Redressing Fatty Acid Deficiency

Redressing Fatty Acid Deficiency

If you go to any supermarket and peruse the ‘healthy options’ section for any product, you will find that the ‘healthy’ boast is usually predicated on the product’s low-fat, or even no-fat, credentials. Fat is the bete noire of the health enthusiast.

• Food manufacturers, keen to demonstrate their corporate concern for public health, have gone to great lengths to instill into the consumer psyche the belief that fat is heinous.

Read And Learn More: Health Problems And Dietary Solutions

• Only 1 percent fat! proclaims the packaging of something bland and bereft of nutritional value as well as fat. Despite assurances that these fatless foods are in fact ‘delicious’, our tastebuds suggest otherwise.
• Even so, we are prepared to sacrifice flavor in exchange for alleged health benefits. Time was when we judged a food by its smell, texture, and appearance of freshness, rather than its fat content per gram.
• No wonder, then, that fat deficiency figures on my list of major causes of common symptoms.

Fat Is Good

Fat may have a bad reputation, but its infamy is, on the whole, unjustified. It is one of the three important food groups (the other two being protein and carbohydrate), it is an essential component of your diet, and avoiding it will damage your health and eventually lead to serious complications.

• Of course, too much fat is not good for anyone, and people can and frequently do eat too much of it the same can be said for protein and carbohydrates. Fat is a complex issue.
• There are different types, with different functions. As we all know, fat is also totally delicious, and without it many dishes would not only leave us feeling hungry but also deprived of a pleasurable eating experience.

Dietary Fat

The main type of dietary fat is in the form of triglycerides. A triglyceride is a combination of three fatty acids attached to a unit of glycerol (which is half of a sugar molecule) and can be either solid (fat) or liquid (oil). A fatty acid is made up of a straight chain of carbon atoms.

• There are three main types of dietary fatty acids: saturated, hydrogenated, and unsaturated. They are classified according to how many hydrogen atoms are attached to the fat molecule. Foods tend to contain a variety of different fatty acids, but one type tends to dominate in each food.

Saturated Fatty Acids

• These fat molecules are called ‘saturated’ because all of the carbon atoms are saturated with hydrogen atoms. Being saturated with hydrogen makes them solid, or fairly solid, at room temperature (for example, butter).
• They are mostly found in animal products, but some are found in plant sources, such as coconut. They are natural substances that the body recognizes and can process.
• Sources include meat and meat products, especially red meat, cheese, and other dairy products such as cream and butter, lard, coconut oil, coconut cream, and palm oil.
• Although often vilified, saturated fatty acids are useful to the body, especially the nervous system. They are an important component of grey matter and nervous tissue.
• Myelin, the insulating outer sheath which coats the nerve, is made firm by saturated fats. Although readily available in our diet, the body can also synthesize saturated fat if required.

