Getting to The Heart of The Matter

Your heart knows that not all fats are bad. Omega-3 fatty acids in particular are often associated with improved cardiovascular health, including warding off heart attacks and stroke, as well as many other benefits.

Over the last 30 years, the public increasingly has become aware that excessive fat consumption is bad for one's health. Those who consume too much fat are at risk for cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and stroke, and for developing such degenerative diseases as cancer, atherosclerosis, adult-onset diabetes and chronic inflammatory diseases.

However, fats are not all bad. The challenge lies in consuming an appropriate ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, and the fact is, Americans, on average, consume 10 to 20 times too much omega-6 fatty acids. Conversely, the reason that flax and fish oil are popular is because the omega-3 fatty acids found in these oils prevent and treat a wide range of degenerative diseases by favorably influencing the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids.

There is a remaining problem, however: Fish and flax oil, traditional sources of omega-3 fatty acids, can cause gastrointestinal side effects.

But there is good news to report. A new source of essential fatty acids, perilla oil, is showing greater health benefits without gastrointestinal side effects. Recent research suggests that perilla oil inhibits abnormal blood clotting, alleviates chronic inflammation, prevents certain types of arrhythmia, maintains cardiac cell energy output and preserves youthful cell membrane structure. It has even been shown to lengthen survival time of lab animals by 10 to 15 percent, compared with safflower oil, which is low in omega-3 fatty acids.

Here is a key point, since diseases of the heart are the number-one killer of Americans each and every year: Scientific studies show that alpha-linolenic acid reduces the incidence of stroke and second heart attacks, as well as breast and colon cancer. One study showed a 70-percent reduction in second heart attacks in those consuming this type of fatty acid. In addition, it works fast.

Perilla oil contains an abundance of alpha-linolenic acid-an omega-3 fatty acid-that humans require to sustain life. A review of the scientific literature indicates that perilla oil which comes from the beefsteak plant (Perilla frutescens) and is relatively common in East Asian countries-may be superior to other oils, and is tolerable by virtually everyone.

Sudden cardiac death due to ventricular tachyarrhythmia (irregular heart rhythms) is a leading cause of death in industrialized countries, and its prevention remains an unsolved problem. The mechanisms that trigger these arrhythmias are not completely understood. Whereas pharmacotherapy has been successful in other major causes of cardiovascular mortality, antiarrhythmic drugs have a disappointing record in the treatment of arrhythmias.

Most adults at risk of sudden cardiac death in industrialized societies suffer from atherogenic dyslipidemias-abnormal lipid levels-and coronary heart disease. Unlike symptom-suppressive antiarrhythmic therapy, interventions that target pathogenic mechanisms of dyslipidemia may prevent the generation of arrhythmogenic cells.

Atherogenic dyslipidemias have been shown to be associated with a systemic proinflammatory, pro-thrombotic state manifested by elevated levels of white blood cells, platelet activation, an increase of inflammatory cytokines, increased levels of adhesion molecules (integrins, selectins) and raised hemostatic (clotting) factors. The actions of these increased non-specific effectors of inflammation are interrelated. It has been suggested that the proinflammatory, pro-thrombotic state of hyperlipidemia-a general term for elevated concentration of any or all of the lipids in the plasma-is induced by modified or oxidized lipids such as phospholipids acting through the platelet-activating factor receptors, leukotrienes and oxysterols.

Fish oil has been popular because studies show that those who consume cold-water fish in their diets have dramatically lower risks of coronary artery disease. In addition, fish oil has been specifically shown to inhibit abnormal platelet aggregation in laboratory studies, and it is by this mechanism that fish oil prevents both heart attack and thrombotic stroke. However, perilla oil has been shown in one recent study to be superior to fish oil in reducing platelet aggregation, and was shown not to increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke in rats.

In that study, rats were fed either a high linoleic safflower oil diet, a high alpha-linolenic perilla oil diet, an EPA (fish oil)-supplemented, or a DHA (fish oil)-supplemented safflower oil diet for four to five weeks. It was reported, "...The efficacies to reduce leukotriene B4 synthesis in calcium ionophore-stimulated neutrophils were the highest in the high alpha-linolenic acid diet, followed by the EPA diet and then the DHA diet. A significant reduction of platelet activating factor synthesis was observed in the high alpha-linolenic acid group, but not in the EPA nor the DHA groups, as compared with the high linoleic acid group." By limiting the synthesis of PAF and LTB4, a diet high in alpha-linolenic acid may help to control the proinflammatory, pro-thrombotic state associated with irregular heart rhythms and sudden cardiac death.

