In your short list of disinformation buddies, it is hard to determine who I loathe most. But I lean toward Joe Rogan, who uses his extremely popular platform to profit personally from knowingly spreading harm. Anyone who succeeds in placing a bounty on the head of Peter Hotez - a man who has humbly devoted his life to savings the lives of the most vulnerable in the world - is below pond scum in my book.
This being American Heart Month, I would like to see this controversy get resolved. "Is a particular dietary recommendation harming people in the U.S.? For almost 20 years, scientists have been arguing over whether Americans and others on a typical Western diet are eating too much of omega-6s, a class of essential fatty acids. Some experts, notably ones affiliated with the American Heart Association, credit our current intake of omega-6s with lowering the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Others, which include biochemists, say the relatively high intake of omega-6 is a reason for a slew of chronic illnesses in the Western world, including asthma, various cancers, neurological disorders and cardiovascular disease itself." (web search - ASBMB An essential Debate)
Back in the late 1950s, some overzealous scientists assumed that replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated oils would prevent heart attack. (web search - AHA Nina Teicholz 2023)
Since then, no experimental evidence has emerged proving that dietary saturated fats can clog arteries. (web search - Glen Lawrence saturated fat 2024)
Proponents of high linoleic acid intake say, "Linoleic acid (LA), as a part of the wider debate about saturated, omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) and health, continues to be at the center of controversy in the world of fatty acid research. A robust evidence base, however, demonstrates that higher intakes and blood levels of LA are associated with improved cardiometabolic health outcomes." It was further noted that "higher blood levels of LA were associated with lower risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and incident type-2 diabetes mellitus compared with lower levels, suggesting that, across the range of typical dietary intakes, higher LA is beneficial. (web search - Martha Belury Linoleic acid 2024)
Note that there exists a global obesity/diabetes epidemic that remains a mystery. What we know for certain is that "Fatty acid composition in the Western diet has shifted from saturated to polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and specifically to linoleic acid (LA, 18:2), which has gradually increased in the diet over the past 50 y to become the most abundant dietary fatty acid in human adipose tissue." (web search - Hammock sEH-derived) An sEH-derived web search brings up an AI (artificial intelligence) overview that says, "sEH-derived metabolites are products of the enzyme soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) metabolizing linoleic acid. These metabolites can contribute to inflammation and immune cell dysfunction." An sEH-derived metabolites web search brings up an AI Overview that says, "Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH)-derived metabolites include dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHETs) and fatty acid diols. These metabolites are linked to inflammation, obesity, stroke, and other conditions."
Evidence that high linoleic acid intake compromises immune system function. "Some COVID-19 patients go on to develop severe infection with organ failure, potentially leading to death, and one of the contributing factors appears to be toxicity from the release of stored unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs)...Separately, on analyzing global COVID-19 mortality data and comparing it with 12 risk factors for mortality, they found unsaturated fat intake to be associated with increased mortality. This was based on the dietary fat patterns of 61 countries in the United Nations' Food and Agricultural Organization database. Surprisingly, they found saturated fats to be protective." (web search - Vijay P. Singh COVID-19)
"Obesity sometimes seems protective in disease. This obesity paradox is predominantly described in reports from the Western Hemisphere during acute illnesses. Since adipose triglyceride composition corresponds to long-term dietary patterns, we performed a meta-analysis modeling the effect of obesity on severity of acute pancreatitis, in the context of dietary patterns of the countries from which the studies originated. Increased severity was noted in leaner populations with a higher proportion of unsaturated fat intake." (web search - Vijay P. Singh obesity paradox)
To explain the global obesity epidemic requires some familiarity with eicosanoid production and endocannabinoid system function. For the scientifically curious who read this comment, an article by Norwegian animal science researches begins, "Chicken meat with reduced concentration of arachidonic acid (AA) and reduced ratio between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids has potential health benefits because a reduction in AA intake dampens prostanoid signaling, and the proportion between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids is too high in our diet." (web search - Anna Haug Individual Variation)
AI Overview - Prostanoid overproduction can contribute to insulin resistance by activating specific signaling pathways within cells, particularly in adipose tissue and muscle, which can impair the ability of insulin to effectively signal and promote glucose uptake, leading to a state of insulin resistance; essentially, the excess prostanoids interfere with the normal insulin signaling cascade, making cells less responsive to insulin." (web search - Prostanoid overproduction insulin resistance)
More from the Norwegians: Because arachidonic acid (AA) competes with EPA and DHA as well as with (linoleic acid (LA), ALA and oleic acid for incorporation in membrane lipids at the same positions, all these fatty acids are important for controlling the AA concentration in membrane lipids, which in turn determines how much AA can be liberated and become available for prostaglandin biosynthesis following phospholipase activation. Thus, the best strategy for dampening prostanoid overproduction in disease situations would be to reduce the intake of AA, or reduce the intake of AA at the same time as the total intake of competing fatty acids (including oleic acid) is enhanced, rather than enhancing intakes of EPA and DHA only. Enhancement of membrane concentrations of EPA and DHA will not be as efficient as a similar decrease in the AA concentration for avoiding prostanoid overproduction."
