September 15, 2022 general

Whether or not that term is in an insult depends on who says it and the context. Maybe when it is hurled at a person viewed as arrogant (e.g. a person who thinks they better censor the news you see because they are smarter than you are) like the one above, maybe it is meant to offend. Sometimes a fat head photo again like the one above (maybe seen in a neighborhood flier or work newsletter) or a comically narrow head may just mean that the editor doesn’t know how “aspect ratio” works in their word processor. On the other hand, if the person saying “fat head” understands physiology, they might mean it as a compliment because the brain is about 60% fat. Even more surprising is that 20% of the cholesterol in the body is in the brain. (Note, poor maligned cholesterol is also what the body uses to make lifesaving vitamin D.)

Back in the 1970’s, inspired by the US Department of Agriculture’s ill-conceived and lobbyist-promoted food pyramid, dietary fat became the enemy. The bureaucrats (who were eager to promote the farming and processing of grains) threw avocados, nuts, fatty fish, and a lot of other great foods into the dietetic trash heap. The marketplace was then flooded with fat-free over-processed, high-carb junk food.

Had the so-called authorities cared to look at the science, they would have known that starting while we are still in the womb, certain fatty acids are required for proper brain development and maintenance. Fats are also important for eye development and eye health, cardiovascular health, skin health, and immune function as well as prevention of cancer, obesity, asthma, fatty liver, osteoporosis, diabetes, arthritis, and depression. These wonderful fats also help with any health condition where inflammation is involved—which might just be ALL of them. Omega-3’s also help with better sleep and resolving addictions including the smoking habit. Read an enlightening article published in the digital magazine, Agist. In it, author Corinna Bellizzi (a recent HBN guest) discusses how  omega-3’s helped her stop smoking and go from her being short of breath from just going upstairs to becoming a marathoner.

There are other beneficial fats such as omega-9 the monounsaturated fats in olive oil. But few have the scientific pedigree that omega-3’s have. (Today a search of the PubMed.org database for that term returns over 34,000 results.) The body cannot make the EPA and DHA components in omega-3 and so we must get them from diet or supplements.

Also, keeping the various fats in balance is crucial, because for example, omega-6 fats to a large extent have the opposite effects from omea-3. Historically, humans got about equal amounts of 3 and 6, but now, due to the abundance of processed foods, and reduced intake of cold-water fish and other omega-3 sources, we typically consume on average 15 times more 6 than 3. For more information on the crucial balance of omegas 3 and 6, see this journal article by Dr. Artemis Simopoulos, a renowned researcher and author who was also an HBN guest in years past. Reducing omega-6 helps some. One cardiology journal stated that replacing corn oil with olive oil and canola oil to reach an 4:1 omega-6/omega-3 ratio led to a 70 percent decrease in total mortality.

Long story short, we need get more omega-3 fats to balance the modern diet. Because of pollution of the oceans and the increase of farm-raised seafood, eating a lot of fish may no longer be such a great option. Supplementation makes sense. Next question…what supplement? The very best source I have found is Örlö Nutrition. It is absorbed 3 times better than fish oil or krill! It is an exceptionally clean vegan source because Örlö grows the same microalgae (plant) source from which fish get their omega-3. (No fishy burps!) It is also important to me and the planet that their space-age production is environment-friendly, sustainable and does not place any strain on the world’s fish populations. It is even better than carbon-neutral, it is carbon negative.

Örlö Nutrition has generously created a 10% discount code for HBN listeners. Enter the code HBN10 on the Orlo website or when ordering at 833-675-6669.