in fats that are liquid at room temperature but harden in the refrigerator like olive oil.
- Polyunsaturated – any fat that stays liquid even when cold. Canola, corn, soybean, etc as examples.
The fats in your body come from your food and are really important as they protect your cells from damage.
Fats in your cells
I quote from Dr. Chris Masterjohn, body construct expert, from his most recent series on vitamins. If you are interested in seeing all of this series, go to this link to enroll.
“You and I are made of cells. Each of our cells is enclosed in an oily membrane. Inside our cells lie many specialized compartments. Each of those is also enclosed in a similar membrane. These oily membranes are what allow cells to protect themselves and to control what comes in and goes out, and what stays in and stays out.
Controlling which things are found where is how our cells maintain their productivity, just like you keep different things in your bedroom, your kitchen, your living room, and your office if you have one. This allows you to sleep effectively in one place, cook effectively in another, relax effectively in another, and work effectively in another.
These oily membranes are made of many small pieces of fat known as “fatty acids.” The fatty acids can be a lot like dominoes when they are exposed to harmful substances known as oxidants. The oxidants damage one fatty acid by oxidizing it. Then that fatty acid itself turns into an oxidant! It oxidizes the next one.”
What is “oxidize?
To make it simple, to oxidize is to damage, changing something chemically and releasing those nasty “free radicals.” An example would be rust, starting and spreading when iron is exposed to the oxygen in air.
Saturated and monounsaturated fat are very stable and not susceptible to oxidation because of their construction. Polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) are oxidizers within your body cells. The more heat, the more cells are oxidized. And once the oxidation starts, the reaction is passed on to other cells, one by one. The more we consume polyunsaturated fats the more those fats make up the “oily membrane” Dr. Masterjohn talked about.
The role of vitamin E
The role of vitamin E in your body is to be an antioxidant and interfere with that continuous and unfortunate process. High heat is a killer of vitamin E.
Where does vitamin E come from? Whole food comes with the vitamin E required for its polyunsaturated content. Whole soybeans and corn, as examples, contain the proper configuration. But when the seeds are processed at high heat to extract the oil, the vitamin E is pretty much murdered. That means the body balance is lost, extraordinary amounts of polyunsaturated fats unaccompanied by vitamin E are deposited in and around your cells.
Don’t do it
Got it? You are eating polyunsaturated oils absent the vitamin E antioxidant required to stop oxidation. Don’t do it. Stick to saturated and monounsaturated fats, both of which are not susceptible to oxidation. I am not encouraging you to consume lots of fat; rather just be sure the fat you do eat is the right kind.