Nuts cause inflammation??

Hi Everyone,

It's been a while since I've posted as my atrial fib has been quiet now for 5 months (thanks to the wonderful people at this website), and I'm off exploring other health issues--namely chronic insomnia.

My doctor has me on a 5 day low carb rotation diet and wants me to eat protein snacks or at least snacks with almost no carbs. I've always heard that nuts (high in fats but low in carbs) are a heart-healthy snack because they reduce inflammation, so I've been eating a variety of nuts everyday for my snacks.

Today I came across several articles that say just the opposite. They state that nuts are extremely high in omega 6 fats and cause harmful inflammation. I was shocked!! Is this true? Has the nut industry sold us a lie?

I stopped eating nuts today and am at a loss as to what healthy snack I can eat to replace them. Would love to hear what others snack on.

Thanks much for your help.
Windstar (Nancy M)

Nut varieties vary wildly in their types of fats. For definitive info, best to visit the USDA "Nutrient Database". You will find every fat component (gms per 100 gms etc) for every common nut. Warning: you will go blind!

To identify the fats listed as Omega 6 or Omega 3 etc, you may need to flick across to Wikipedia to see what fat's what, since the USDA tables don't simply identify them that way.

And then even when you've clarified which nuts have what, what next? No-one knows for sure which combination of fat types is best - tho' it sure is an interesting question, and there's bound to be a more-or-less definitive "right" answer waiting out there, which will reflect closely our millions of years of adaptation to particular diets (the "Palaeo" concept), and which greatly influences our health.

Certainly, as an example, walnuts are very high in a "primitive" type of omega 3, and definitely low in omega 6. But things are a lot more complicated than just eating walnuts all day.

Nancy - if you snack on nuts which have varying amounts of Omega 3/6 ratios, then add 4 - 6 grams daily of a Pharmaceutical Grade Omega 3 fish oil, most likely you will not have to worry about the Omega 6 to 3 ratio. Remember that almonds are a good source of magnesium so offer an additional benefit.

Remember that nuts should be eaten raw and not processed in any way.
I eat almonds as a source of magnesium, but my High Sensitivity C-reactive protein measures less than one because I also take between 4 and 6 grams of Omega 3 fish oils along with extra DHA.

There are two excellent reference books that offer reliable information on healthy fats and I'm sure you can get them at your library..

Barry Sears, PhD - The Anti-Inflammatory Zone or his original The Zone Diet book.
Udo Urazmus, PhD - Fats that Heal - Fats that Kill.

You can also find reliable research at the Weston Price Foundation... look for articles by fat/oil expert, Mary Enig, PhD.


Dr. Sears says

We should test for Arachidonic Acid. Be sure the ratio is low compared to EPA.

He says – use fish oil rather than eating fish. All fish are contaminated – they eat from the “sewer of the sea.”

Daily Dosing: Total EPA/DHA Omega 3 Fish oil.
2.5 grams for Wellness – Omega 3 and a TBS of cod liver oil
5 gms daily to improve heart function and if diabetic
7.5 grams – to reduce pain and inflammation
10 – 25 grams for neurological diseases.

Fish oil has no impact on Coumadin. He says studies up to 16 grams a day show anti-clotting action the same as 1 aspirin a day.
We must test for AA/EPA ratio…. which should be 1.5 and 3 respectively.

To use fish oils in elevated doses, it is important to do testing. This is not a guessing game. It will take 7 – 14 days to make a biochemical difference and this is a lifetime commitment…the taking of Omega 3 fish oils.

Borage oil is a toxic nutrient as it goes right to AA…the very thing we are trying to avoid.

Jackie

Thanks, Jackie, for your reply. I've decided that I will put raw nuts back in my diet as a snack, but I'll take one Carlson's Super DHA capsule every time I eat a handful of nuts. Fish oil doesn't seem to agree with me. According to Dr. Russell Blaylock, EPA can lower the immune system, and this seems to happen with me. I was always getting sick until I gave up fish oil and used Super DHA instead, which only has 100 mgs of EPA.

I was just reading an article by Dr. Mercola about saturated fats, and he prefers krill oil to regular fish oil. What do others think of krill oil?

Windstar (Nancy M)

There are many doubts about EXACTLY what humans are optimally evolved to consume (ie, EXACTLY what different groups of humans consumed. in EXACTLY what quantities), but a few things are for sure. One of them: no-one ate krill! But that's not to say that krill oil may not be closeish in composition to something we did need. But there must be more logical ways of getting it?

Nancy - On Krill... I've tried several brands but I was turned off by the 'fishy' odor in the bottle. If it were an Omega 3, I'd say the bottle was oxidized or rancid; however, I've not read a similar caveat for Krill. I just threw them out and decided Krill while may be the current rage, I've always done very well with a pharmaceutical grade Omega 3's to which I add additional DHA for the brain benefits.
Jackie