Notice that linoleic acid is one of the unsaturated fatty acids that can displace arachidonic acid molecules from their positions in cell membranes. Since saturated fats aren't mentioned, one can safely assume that swapping linoleic acid for saturated fats will, according to the above narrative, result in less arachidonic acid available for prostanoid production. This effect is observed at the higher levels of "typical dietary intakes" of linoleic acid.
Clearly, the spread of linoleic acid-rich seed oils throughout the World coupled with the practice of feeding oilseed products to livesstock is the major driver of obesity and chronic inflammatory diseases. (web search - Hulbert The under-appreciated fats of life)
One more thing. Here is the reason why the so-called Mediterranean diet produces favorable results. "The Mediterranean diet is low in arachidonic acid and rich in healthy fats such as monounsaturated fats found in extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), nuts and omega-3 fatty acids from fish, which has been shown to lower the risk of inflammation, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity, and other degenerative diseases." (web search - Steve Blechman New red meat study)
In your short list of disinformation buddies, it is hard to determine who I loathe most. But I lean toward Joe Rogan, who uses his extremely popular platform to profit personally from knowingly spreading harm. Anyone who succeeds in placing a bounty on the head of Peter Hotez - a man who has humbly devoted his life to savings the lives of the most vulnerable in the world - is below pond scum in my book.
This being American Heart Month, I would like to see this controversy get resolved. "Is a particular dietary recommendation harming people in the U.S.? For almost 20 years, scientists have been arguing over whether Americans and others on a typical Western diet are eating too much of omega-6s, a class of essential fatty acids. Some experts, notably ones affiliated with the American Heart Association, credit our current intake of omega-6s with lowering the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Others, which include biochemists, say the relatively high intake of omega-6 is a reason for a slew of chronic illnesses in the Western world, including asthma, various cancers, neurological disorders and cardiovascular disease itself." (web search - ASBMB An essential Debate)
Back in the late 1950s, some overzealous scientists assumed that replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated oils would prevent heart attack. (web search - AHA Nina Teicholz 2023)
Since then, no experimental evidence has emerged proving that dietary saturated fats can clog arteries. (web search - Glen Lawrence saturated fat 2024)
Proponents of high linoleic acid intake say, "Linoleic acid (LA), as a part of the wider debate about saturated, omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) and health, continues to be at the center of controversy in the world of fatty acid research. A robust evidence base, however, demonstrates that higher intakes and blood levels of LA are associated with improved cardiometabolic health outcomes." It was further noted that "higher blood levels of LA were associated with lower risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and incident type-2 diabetes mellitus compared with lower levels, suggesting that, across the range of typical dietary intakes, higher LA is beneficial. (web search - Martha Belury Linoleic acid 2024)
Note that there exists a global obesity/diabetes epidemic that remains a mystery. What we know for certain is that "Fatty acid composition in the Western diet has shifted from saturated to polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and specifically to linoleic acid (LA, 18:2), which has gradually increased in the diet over the past 50 y to become the most abundant dietary fatty acid in human adipose tissue." (web search - Hammock sEH-derived) An sEH-derived web search brings up an AI (artificial intelligence) overview that says, "sEH-derived metabolites are products of the enzyme soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) metabolizing linoleic acid. These metabolites can contribute to inflammation and immune cell dysfunction." An sEH-derived metabolites web search brings up an AI Overview that says, "Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH)-derived metabolites include dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHETs) and fatty acid diols. These metabolites are linked to inflammation, obesity, stroke, and other conditions."
