Omega 6 Asthma Triggers also Clog Arteries

Omega-6 Fat Research News & Commentary: Asthma Triggering Compounds from Omega-6 Fat Create Clogged Arteries

Asthma Triggering Compounds from Omega-6 Fat Create Clogged Arteries

Bottomline: Excellent review paper, which describes how the potent inflammatory compounds, which trigger asthma, also damage arteries, via the leukotrienes generated from the omega-6 fat, arachidonic acid. Cardiovasc Drugs Ther. 2008 Oct 24. [Epub ahead of print]

Summary: This review paper describes the accumulating body of evidence, demonstrating how leukotrienes, the powerful group of eicosanoids, infamous for damaging lungs and triggering asthma, are also involved in heart disease. The key stages of arterial damage are described, beginning with irritation of the blood vessels linings, resulting in plaque accumulation and ultimately the potentially deadly rupture of the plaque (as depicted above).

Omega-6 & 3 Impact Your Inflammation Gene Machine

Omega-6 Fat Research News & Commentary: Dietary Fats Omega-6 and Omega-3: Impact Your Inflammation Gene Machine

Dietary Fats Omega-6 and Omega-3: Impact Your Inflammation Gene Machine

Bottomline: The first human study shows that modifying diet changes the cellular levels of omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which directly impact inflammation genes. J Biol Chem. 2009 Jun 5;284(23):15400-7.

Background: Inflammatory diseases are on the rise. It is estimated that within the next two decades, more than one in three Americans will have an inflammatory disease, which include heart disease, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. Many scientists believe this upward trend is due to the dramatic rise in dietary omega-6 polyunsaturated fats, which outnumber omega-3 fats, by 10 to 1, in the typical American diet. In contrast, our hunter-gatherer ancestors consumed an estimated one-to-one balance of these fats.

Studies indicated that eating excess dietary omega-6 fat, increases the omega-6 derived eicosanoids, (which include leukotrienes); which in turn, may lead to a systemic pro-inflammatory state in the body. For example, when the LOX enzyme acts on the omega-6 fatty acid, arachidonic acid, it creates the potent leukotriene, LTB4, (which is the compound implicated in asthma and atherosclerosis). Yet, if this enzyme acts on the omega-3 fatty acid, EPA, it creates leukotriene compounds that are 10 to 100-fold less potent.

Additionally, animal studies indicate that polyunsaturated fatty acids modulate the genes effecting inflammation. But whether that holds true for people, has been unknown, until this study.

Adrenal cortex and asthma - 180 Degree Health:

180 Degree Health: Adrenal cortex and asthma

Extract:

Knowing the basics about carbon dioxide – its role as a powerful anti-stress substance in the body, and also something that, when exiting the body at a rapid rate, triggers an asthma attack, I found this all quite interesting. Of course, I looked back with my own adventures with asthma to try to understand this mysterious asthma beast.

Asthma: NHS video animation