Some fats are good. Some fats are bad. Bad fats are not necessarily labelled, unfortunately.

Much has been documented about bad fats, which could shorten our lives. Bad fats are not necessarily labelled on packages, unfortunately. So every time we consume purchased food, we risk taking in extremely damaging fats.

Dr Stephen Wootton, Senior Lecturer, Southampton School of Medicine: Omega 3 is indispensable. They are like springs in the membranes; every cell in the body has the right mix of fats to work properly. Our immune system, our brain, etc, all need Omega 3 to work properly. Omega 3 is primary found in oily fish.

Michael Crawford, Director, Institute of Brain Chemistry in Human Nutrition, London Two types of Omega 3 fatty acids. Marine food chain, eg DHA is important for the signalling system in the visual system and in the brain. Those in the marine food chain are ready to go straight into the brain. Those from the land food chain need to be converted. The origin of the dependency goes back 600 million years, to the first living system that converted sunlight into electricity. No molecule has replaced DHA in its role in the visual and brain signalling system since.

Every baby requires the equivalence of one quarter of a woman’s store of fatty acids to make a normal brain. A baby needs them for the first 2-3 years. If the woman doesn’t have enough store of fatty fat, the baby would suffer. But the woman will give up her own fat to the baby. A woman during puberty will lay down body fat, which is very important for pregnancy. Without that, a child’s brain will suffer.

We need a good balance of fats in our body. For example, Omega 3 and Omega 6 (both good fats) compete for the same enzymes in our body. The optimal combination of fats is unknown. It probably differs from person to person. Breast milk provides the best balance of fatty acids. Supplements help, but they are relatively insignificant compared to what one was born with.

[End]