Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids:
Are These Common Fats Killing You?

Medium Chain Fatty Acids: The Fats of Life

Frail PUFAs

The chemical structure of polyunsaturated fats, or fats composed predominantly of poly-unsaturated fatty acids, are extremely fragile. It doesn't take much heat, light or oxygen for polyunsaturated vegetable oils to oxidize (get rancid) and produce harmful free radicals.

Free-Radical Promoters

Because they decompose quickly, polyunsaturated vegetable oils like soybean and safflower oils drain your body's antioxidant reserves, the main weapon against excessive free-radical formation. Arthritis, kidney stones, asthma, Alzheimer's disease, and countless more are all associated with free-radical degeneration.

Since free radicals encourage acidity inside your body, therefore, polyunsaturated fats have an overall acidic effect. Disease and illness thrive in an acidic environment. No nutritionist will say otherwise.

In the 1940s, chemical toxins were used to restrict the thyroid function of pigs to fatten them while eating less food. But when it was found to cause cancer, they used PUFAs in the form of soybeans and corn instead, which had the same "anti-thyroid" effect.

Cancer Risk

There is no shortage of studies that show polyunsaturated oils advance cancer by generating huge amounts of free radicals that assault your cells' DNA.

Vision Loss

Studies have demonstrated that PUFA consumption is identified with macular degeneration. Those who eat polyunsaturated vegetable oils double their risk of suffering from the disease than those who don't.

Arterial Disease

Your body converts polyunsaturated fats into prostaglandins, a hormonlike substance that increases your body's response to inflammation, narrows blood vessels, and intensifies blood clotting. All these factors build up your blood pressure and promote atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).

MCFA-rich Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is 92 percent saturated and 67 percent medium chain fatty acids (MCFA). These unique saturated fatty acids are extraordinarily resistant to oxidation (getting rancid) and free-radical production. So stable, coconut oil acts as an antioxidant.

Saturated fatty acids abundant in coconut oil don't promote macular degeneration, as well as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and numerous other diseases linked to free radical destruction. MCFA-packed coconut oil even helps prevent them, big time!

There is a high probability that the fats in the foods you eat are largely made of PUFAs. This is especially true if you're on a typical American diet.

So, based from the above truths, are polyunsaturated fatty acids killing you softly? You be the judge.