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| | From:  Hieronomo (Original Message) | Sent: 2/9/2008 10:39 AM |
Hello all,
I've just read through most of HSWC's essays and some of the discussions, and it's been very very interesting, but there are a couple of things that I've found confusing/not clear...
How does AA "get into" cells? I mean from the very point of ingesting either AA or LA what exactly happens?
QUOTE:
Fatty acids are usually ingested as triglycerides, which cannot be absorbed by the intestine. They are broken down into free fatty acids and monoglycerides by pancreatic lipase, which forms a 1:1 complex with a protein called colipase which is necessary for its activity. The activated complex can only work at a water-fat interface: it is therefore essential that fatty acids (FA) be emulsified by bile salts for optimal activity of these enzymes. People who have had their gallbladder removed due to gall stones consequently have great difficulty digesting fats. Most are absorbed as free fatty acids and 2-monoglycerides, but a small fraction is absorbed as free glycerol and as diglycerides. Once across the intestinal barrier, they are reformed into triglycerides and packaged into chylomicrons or liposomes, which are released into the lymph system and then into the blood. Eventually, they bind to the membranes of hepatocytes, adipocytes or muscle fibers, where they are either stored or oxidized for energy. The liver acts as a major organ for fatty acid treatment, processing chylomicron remnants and liposomes into the various lipoprotein forms, namely VLDL and LDL. Fatty acids synthesized by the liver are transported in the blood as VLDL. In peripheral tissues, lipoprotein lipase digests part of the VLDL into LDL and free fatty acids, which are taken up for metabolism. LDL is absorbed via LDL receptors. This provides a mechanism for absorption of LDL into the cell, and for its conversion into free fatty acids, cholesterol, and other components of LDL.
UNQUOTE
"Eventually, they bind to the membranes of hepatocytes, adipocytes or muscle fibers, where they are either stored or oxidized for energy."
Or is it
"Arachidonic acid is a polyunsaturated fatty acid that is present in the phospholipids (especially phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylinositides) of membranes of the body's cells, and is abundant in the brain."
If it's the latter how does it get from food to the cellular membranes?
From this, if someone followed the high-SFA, low-PUFA recommendations HSWC makes, how does mead acid "replace" the AA?
The body takes SFAs and elongate and desaturate them with enzymes, producing mead acid, which is then stored "in the cell" (membrane?) like AA?
I think I'm mainly having trouble visualising how AA/mead acid is stored "in the cells, but the inflammation part and germ theory debunking is very well explained.... |
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I tend to focus on things that are in question, and there is no "controversy" about what happens if you only eat tiny amounts of omega 3s and/or omega 6s, that is, Mead acid will replace AA or an omega 3 (most likely AA). This is assuming you are in fairly good health and don't have major deficiencies of certain vitamins or minerals. You might want to take a look at:
http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/tripping.html
though I disagree with the notion that omega 3s and/or 6s are "essential." You can do other searches for Mary Enig and read her material on various fat issues.
One thing that is clear is that AA is replaced by Mead acid (again, assuming good health and diet) at different rates, depending upon the type of cell. To get almost all the AA out of your cells, if you already have AA in your cells (as most people now do), you will have to eat a certain diet and give it about two years. Most of the AA in your cells does not get there directly from your diet. Instead, the most common dietary PUFA (in the "civilized world") is called linoleic (an omega 6), and it is this molecule that is acted upon by enzymes and made into AA and incorporated into "cell membranes." Now if you want to delve into some really technical information, you can find these kinds of studies online:
http://www.jlr.org/cgi/content/abstract/14/3/296
and:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/n8969l71u38537h1/ |
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