Hydrogenated and Trans Fatty Acids

• If any component of the modern diet genuinely deserves to be decried, castigated, and stripped of rank before being unceremoniously booed offstage, it is hydrogenated fat.
• Hydrogenation is the process by which the double bonds on polyunsaturated fatty acids are artificially saturated with hydrogen, to make them solid. Hydrogenation significantly alters the shape of the fat molecule, straightening out its natural kink, thereby changing it from what is called a cis formation to a transformation, a process that creates trans fatty acids.
• In this regard, hydrogenated fats are the evil twin of saturated, fats. Saturated fat has for too long unjustly taken the flak for the nefarious workings of its synthetic sibling.
• This fudging has meant that nutritionists have been distracted from the food industry’s practice of merrily but quietly creating trans fatty acids and adding them to food products.
• These fatty acids have no nutritional value for the human body, which is designed to deal with cis formations, not transformations.
• The processed food industry is always keen to point out that meat and dairy products also contain trans fats. That much is true, but they contain very little, and the trans fats they do contain have different chemical structures than their industrially produced counterparts and are not alien to the human body.
• It is not surprising, therefore, that the process of artificial hydrogenation has serious implications for human health. Trans fatty acids are perhaps most notorious for their link with heart disease. They increase blood platelet aggregation which can cause clotting.
• They are associated with a higher risk for heart disease compared to saturated fats.
• They are known to increase blood levels of LDL cholesterol (often referred to as ‘bad’ cholesterol) and decrease levels of HDL (‘good’) cholesterol. Trans fats are hypothesized to be carcinogenic, and although there is, to date, no conclusive evidence, studies suggest an association between colon cancer and breast cancer.
• In pregnant women, trans fats are able to cross the placenta and decrease birth weight.
• Another heinous hydrogenation crime to add to the above is the way that trans fatty acids interfere with the metabolism of both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, making them less available to the body.
• These are the essential fatty acids your body needs. You will see why it is so crucial to obtain these fatty acids from diet, and why it is therefore so important that you give trans fats a wide berth.
• If hydrogenation and the subsequent creation of trans fats is so clearly detrimental, why do it in the first place? For-profit and convenience, of course.
• Hydrogenation makes oil more useful for food processing because trans fatty acids solidify at room temperature and prolong shelf life and enhance flavor. They are most likely to be found in foodstuffs such as biscuits, cakes, ready-meals, pastries, and some margarines.
• They have also been used, rather shamelessly, in some vegetarian foodstuffs purporting to be healthy. Fortunately, that is now a less common occurrence, thanks to the bad publicity that hydrogenation has attracted over the last few years.
• UK law at the moment states that trans fats do not have to be included in the nutritional information provided on a food label, and they do not need to be listed in the ingredients.
• However, hydrogenated vegetable oil must be declared in the ingredients list – so if you see ‘hydrogenated’ or ‘partially hydrogenated’ on the label, think trans fat. The good news is that Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and ASDA all claim to have removed hydrogenated fats from all their own-brand products.
• To be fair to food manufacturers, many have now stopped using hydrogenated fats in their products, but I regularly peruse labels in supermarkets and still occasionally come across this egregious ingredient.

Unsaturated Fatty Acids

• These are called ‘unsaturated’ because at least one carbon atom in the chain is not saturated with hydrogen. Instead, there is a double bond between carbon atoms.
• An unsaturated fatty acid may be either monounsaturated (which means there is one double bond in the fatty acid chain) or polyunsaturated (meaning there are two or more double bonds in the fatty acid chain).
• Monounsaturated Fatty Acids
  • These are liquid at room temperature, but still quite dense they start to solidify if refrigerated (think what olive oil looks like on a cold day).
  • Monounsaturates (sometimes referred to as omega-9 fats) are believed to be heart-friendly as they can help reduce cholesterol levels. Sources include olive oil, rapeseed oil, avocados, hazelnuts, and almonds.
• Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs)
  • This chapter is, essentially, about PUFAs and how deficiencies of them in the diet can be the cause of certain health problems. These are the fats that are liquid at room temperature because they are highly unsaturated. Polyunsaturated fatty acids are classified into omega-3 or omega-6 families.
  • The ‘parent’ of the omega-3 fatty acid family is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and the ‘parent’ of the omega-6 fatty acid family is linoleic acid (LA). ALA and LA are considered to be essential fatty acids (EFAs) because the body is unable to synthesize them and so we must get them from our diet.
  • These EFAs have three main functions metabolism and the provision of energy, the formation of cell membranes, and the synthesis of hormone-type substances (mainly prostaglandins and leukotrienes).
    Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are metabolically and functionally distinct one cannot be substituted for the other.
• The prostaglandins produced by omega-6 fatty acids are referred to as series-1 and series-2. The prostaglandins produced by omega-3 fatty acids are referred as series-3.
• • Series-1 and series-3 are considered the most desirable because they reduce inflammation, thin the blood, and improve circulation by dilating blood vessels. They also regulate the immune system and reproductive systems.
  • Series-2 prostaglandins tend to be antagonistic to series-1 and -3: they promote blood clotting, constrict blood flow and promote inflammation. These actions, though they may not sound it, are sometimes essential, particularly during the stress response – but are required less frequently.
  • The omega-6 fatty acids are widely found in seeds and their oils, especially sunflower seeds, corn oil, and soya oil. Omega-6 fatty acids are involved in maintaining water balance, nerve and immune function, menstrual health, and skin and cell membrane integrity.
  • However, because they can, as mentioned, also be converted to pro-inflammatory agents (the series-2 prostaglandins), it is important that we don’t overconsume them in relation to omega-3 fatty acids.
  • The omega-3 fatty acids are found mostly in oily fish (salmon, mackerel, anchovy, sardines, herring, fresh tuna) flaxseed (also known as linseed) oil, walnuts, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, and green leafy vegetables.
  • ALA is converted to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and then to prostaglandins series-3. Omega-3 fatty acids are required for cognitive function, vision, coordination, immunity, and growth.
  • The brain, retina of the eye, testis, and sperm are particularly rich in DHA. EPA can block the creation of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins and is therefore an excellent anti-inflammatory agent.
  • So the reason you need omega-3 fatty acids is because what you want is EPA and DHA. Here’s the problem unless you eat oily fish you’ll be hard pushed to get the EPA and DHA you need.
  • Yes, certain plant foods such as flaxseed, walnuts, and green leafy vegetables contain omega-3 oils, but the body has to convert these oils into EPA and DHA.
  • It does so rather inefficiently it is estimated that only around 3 percent of plant-source omega-3 is converted to EPA and DHA if that. Oily fish is a ready-made, rich source of EPA and DHA – no conversion required.
  • Very small amounts may also be found in poultry and eggs and in the fat of cattle, depending on how they are fed. So when food packaging boasts that its contents are rich in omega-3 oil, remember that unless the product contains fish or fish oil, you probably won’t be getting any EPA or DHA, which is what you actually want.

