Vaccenic Acid – A Good Trans-Fat
According to recent research coming from the University of Alberta, Vaccenic Acid, an Omega-7 trans-fat found in dairy and beef may actually be good for you. The researchers found that Vaccenic Acid can "reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Rats which were fed Vaccenic Acid lowered their Total Cholesterol by 30 percent, LDL by 25 percent, and Triglycerides by more than 50 percent. The way Vaccenic Acid works is by reducing the production of fat and cholesterol particles called Chylomicrons, which form in the small intestine after a meal."This reminds me of my earlier post on Saturated Fats Having an Immediate Effect on the Blood. That post and finding argued that after eating the Chylomicrons immediately form and are traceable in blood tests. However this finding related to VA suggests that if those saturated fats are in fact found along with the trans-fat Vaccenic Acid then the formations do not as readily occur. This could explain why it has recently been shown that high-protein foods and whole milk / dairy produce favorable metabolic effects in people. In fact your risk for Metabolic Syndrome actually increase 56 percent when dairy is not part of your daily diet. Of course this makes you wonder if you can actually replace dairy for VA supplements… but that, however, is a different topic.
Source
- Best Life, Aug 2008
- The Journal of Nutrition
http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/138/11/2117 - University of Alberta
http://www.ales.ualberta.ca/afns/news.cfm?story=75846
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