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Oils - Fats - Fatty Acids
I digress here to discuss Fatty Acids, which are the building blocks of oils and fats.
I do this because so many aviculturists I speak with don't truly understand this critical class of nutrients.
These very important food items, if fed correctly, will help to produce healthy birds. If fed incorrectly (or not
at all), sick birds may be your result. Many think that ALL FATS ARE BAD. This is simply untrue!!!
Cutting all fat from your or your bird's diet can cause illness. If you truly know and understand Fatty Acids, skip
this section. Otherwise, I'd recommend taking a few moments to read what I've written here. I've tried to present
Fatty Acids in layman's terms so that it makes sense to the nonScientist. I hope that after reading about Fatty Acids
you will see how important the right Fatty Acids are for optimal health and nutrition.
What are Fatty Acids?
Fatty Acids are basically what their name says - fats which are also acids. They are
long chain fats (hydrocarbons) with an acidic group (carboxyl) on one end. The long chain makes them lipophilic
(fat loving) while the acid group makes them water loving (hydrophyllic). In a modified form, this unique
chemical property makes fatty acids perfect to use in cell membranes where they can stack up, facing their acidic ends towards
water and their fatty ends next to each other, forming what is termed a lipid bilayer or cell membrane. Fatty Acids
are critical for cell membrane structural integrity and health.
Fatty Acids are involved in a number of cellular processes other than cell membrane structure.
They regulate immune responses, affect mood and behavior, modulate inflammation, participate in cellular signaling and
are even involved in regulating DNA. Looks like we should pay some attention to these Fatty Acids, don't you think?
Understanding EFAs
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are oils needed to maintain health. There are
two types of EFAs, Omega 3 and Omega 6.
Two fatty acids, Alpha Linolenic (Omega 3) and Linoleic
(Omega 6), cannot be synthesized and therefore must be consumed in the diet. They are termed:
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)
Two EFAs (linolenic and linoleic) are the starting point for all other Fatty Acid biosynthesis.
In the body, the EFAs are converted into yet other important Fatty Acids or combined with other chemicals to make
all the fats that the body might need. Therefore, it is critical to be sure your birds get enough of these two
EFAs in their diet.
Low levels of EFAs or an imbalance of EFAs has been suggested to cause disease states in humans.
It's quite likely that the same thing holds true in birds as well.
Sources of EFAs include fish, oils, nuts and green leafy vegetables.
Right now, the exact optimal ratio of EFAs is unclear in humans, and NOBODY knows what it
should be in birds. In humans, some suggest 5:1 or 10:1 (omega 6:omega 3) while other say these two EFAs should
be consumed in equal proportions. While the exact ratio of EFAs is still not clear, most people are eating a very
skewed ratio - 14:1 to as high as 20:1. In other words, people are not eating enough Omega 3 Fatty Acid in the form
of Alpha Linoleic Acid. Flaxseed oil is the single best source of Alpha Linoleic Acid.
What do Fatty Acids Look Like?
Ok, don't get scared here.... Chemically speaking, fatty acids are long chain
aliphatic hydrocarbons, beginning with a carboxyl (acidic) group and terminating with a methyl (nonacidic) group. Fatty
Acids may contain double carbon-carbon bonds at various locations along the long chain hydrocarbon.
Huh? What are double bonds?
In simple terms, Fatty Acids may have special bonds (double bonds) within
the fatty portion of the molecule. It is the combination of the location of these special double bonds and the
length of the fatty chain that not only give the fatty acid it's name, but also determine it's chemical and cellular properties.
THESE DOUBLE BONDS ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. THEY ARE WHY SOME FATS ARE GOOD
FOR YOU AND OTHERS ARE EXTREMELY EVIL!!! It's really really important to understand this aspect of Fatty Acids
so you can sort through them when making decisions about what to feed your birds and yourself.
A Fat by Any Other Name...
DIFFERENT names may apply to the EXACT same Fatty Acid.
| Essential Fatty Acids |
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| Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA), an Omega 3 and Linoleic Acid, an Omega 6 Fatty Acid |
Figure Description: Shown
above are the EFAs Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA), classifed as an Omega 3 Fatty Acid; and Linoleic Acid, classified as an Omega
6 Fatty Acid. Both of the above Fatty Acid molecules are 18 carbon atoms long. Another way to describe
them is by the number of carbon atoms to the number of double bonds. So ALA is an 18:3 fatty acid, where 18 means it
has eighteen carbons and 3 means it has three double bounds. Linoleic Acid is an 18:2 fatty acid.
Carbons are shown as red dots. Double bond locations are shown as two parallel
black lines. The carboxyl (acidic) group is on the left (contains two oxygens - O and HO). The long
chain fatty group goes to the right of the carboxyl (acidic) group, terminating in a methyl group. Hydrogen atoms
are not show.
The Fatty Acid name depends upon which end of the molecule you start counting carbons from. Chemists
begin on the left at the carboxyl (acidic) end (termed Alpha after the first letter in the Greek alphabet).
In the above diagram, I've counted the key Carbon atoms across the bottom from
left to right in yellow text as per how a Chemist would see this molecule, beginning with the Alpha 1 carbon on
the left. Meanwhile, Nutritionists begin counting from the right, starting at the terminal methyl
group (the Omega or last carbon). I've counted the most important carbon atoms for the Omega naming method in
orange across the top of each EFA, going from right to left.
