Today I received an e-mail.

Today, on 10 February, 2010 I received this e-mail from a reader who had interesting reflections concerning Omega-6 lipid acid and its harmful effects to the human body. The reflections were so relevant that I publish them on my blog:


"Hello Elizabeth,


By way of introduction, I am a carpenter residing in Kalispell, Montana. I like being healthy so I analyze nutritional issues and controversies. Given the quality of our modern food environment and the debate over what constitutes healthy eating, I think it wise not to trust to luck. Your blog came to my attention because you mentioned Gary Taubes in your most recent blog post. I have on Google Alert for that name.



As you know, the idea that saturated fats clog arteries has been relentlessly hammered into the public mind for decades. At the same time, there's seldom been mention of the omega-6 hazard. So, when you've got about 37 minutes available, I urge you to watch this videocast: http://videocast.nih.gov/summary.asp?live=8108 Biochemist William Lands explains in plain language why excessive omega-6 fat intake is to be avoided. He says we could have been preventing a lot of chronic inflammatory disease these past forty years if scientists hadn't gotten so distracted with bio markers such as cholesterol levels and obesity. His presentation starts at minute 12. Just move the time control button at the bottom slightly to the right to skip the preliminaries.



I'm so pleased I got to listen to this lecture because, despite what I thought was a healthy diet, I've been slowly losing muscular strength for a number of years. I'm only 63 and shouldn't have deteriorated this quickly. It turns out I've been consuming too much omega-6 fat in the form of peanut butter sandwiches. I've been eating them for lunch 5 to 6 times a week for most of my adult life. About 8 or 9 weeks after I switched to eating meat or cheese for lunch, the pain in my shoulders and legs has subsided and strength is returning to my limbs. Once again, I can get up out of a chair without thinking about it.



For a short historical sketch delineating the technological events that led up to the insertion of omega-6 into our food supply: http://180degreehealth.blogspot.com/2010/01/david-brown-on-omega-6-fats.html



Regards,
David Brown
1925 Belmar Dr
Kalispell, MT 59901
Ph/406-257-5123
Nutrition Education Project"