Saturated fats are healthy for you!

Let’s talk about saturated fatty acids (SFA).

Recently, I read this article which was very interesting:

“The Complex and Important Cellular and Metabolic Functions of Saturated Fatty Acids”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2974191/

The authors break down the distribution of fatty acids:

“SFA usually account for 30–40% of total FA in animal tissues, distributed in palmitic acid (15–25%), stearic acid (10–20%), myristic acid (0.5–1%), and lauric acid (less than 0.5%). Palmitic and stearic acids are universally found in natural fats. Lauric acid is specifically abundant in copra (39–54%) and palmist oils (44–51%).”

This is an interesting point they make:

“Apart from the dietary sources, it is well known that the body is capable of synthesizing SFA. Because of their multiple potential origins, it has been difficult to quantify the real importance of dietary SFA when compared with endogenous SFA, especially for palmitic acid.”

In order words, the body makes SFA from carbohydrates if you do not consume them. So, people who claim that SFA animal fats are bad do not understand that the body synthesizes them anyway. Do you really think that the body will make a substance that is toxic to itself?

The answer is simple: no! In other words, SFA is not bad! This would be absurd!

In addition, they state:

“Specific histone deacetylase inhibitors, like butyric acid, selectively induce cellular differentiation, growth arrest and apoptosis in a variety of cancer cells. Although contradictory effects have been reported, it seems that delivery of an adequate amount of butyrate to the appropriate site could protect against early tumorigenic events.”

“Second, the pro-apoptotic effect of non-esterified palmitate and stearate was shown to require acyl–CoA formation and NF-κB activation.”

“The description of this regulatory mechanism highlighted a new potential relationship between myristic acid, the saturated fatty acid capable of binding and activating the enzyme involved in the final de novo ceramide biosynthesis step, and lipoapoptosis induced through the ceramide pathway. Therefore, we subsequently hypothesized and showed that the myristoylation of recombinant DES 1 can target part of the enzyme to the mitochondria, leading to an increase in ceramide levels (specifically in the mitochondria) which in turn leads to apoptosis in the COS-7 cell model.”

This is technical but what they authors are saying is that SFA, like butyric acid, is protective of cancer. It can kill cancer cells!

Gut bacteria generate compounds, including one called butyrate, a short-chain of saturated fat.

Our resident microbes vary based on our environment and diet.

The diversity of microbes in our gut depends on what we put in our bodies. It depends on the food we ingest and the toxins that get into us via air, water, food, and vaccines.

But what causes those microbiome imbalances?

Bad quality food, junk food, GMO, grains, sugar, dairy products are a few factors.

Candida is also an important part of gut issues, along with parasitic infestations.

Sodium butyrate, made by our gut flora, has several properties. It can help to prevent diabetes and cancer. It supports a healthy immune system and therefore eliminates the presence of bad microbes in our gut. It also reduces inflammation. And we know that anxiety, depression, and several other neurological issues are caused by an excess of inflammation in the brain. So, butyrate is a natural antidepressant.

This study goes over the functions of butyrate:

“Butyrate: A Double-Edged Sword for Health?”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29438462/

“butyrate has received particular attention for its beneficial effects on intestinal homeostasis and energy metabolism. With anti-inflammatory properties, butyrate enhances intestinal barrier function and mucosal immunity.”

“Most micro-organisms prefer to ferment carbohydrates over proteins, so the concentrations of SCFAs (short-chain fatty acids, like butyrate) are highest in the proximal colon, where most substrates for fermentation are available, and decline towards the distal colon.”

“This includes polymorphonuclear neutrophils, indicating that SCFAs could be involved in the activation of leucocytes.”

In other words, this fatty acid can boost the immune system and fight infections.

“ Many of the anticancer activities of butyrate have been found to be mediated through HDAC inhibition, which includes inhibition of cell proliferation, induction of cell differentiation or apoptosis, and induction or repression of gene expression. In addition to acting as an antitumor agent, butyrate achieves the anti-inflammatory effects partly through HDAC inhibition as well.”

HDACs are enzymes that, when activated, can lead to cancer. Butyrate inhibits these enzymes and consequently inhibits cancer.

“Many studies have shown that butyrate can act as an anti-inflammatory agent.”

Yep, it reduces inflammation in the body!

“Butyrate is known to repair and enhance the barrier function of intestinal epithelial cells.”

“ For example, butyrate is capable of upregulating the expression of mucin 2 (MUC2), which is the most prominent mucin on the intestinal mucosal surface and can reinforce the mucous layer, leading to the enhanced protection against luminal pathogens.”

Butyrate is very important for the proper function and maintenance of the intestinal barrier. Without it, the gut tends to be “leaky.”

“Butyrate has been reported to improve glucose homeostasis in rodents. A recent study by Hong et al. showed that butyrate alleviates diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance in mice.”

Another interesting function of butyrate is that it helps with insulin resistance and glucose metabolism. There is some evidence that it can prevent diabetes.

“As a microbial metabolite, butyrate is capable of exerting its effects on host metabolism indirectly by acting through the gut-brain axis. For instance, butyrate can enhance the proportion of cholinergic enteric neurons via epigenetic mechanisms. Moreover, with an ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, butyrate activates the vagus nerve and hypothalamus, thus indirectly affecting host appetite and eating behavior. Some of the beneficial metabolic effects of butyrate are mediated through gluconeogenesis from the gut epithelium and through a gut-brain neural circuit to increase insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. For example, butyrate binds to its receptor in the intestinal cells and signals to the brain through the cAMP signaling pathway. More studies are needed to explore the impact of butyrate on glycolipid metabolism abnormalities and disease via the gut-brain axis.”

This is exciting because it supports the notion that the gut is the second brain. You fix the gut; it reflects on the brain. We know today that butyrate is a natural antidepressant.

How do we optimize our butyrate production by our gut microbes?

The key is to eat highly-fermentable fiber residues, such as those from resistant starch, oat bran, pectin, and guar, that are transformed by colonic bacteria into short-chain fatty acids, including butyrate, producing more SCFA than less fermentable fibers such as celluloses.

One study found that resistant starch consistently produces more butyrate than other types of dietary fiber. The production of SCFA from fibers in ruminant animals such as cattle is responsible for the butyrate content of milk and butter.

Fructans are another source of prebiotic soluble dietary fibers that can be digested to produce butyrate. They are often found in the soluble fibers of foods that are high in sulfur, such as allium and cruciferous vegetables.

Sources of fructans include wheat (although some wheat strains such as spelt contain lower amounts), rye, barley, onion, garlic, Jerusalem and globe artichoke, asparagus, beetroot, chicory, dandelion leaves, leek, radicchio, the white part of spring onions, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, fennel and prebiotics, such as fructooligosaccharides (FOS), oligofructose, and inulin.

Butter from grass-fed cows and kombucha also have a high amount of butyrate as well.

God bless y’all ??

Dr. Serge

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