Again, depending upon which end you count from, determines the name the molecule
is given. This is why Fatty Acids may have TWO names. Alpha Linolenic Acid is the classic example.
It can be sold as ALA and also as an Omega 3 Fatty Acid. It may also be shown simply as 18:3. Sometimes
it's just called an Essential Fatty Acid (EFA). It's the exact same thing no matter what you call it.
Fatty Acids are classified as Omega 3 if they have a double bond between the third
and fourth carbon atoms. Omega 6 fatty acids are missing this double bond.
Notice that ALA has three double bonds whereas Linoleic Acid has two
double bonds and is missing the double bond at the Omega 3 position. That is why Linoleic acid is an Omega 6 EFA but
not an Omega 3 EFA - it's missing the first double bond. Linoleic Acid is therefore more saturated (or less unsaturated)
when compared to ALA since it has one less double bond.
NOTE: By convention and determined by an
international committee called the IUPAC, chemical molecules are named in the confusing jumble that we've all come to
read on ingredients lists. Believe it or not, this reduces confusion so that all chemists know they are talking about
the exact same chemical, even if the name is alphabet soup to us. Chemical names are akin to Latin or taxonomic
nomenclature (the binomial system that uses Genus & species) in plants and animals. There may
be many Bellbirds by common name, but there is only ONE Anthornis melanura (New Zealand's Bellbird) or Procnias
tricarunculata (Three-Wattled Bellbird of South America). While official names can sometimes be very
unwieldy for chemicals or species, they are necessary to prevent confusion. Don't be intimidated
by fancy names!!!
Saturated
Unsaturated Monounsaturated Polyunsaturated
Trans Fats
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
Polyunsaturated>Monounsaturated>Saturated
Un/Mono/Polysaturated = Good
Saturated & Trans = Bad
Fats with no double bonds are called Saturated. Fats with some double bonds
are called Unsaturated. The more double bonds a fatty acid has, the more unsaturated it is. If a Fatty Acid has
one double bond, it is called mono-unsaturated. If a Fatty Acid has two or more double bonds, it is called Polyunsaturated.
Again, If it has NO DOUBLE BONDS, is it called Saturated fat. A special process called HYDROGENATION is used to
make Crisco and Margarine. Most hydrogenated fats are saturated (they have no double bonds). Or worse yet,
the double bonds they have are of a bad type called TRANS FATS. (EFAs have a double bound that is called CIS.
There's a whole world of difference between a Cis and Trans double bond. You don't want Trans fats, period!!!)
WARNING: Most Trans fats are not natural
fats and are found primarily in hydrogenated (manmade) and partially hydrogenated fats such as Crisco and margarine;
but they can also be found in animal products (milk, butter, lard, animal fat). Modern thinking is now blaming trans
fats for a whole host of health woes. They are believed to skew body fat ratios so that there is too much bad fat
and too little good fat. Trans fats are the WORST possible sort of fat you can feed yourself or your birds!!!
NOTE: Crackers, cereals, mayonnaise, shortening,
doughnuts, cookies - particularly cream-filled like Oreos, chips, fried foods, cake, etc are all major additional sources
of trans fatty acids. These should not be fed to your birds. If you do use crackers or cereals as a base for egg
food, READ THE LABEL to be sure you are not feeding them trans fats!
How Do I Know if the Product has TRANS FATS?
| Trans Fat Labeling |
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| Canola Oil label showing total fat including Trans Fat. |
If you see the words HYDROGENATED or PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OILS - put
the product back on the shelf!!! Also, for human grade foods, the FDA now requires that Trans Fats be listed separately,
with their own line and the amount (in grams) of Trans Fat in the product. So there's really no excuse to purchase these
products without knowing it.
READ LABELS & INGREDIENTS!!!
Believe it or not, a product can STILL contain
Trans Fats and not be labeled as such. This happens if it has less than 0.5 grams Trans Fats per serving. SOOooooo....
don't just trust the breakdown on the label - READ THE INGREDIENTS LIST!!! If it has partially hydrogenated vegetable
oil, it MUST be listed in the ingredients.
Saturated Fat
Rule of Thumb
Another thing worth knowing about fats and double bonds: as a general rule,
the more double bonds a fat has, the higher probability it will be a liquid at room temperature. Vegetable shortening,
margarine, most animal fats and butter are all solid at room temperature. That means they have no or very
few double bonds (saturated). Which also means they are BAD for you. Manmade hydrogenated fats are the WORST
(Crisco, margarine etc) as they may contain trans fatty acids. Even partially hydrogenated fats are a major no-no
since they definitely contain trans fats. Next comes tropical oils such as coconut oil and palm oil and chicken
fat which still have a lot of saturated fats and are viscous (thick) at room temperature. When placed into
the refrigerator, these oils will solidify - a handy technique I use when making chicken soup. Finally, oils such
as olive, canola, flaxseed etc are liquids at both room and refrigerated temperatures. These oils are mostly unsaturated
and polyunsaturated, and therefore they are just better.
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