Getting The Balance Right Fatty Acid

There is substantial evidence to suggest that humans evolved on a diet containing equal amounts of omega-3 and omega-6. However, our highly processed, modern diets have tipped the ratio and we now get a staggering 15-16 times more omega-6 than omega-3.

• Excessive omega-6 is believed to promote many modem diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and inflammatory disorders such as arthritis.
• The reason for this is the excessive production of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins and leukotrienes which arise from a high omega-6 consumption.
• This results in increases in blood viscosity (stickiness), plaques, constriction of blood vessels, and other inflammatory conditions such as asthma11 and rheumatoid arthritis.
• Although omega-3 fatty acids increase the production of anti-inflammatory prostaglandins, high levels of omega-6 tend to suppress the metabolic pathway of omega-3 fatty acids.

Fat Eating History

When did it all start to go wrong? Quite a long time ago – in fact, when we started farming. Agriculture began around 10.000-12.000 years ago. Before then, grains such as wheat, corn, and rice, which are sources of omega-6 oils, were not part of the human diet. Now we rely so entirely on these newcomers that shortages can cause catastrophic famines in many parts of the world.

• Having said that, our problems really only started around 100 or so years ago when we started using vegetable oils in food processing and cooking. Before then we still ate a diet relatively high in omega-3 oils.
• The last 100 years have seen an acceleration of changes to the human diet, away from the natural diet of our pre-agricultural hunter-gatherer ancestors.
• These ancestors would have eaten a great deal of fish, leafy greens, wild meat, berries, nuts, and other foods growing in the wild, all of which were good sources of omega-3 fats.
• The wild meat they consumed would have contained much more omega-3 than the grain-fed. omega- e-rich meat of farmed livestock today. The same goes for eggs – the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio depends on the diet of the bird in question.
• Farmed fish contains fewer omega-3 fatty acids than fish living naturally in the sea or rivers.
• When you consider our aquatic origins, it is hardly surprising that wild food from the sea is so wonderfully compatible with the requirements of the human body. You might not see yourself as having discernible fish-like qualities, but we humans have many physical characteristics in common with aquatic mammals, such as our large brains.

The sea provides us with fish and the fatty acids they contain, which brought about the development of these large brains.