Evidence that high linoleic acid intake compromises immune system function. "Some COVID-19 patients go on to develop severe infection with organ failure, potentially leading to death, and one of the contributing factors appears to be toxicity from the release of stored unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs)...Separately, on analyzing global COVID-19 mortality data and comparing it with 12 risk factors for mortality, they found unsaturated fat intake to be associated with increased mortality. This was based on the dietary fat patterns of 61 countries in the United Nations' Food and Agricultural Organization database. Surprisingly, they found saturated fats to be protective." (web search - Vijay P. Singh COVID-19)
"Obesity sometimes seems protective in disease. This obesity paradox is predominantly described in reports from the Western Hemisphere during acute illnesses. Since adipose triglyceride composition corresponds to long-term dietary patterns, we performed a meta-analysis modeling the effect of obesity on severity of acute pancreatitis, in the context of dietary patterns of the countries from which the studies originated. Increased severity was noted in leaner populations with a higher proportion of unsaturated fat intake." (web search - Vijay P. Singh obesity paradox)
To explain the global obesity epidemic requires some familiarity with eicosanoid production and endocannabinoid system function. For the scientifically curious who read this comment, an article by Norwegian animal science researches begins, "Chicken meat with reduced concentration of arachidonic acid (AA) and reduced ratio between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids has potential health benefits because a reduction in AA intake dampens prostanoid signaling, and the proportion between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids is too high in our diet." (web search - Anna Haug Individual Variation)
AI Overview - Prostanoid overproduction can contribute to insulin resistance by activating specific signaling pathways within cells, particularly in adipose tissue and muscle, which can impair the ability of insulin to effectively signal and promote glucose uptake, leading to a state of insulin resistance; essentially, the excess prostanoids interfere with the normal insulin signaling cascade, making cells less responsive to insulin." (web search - Prostanoid overproduction insulin resistance)
More from the Norwegians: Because arachidonic acid (AA) competes with EPA and DHA as well as with (linoleic acid (LA), ALA and oleic acid for incorporation in membrane lipids at the same positions, all these fatty acids are important for controlling the AA concentration in membrane lipids, which in turn determines how much AA can be liberated and become available for prostaglandin biosynthesis following phospholipase activation. Thus, the best strategy for dampening prostanoid overproduction in disease situations would be to reduce the intake of AA, or reduce the intake of AA at the same time as the total intake of competing fatty acids (including oleic acid) is enhanced, rather than enhancing intakes of EPA and DHA only. Enhancement of membrane concentrations of EPA and DHA will not be as efficient as a similar decrease in the AA concentration for avoiding prostanoid overproduction."
Notice that linoleic acid is one of the unsaturated fatty acids that can displace arachidonic acid molecules from their positions in cell membranes. Since saturated fats aren't mentioned, one can safely assume that swapping linoleic acid for saturated fats will, according to the above narrative, result in less arachidonic acid available for prostanoid production. This effect is observed at the higher levels of "typical dietary intakes" of linoleic acid.
Clearly, the spread of linoleic acid-rich seed oils throughout the World coupled with the practice of feeding oilseed products to livesstock is the major driver of obesity and chronic inflammatory diseases. (web search - Hulbert The under-appreciated fats of life)
One more thing. Here is the reason why the so-called Mediterranean diet produces favorable results. "The Mediterranean diet is low in arachidonic acid and rich in healthy fats such as monounsaturated fats found in extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), nuts and omega-3 fatty acids from fish, which has been shown to lower the risk of inflammation, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity, and other degenerative diseases." (web search - Steve Blechman New red meat study)