There is a general consensus that serum cholesterol is the major risk factor for the development of coronary heart disease, but this consensus may not be correct. Recently, the results of the 25-year follow-up study on plasma cholesterol and coronary heart disease mortality in seven countries were summarized. In northern Europe and the United States, the mortality rose with increased plasma total cholesterol, but such a relationship was not apparent in Japan. A similar difference was seen comparing data from the Mediterranean area and Northern Europe at 250 mg/dL cholesterol. There was an eight-fold difference in coronary heart disease mortality between West Scotland and Catalonia in Spain, without significant differences in blood cholesterol concentration.

These observations clearly indicate that, while plasma cholesterol is one of the risk factors for coronary heart disease, other factors can be more important. It is now becoming obvious that Western diets contain too many of the artery-clogging saturated fats, and not enough friendly fats that provide the body with EPA and DHA.

Experimental studies suggest that an intake of 3 to 4 grams per day of alpha-linolenic acid is necessary to obtain the protective effect against coronary heart disease.

Stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats develop the highest blood pressure among available rat strains, and frequently die of intracranial hemorrhages. Using this animal model, it was recently shown that the survival time is significantly longer in groups fed fish oil or perilla oil, compared with groups fed rapeseed, soybean, safflower or evening primrose oil.

In a recent paper, scientists re-evaluated the possible adverse effects of excessive intake of dietary essential fatty acids by measuring in rats the proliferation of certain enzyme-rich bodies called peroxisomes, as well as mitochondrial enzyme activity and the incidence of intracranial hemorrhages. When the animals were fed diets containing either fish oil or perilla oil, DHA accumulated in phospholipids of the liver and heart in the fish oil group, but not in the perilla oil group.

Also, feeding a diet containing 15 percent by weight of fish oil induced a significant proliferation of peroxisomes compared with a safflower oil diet, but the proliferating activity of perilla oil was much less. And fish oil or perilla oil did not accelerate the onset of cerebral bleeding in stroke-prone hypertensive rats. The study's conclusion was that, although proliferating activity of peroxisomes by excessive intake of fish oils should be noticed, these results provide evidence that omega-3 enriched oils are safe under conditions applicable to human nutrition. (It is also known that antioxidants like green tea and vitamin E can protect against oxidative stress caused by fish oil.)

The healthy body requires large amounts of the fatty acids EPA and DHA, which are made from omega-3. Regrettably, the typical Western diet provides large amounts of linoleic acid (omega-6) that in high amounts contributes to most forms of degenerative disease. The bad saturated fatty acids and its metabolites compete with the beneficial fatty acids EPA and DHA and their metabolites.

In addition to their cardiovascular protective effects, the right kinds of fatty acids have a great deal to do with keeping your brain functioning healthily. It's interesting to note that 60 percent of your brain is comprised of fatty materials, and that the type of fat we put in our mouths has a profound influence on neurological function. For nerves to grow, they need essential fatty acids as a raw material. For nerves and neurons to function, they need essential fatty acids to facilitate the cell's energy cycle. It has been shown in animals that the region of the brain associated with memory can actually grow new nerve cells, but this can't happen if the body lacks the essential fatty acids to provide the structural raw material.

The neurological disorders that can be caused by fatty-acid deficiencies range from depression to paralysis, learning disabilities and almost certainly senility. Fatty acids actually starred in a recent movie, Lorenzo's Oil, where supplementation with a specific fatty acid saved the life of a young boy who faced certain death.

In the introduction to his 1997 book, Smart Fats, Dr. Jeffery Bland describes the many mechanisms by which fats influence how our brain operates. Bland states that fats and oils affect: 1) learning, memory and mental intelligence; 2) mood, behavior and emotional intelligence; and 3) movement, sensation and physical intelligence (motor-neural control).

