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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly … and fat

Fat, calories and clichés.

‘I’ll sleep quiet, because I know that my worst enemy watches over me’, says Clint Eastwood to Eli Wallach in ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’, when after wandering in the desert he is convalescing in the bed of a Catholic mission, and the victim becomes the executioner, in one of those reversals of role that Sergio Leone is always able to give us, in the paint a world of Frontier amoral and cynical.

And we? Are we sure that fats are always so ‘bad’ for our health, and should be removed from the diet? Going beyond the negative characterization and clichés, may reserve us some surprises.

In reality, the lipids, most commonly called fats, are a class of organic substances widespread in nature which plays in living organisms a number of biological roles, both structural and metabolic, namely:

  • They enter into the constitution of biological membranes;
  • Regulate metabolic exchange;
  • They are the most abundant source of energy reserve, accumulating as adipose tissue;
  • Constitute an effective system of protection against external agents, traumas and temperature changes;
  • They play an important hormonal function.

Let’s look to fat closely, and to make a distinction between ‘good’ and ‘bad’.

“Good” fats (mono and poly unsaturated).

The “good” fats play important roles in the body and are the precursors of substances with anti-inflammatory action.

In particular, the essential fatty acids omega 3 and omega 6, which can be taken only with the diet, are of increasing interest because it is necessary to keep them in proper balance to ensure an anti-inflammatory that can protect us from many diseases.

The alimentation of today, much more rich in meat and dairy products rather than fish, brings many more omega 6 than omega 3. From this, it is clear that it is essential to assess their relationship, to be able to diagnose in time and to correct the imbalance.

“Bad” fats (saturated, trans and hydrogenated).

The “bad” fats, introduced in excessive amounts in the diet, on the contrary are the basis of the development and evolution of various cardiovascular diseases (the main cause of death in industrialized countries) as atherosclerosis, hypertension, myocardial infarction and stroke. This is because they constitute the major constituent of LDL cholesterol.

The Lipidomic profile NatrixLab.

Continuing under the metaphor with which we began, as well as ‘bad’ it is necessary to the development of the plot as much as ‘the good’, with regard to fat is important to test their balance, and in this case we can use the NatrixLab Lipidomic Profile, which goes to check the combination of fatty acids.

In particular, a balance between the various components:

  • Promotes greater fluidity and permeability of the plasma membrane;
  • Promotes metabolic exchange within the body;
  • Moderate inflammatory responses;
  • Reduces oxidative stress;
  • Reduces the occurrence of cardiovascular disease;
  • It has effects on the genesis of tumors at an early stage, going to reduce the conditions predisposing the onset of the disease;
  • It has effects on the evolution of tumors, going to reduce the substrates that are food for metastasis.

And if the test results indicating an imbalance?

The only effective treatment to date known to balance the fatty acid profile, is to follow a healthy diet that takes account of any shortcomings and, where necessary,to take supplements.

For these reasons it is always advisable to consult a specialist in nutrition, to assess integration in terms of quality and quantity.

And in Natrix we can!

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