Remember hearing about the snake oil salesmen of the 1800-1900s? Everyone scoffed at their claims that snake oil cured everything from tennis elbow to baldness. If the snake oil products contained real snake oil, it may actually have had some health benefits, especially if it was made from the Chinese water snake. It contained high levels of certain essential fatty acids that have been shown to reduce inflammation and other health benefits. Essential fatty acids are most often consumed in the form of fish oil today because the Chinese water snake is a little hard to find in these parts.
The reason that it was claimed to cure everything is because essential fatty acids are found in all cell membranes throughout the body. These essential fatty acids play a major role in determining the integrity and fluidity of cell membranes. The type of fat consumed determines the type of fat in the cell membrane. A lipid (fat) composed of a saturated fat or trans fatty acid differs considerably from a fat composed of one of the essential fatty acids. There are also differences in the structure of an omega-3-composed membrane and an omega-6-composed membrane. Our diet determines what type of fat gets incorporated into these membranes. A diet composed largely of saturated fat, animal fatty acids, cholesterol and trans fatty acids leads to membranes that are much less fluid than the membranes of an individual consuming optimum levels of the essential fatty acids. A relative deficiency of essential fatty acids in cellular membranes makes it virtually impossible for the cell membrane to perform their vital function-to act as a selective barrier that regulates the passage of certain materials in and out of the cell. This affects substances that do their work inside the cell as well as things that bind to the receptors on the outside of the cell.
Be sure you’re getting plenty of omega-3 fatty acids. Recommended doses are 1500-3000 mg of the EPA + DHA when added together. The higher amounts should be used if you suffer from an inflammatory disorder and your pharmacist or other healthcare provider has recommended that you use higher doses. Otherwise, doses of 1500-2000 mg are sufficient. The amounts of the EPA and DHA contained in each capsule can vary from about 200 mg per capsule to over 800 mg per capsule. Be sure and check the label before purchasing a product.
In good health,
Lucinda