While the impact of aging on the brain is most evident, the role of chronic inflammation in aging-related diseases in general is becoming more evident, as studies show that Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis, valvular disease and even some cancers are mediated by inflammatory processes. Aging causes an inflammatory condition throughout the body, and essential fatty acids suppress chronic inflammation via well-defined mechanisms.

Those who take large amounts of anti-inflammatory drugs have lower rates of some aging-related diseases, but the dangerous side effects of these drugs preclude their everyday use. Essential fatty acids may provide the same protection as anti-inflammatory drugs without the side effects.

Prostaglandins are hormone-like chemicals formed in our bodies that produce both beneficial and harmful effects. Prostaglandin E2 is formed from an excess of a saturated fatty acid and promotes inflammatory processes. The consumption of the essential fatty acid found in perilla oil, alpha-linolenic acid, promotes the production of prostaglandin E3, which counteracts the production of the pro-inflammatory prostaglandin E2.

Tumor cells enriched with too much of the bad fatty acids often produce larger amounts of prostaglandin E2 which, in turn, suppress the host immune system and allow tumor cells to elude the host's defense system. The type of cancer cell dictates whether prostaglandin E2 production affects tumor cell proliferation.

Omega-3 essential fatty acids reduce production of the dangerous prostaglandin E2, and this in itself is a good reason for everyone to maintain proper fatty acid balance in the body.

The persistent overproduction of inflammatory products derived from bad fats may stimulate the proliferation of mutated cells, leading to an increased incidence of cancer. It was recently shown that both spontaneous breast tumorigenesis and chemical carcinogenesis in the breast, colon, rectum and prostate of rodents are better suppressed by dietary perilla seed oil, as compared with safflower oil. Soybean oil stimulated these cancers under the conditions examined. Perilla oil-derived fatty acids thus inhibit carcinogenesis, whereas excess linoleic acid from saturated fat are stimulatory.

Numerous human studies confirm that omega-3 essential fatty acids are effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases. Autoimmune diseases also are a culprit in neurological diseases that involve the destruction of the myelin sheath.

A large number of peer-reviewed publications from around the world have established the utility of dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids in treating several chronic disease states. The key is providing the body with sufficient amounts of alpha-linolenic acid, as found in perilla oil, which then converts to the beneficial EPA and DHA fatty acids.

The unique benefits of
Perilla Oil

The scientific literature supports the use of perilla oil as part of a diet to improve essential fatty-acid metabolism throughout the body. The following summaries represent some of these studies:

Cardiovascular Protection

Platelet-activating factor is a major cause of arterial blood clots that cause heart attacks and strokes, and are the leading cause of death in the West. Perilla oil was shown to decrease PAF by 50 percent in rats, compared with the administration of safflower oil. Journal of Lipid Mediators and Cell Signaling (Netherlands), 1997, 17/3 (207-220).

The effects of a perilla oil on nutritional status and the production of thromboxane A2, a significant cause of abnormal blood-clot formation, were compared with those of soybean oil in diabetic rats. After only seven days, perilla oil improved body-weight gain and nitrogen balance and reduced inflammatory cytokine formation and thromboxane A2 production by platelets. Perilla oil improved the overall nutritional state of these diabetic rats. Nutrition (USA), 1995, 11/5 (450-455).

Neurological Benefits

Rats fed either a safflower oil or a perilla oil diet through two generations showed significant differences in the brightness-discrimination learning task. The inferior learning performance in the safflower oil group was caused mainly by the inferior ability to rectify the incorrect responses through the learning sessions. In the safflower oil group after the learning task, the average densities of synaptic vesicles in the terminals of the hippocampus region were decreased by nearly 30 percent, as compared with those in the perilla oil group. These results suggest that dietary oil-induced structural changes in synapses in the hippocampus of rats and that these changes are related to the differential in learning performance. Journal of Neurochemistry (USA), 1997, 68/3 (1261-1268).

Rats through two generations were fed diets supplemented with safflower seed oil or with perilla seed oil, or a conventional laboratory chow. Brightness-discrimination learning ability was determined to be the highest in the perilla oil-fed group, followed by the normal group, and then by the safflower group, extending previous observations in a different strain of rat that the fatty acid found in perilla oil is a factor in maintaining high learning ability. J. Lipid Research (USA), 1988, 29/8 (1013-1021).

