As scientists continue to uncover more about the health benefits of flaxseed oil and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, even seasoned health professionals are becoming excited. Could this humble plant oil be the key to weight loss?
We all know the standard advice given to people wanting to lose weight. ‘Eat fewer calories. Drink more water. Exercise more. Eat more fat.’
Just a minute!
Did you say ‘Eat more fat’?
Eating more of the right kinds of fat could be the answer to weight loss for some people. We are all aware of the obesity epidemic sweeping Australia, affecting many of us including children. It’s strange that as a nation we are growing fatter and fatter, while the sales of reduced-fat and fat-free foods continues to soar. But maybe it’s more than just a coincidence.
Very low fat foods and diets can actually contribute to weight gain in a number of ways:
Taste like cardboard
Very low fat foods generally don’t taste very good. Or if they do taste good, check the nutritional information carefully. They might be low in fat, but extra high in sugar, which is converted to fat by the body. Fat has a unique mouth feel, and even a small amount can mean the difference between enjoying a meal, and the feeling that you are eating cardboard.
Missing important fats.
Fats have a number of important roles in the body. They are responsible for energy production, membrane structure and function, and inflammation, or the body’s self-healing mechanisms. They also carry vital fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A and E.
Dieting causes the midnight munchies.
Being on a diet is bad for losing weight, because that feeling of being restricted sometimes makes people want to break out. A number of studies, for example, recent research from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, has shown that the more often you diet, the more likely you are to gain weight.
So how can flaxseed oil help?
Two recent studies have highlighted the enormous potential of flaxseed oil in weight management.
Firstly, new research from the University of South Australia has shown that, when combined with regular exercise, supplementation with two omega-3 fatty acids, EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) can significantly increase fat loss compared with exercise alone. These two omega-3s, found in fish oil, are polyunsaturated ‘good oils’—exactly the type we should be including in our diets.
Then, in January 2006 researchers in Atlanta realised that the body converts the omega-3 in flaxseed oil into the heart-protective omega-3, EPA. This trial, on people who were already suffering from a chronic illness, showed that the omega-3 in flaxseed (called alpha-Linolenic acid) causes increases in the blood levels of EPA, whereas olive oil capsules do not.
One way that good oils might help weight loss is by slowing down the rate of gastric emptying. If a meal contains fat, it is retained in the stomach for longer compared with low-fat meals. Also, the release of the stomach contents into the intestine is slower when the meal contains some fat. If food is released more slowly into the intestine, sugars are absorbed into the blood stream slower, and blood glucose and insulin don’t peak so high or drop so low. This is why taking good fats with your meal can reduce hunger pains and cravings.
Oils ain’t oils
Many naturopaths recommend that, for optimum health and wellbeing, we should eat close to the same amount of omega-3 oils, like those from flaxseed, as omega-6s. This is not an easy task, because our Western diets contain too much omega-6 fatty acids, and not enough omega-3. Too much Omega-6 leads to a number of health problems, especially inflammatory diseases. These can include arthritis, asthma and migraines. Circulation too suffers when we eat too many omega-6s—increased blood clotting and arterial stiffness can be signs of a lack of fatty acid balance.
So what do we eat,
and what do we avoid?
Basically good fats are polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially omega-3s. Fish can be expensive and contaminated with pesticides and heavy metals and some people also can’t tolerate fish oil capsules. Vegetarians and vegans also can’t take fish oil. Flaxseed oil is a ideal source of omega-3s that suits everybody. Avoid packaged foods, saturated fats (fat that is solid at room temperature like butter and animal fat) and sugar. A balanced diet rich in unprocessed foods, especially green leafy vegetables, legumes and complex carbohydrates, together with moderate amounts of good fats, is the best way to lose weight.
Harper, CR, Edwards, MJ, Defilipis, AP, Jacobson, TA 2006, Flaxseed oil increases the plasma concentration of cardioprotective (n-3) Fatty acids in humans. J Nutr Jan; 136 (1): pp. 83-7
Anti-obesity research exercises the good oil 2006. UniSA Researcher viewed 27 January 2006.
http://www.unisa.edu.au/researcher/issue/2005March/obesity.asp
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Nestel, PJ, Pomeroy, SE, Sasahara, T, Yamashita, T, Liang, YL, Dart, AM, Jennings, GL, Abbey, M, Cameron, JD 1997 Arterial compliance in obese subjects is improved with dietary plant n-3 fatty acid from flaxseed oil despite increased LDL oxidizability. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. Jun; 17(6): pp. 1163-70.
Rodriguez-Cruz, M, Tovar, AR, del Prado, M, Torres, N 2005. Molecular mechanisms of action and health benefits of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Rev Invest Clin. May-Jun; 57 (3): pp. 457-72.
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