Processed and pre-packaged foods make up close to 70% of the American diet, most of which contains various forms of fats—usually in the form of vegetable and plant seed oils. Fats are a dietary necessity that play a key role in biological processes and immune system functions.
The two fatty acids the body cannot make on its own, linoleic acid (LA) or Parent Omega 6, and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) or Parent Omega 3 are required on a daily basis and must come from plant-based food sources.
The majority of the fats/oils found in our food come from cheap extraction methods, using corrosive chemicals and extreme heat.
These oils are cheap, shelve-stable, and the reason why frying oil in fast food restaurants can go multiple days without being changed. It can also be "hydrogenated" to make cheap butter substitutes like margarine and vegetable shortening, which often contain artificial trans fats.
When consuming adulterated versions of these essential fatty acids, they are incorporated into our trillions of cells and into every lipid cell membrane. This affects cell permeability, which makes them more resistant to oxygen, and increases inflammation.
This affects the Delta-6 Desaturase Enzyme (D6D), one of the most important steps to regulate inflammation within the body. Impairment limits the ability of the body to regulate inflammation.
Just a few headlines from medical journals:
• "Cottonseed oil [processed with hydrogenation] associated with increased skin cancer" - The American Journal of Cancer in 1939
• Warning: Hydrogenation from modern food industry predicted to cause massive heart disease - The Lancet, 1956
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Trans fatty acids (TFA) could affect cell membrane functions, and may therefore influence peripheral insulin sensitivity and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes - Scandinavian Journal of Food and Nutrition, 2016
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