Cancer Protection

The effects of a diet supplemented with perilla oil, soybean and safflower oil were investigated in female rats. The numbers of mammary tumors per rat were significantly lower in rats given a perilla-oil diet than those given the soybean-oil diet. Further, colon tumor incidence was significantly lower in animals receiving the perilla-oil supplement than in those given safflower-oil diet, and the numbers of colon tumors per rat tended to be lowest in rats administered perilla oil. Also the incidence of kidney cancers in rats receiving a perilla oil diet was significantly lower than that for the soybean oil diet group. Carcinogenesis (United Kingdom), 1990, 11/5 (731-735).

The inhibitory effect of dietary perilla oil against colon carcinogenesis was investigated in rats. The incidence of colon cancer was significantly lower in perilla oil fed rats than in other dietary groups. When examined at week 10, a marker of tumor promotion was significantly lower in perilla oil-fed group than in other groups. The results suggest that the anti-tumor-promoting effect of perilla oil was a result of a decreased sensitivity of colonic mucosa to tumor promoters. Japanese J. Cancer Res. (Japan), 1991, 82/10 (1089-1096).

Fighting Obesity

Mice fed a high-fat diet develop elevated blood glucose and obesity. A study investigated the effects of seven different dietary oils on glucose metabolism: palm oil, lard oil, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, perilla oil, and tuna fish oil. All the mice received a high-fat diet (60 percent of total calories). After 19 weeks of feeding, body weight and serum glucose levels were significantly greater in the soybean, palm, lard, and rapeseed groups, compared with the perilla and fish oil groups. Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental (USA), 1996, 45/12 (1539-1546).

Anti-Aging Effects

The fatty acids found in perilla oil might prevent the chronic diseases of aging. The general behavioral patterns of rats or mice fed safflower oil were impaired, compared with the perilla oil group. Also, learning ability and retinal function were higher in the perilla group compared with the group fed soybean or safflower oil. Perilla oil has been found to be beneficial for the suppression of carcinogenesis, allergic hyperreactivity, thrombotic tendency, apoplexy, hypertension and aging in animals, as compared with soybean oil and safflower oil. Animal experiments and studies on diseases in humans led to a recommendation that the intake of omega-6 fatty acids should be decreased, and that essential fatty acids found in perilla oil (omega-3) should be increased for the prevention of chronic diseases prevailing in the industrialized countries. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med.(USA), 1992, 200/2 (174-176).

Anti-Inflammatory

A wide range of inflammatory bowel diseases, such as colitis and Crohn's disease, can be suppressed by essential fatty-acid supplementation. Fish oil has been specifically shown to be beneficial in treating differing forms of colitis, but many people cannot take high doses of fish oil on a consistent basis. Perilla oil was specifically shown to protect against the mucosal damage in the linings of the intestines that is normally induced by the production of leukotrienes, a compound whose presence is indicative of the level of inflammation and allergic reactions. Pediatric Research (USA), 1997, 42/6 (835-839).

Fighting Allergies

Mice were fed for two months diets containing safflower seed oil or perilla seed oil. The results showed that higher amounts of perilla oil suppressed the effects of lipid-derived allergic mediators. This supports the hypothesis that increasing the fatty acids found in perilla oil would be effective in reducing the severity of immediate-type allergic hypersensitivity. J. Nutr. (USA), 1994, 124/9 (1566-1573).

Those using fish or flax oil may consider switching to perilla oil. The daily intake of six 1,000-mg capsules of stabilized perilla oil capsules provides 3.3 grams of the essential omega-3 oil, alpha-linolenic acid.

Unlike fish oil, perilla oil does not cause digestive upset, even when large amounts are consumed. The low cost of perilla oil compared with fish oil makes this new source of essential fatty acids a price bargain.

It is important to remember that dietary fiber can absorb both good and bad fatty acids. Therefore, always take your essential fatty acid oils at a different time than fiber. And remember that fatty acids require co-dependent nutrients such as magnesium, zinc, vitamin B6, vitamin B3 and vitamin C for proper metabolic regulation in the body.