• We know that fish is a highly nutritious food, yet despite this – and despite being an island nation situated in the middle of a huge fish pond – the majority of the UK population does not consume nearly enough fish, particularly the oily variety, and should, according to Government advisers, be encouraged to increase consumption.
• We currently consume 59 percent less oily fish than we did 60 years ago.
• Before the advent of the Industrial Revolution, we ate copious amounts of cheap, abundant fish. The rivers were bursting with freshwater fish, which was in fact a staple of the poor, as was salted herring.
• The early medieval church was responsible for the introduction of Friday as fish day, as it believed that meat incited lust.
• Fish was promoted to help discourage any lascivious activities amongst the peasant population. The church may now have little influence over the modern diet, but the UK Food Standards Agency does advise that we should all be eating at least two portions of fish a week, one of which should be oily.
• That isn’t really a great deal when you consider our dietary history. The FSA is cautious, however, not because of any of the nutritional qualities or moral values of eating fish, but because of the toxins it may contain.

What Lies Beneath Fatty Acids

Fish is so good, there has to be a catch, as it were. Thanks to human meddling, there is, and this is where the dilemma arises; fish in the sea and in rivers is at risk of contamination from pollutants, especially dioxins and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls).

• Dioxins and PCBs are highly persistent chemicals widely dispersed in the environment, including the sea. These are believed to be harmful if they accumulate in the body over time. They do not break down easily and are stored in the fatty tissues of animals, including fish and humans.
• Like mercury, a neurotoxin also found in the sea, they are readily absorbed from the gut, and once in the blood can migrate to every cell in the body.
• The issue of toxicity is of particular concern to pregnant and breastfeeding women. Requirements for omega-3 increase during pregnancy, due to the development of the baby’s nervous system. Because mercury accumulates up the food chain, the largest fish have the highest levels.
• For this reason, pregnant and breastfeeding women are advised to avoid sharks, swordfish, and marlin completely. However, the advice from the FSA is that women should continue to eat other, smaller fish because the health benefits outweigh the risks. At the same time no one knows what the cumulative effect of ingesting toxins from fish is, over a long period of time.

Fatty Acid Supplementary Benefits

If this dilemma is too much for you, there remains another option: fish oil supplements. These are screened for toxins, and an FSA survey on fish oil supplements found that most contained acceptably low levels of dioxins.

• According to the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, no adverse effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation have been observed in pregnant women.
• Of course, this does not mean to say that what is currently considered to be ‘acceptably low levels’ are harmless we simply don’t know.
• Adverse effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation are probably impossible to detect unless they are immediate and obvious. So you take your chances. Personally, I agree with the FSA that the benefits outweigh any possible harmful effects.

EFA Omega 3 Deficiency And Chronic Disease

Despite the massive changes in human diet, human genes have not changed since the Neolithic, hunter-gatherer era, so the human body has not had time to adapt to these dietary mutations. Omega-3 fatty acids are just as essential today to growth and development throughout the life cycle as they were when we were running around in skins, picking berries, and clubbing small animals. Our requirements begin at conception – EPA and DHA are critical for the development of the fetal central nervous system in the womb.

• Most brain development occurs during fetal development (especially in the third trimester, when the brain increases four- to fivefold in weight) and immediately after birth.
• Fatty acids, predominantly PUFAs and especially DHA are highly concentrated in the brain. The human infant has a high demand for DHA in particular, for normal brain development. Yet the infant’s ability to synthesize DHA is virtually negligible.
• What a mother eats could make a difference to her baby’s cognitive skills. In 2005, scientists in the US announced findings that women who eat oily fish when pregnant can significantly boost the brain power of their unborn child.
• It makes sense – the brain is over 60 percent fat, much of which is made up of fatty acids.
• The evidence is mounting that, once a child is born, his or her behavior can also, to a certain extent, be determined by diet, and in particular by omega-3 intake.
• For this reason, researchers reporting the results of a randomized, controlled trial in the journal Pediatrics stated that fatty acid supplementation may offer a safe, effective treatment option for educational and behavioral problems among children with developmental coordination disorder.

Omega-3 fats have been widely researched, most famously in relation to heart health. According to the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), an organization that provides independent advice to the UK Food Standards Agency and the Department of Health, there have been numerous studies confirming the heart-health benefits of fish oil.

• What’s more, these studies have shown that the greater the intake of oily fish, the greater the reduction of risk. Increased oily fish consumption, or fish oil supplementation, decreases the risk of death among patients who have already suffered a heart attack.
• Encouragingly, heart benefits are evident within a short timescale – just a few months. In 2006, 13.6 percent of men and 13.0 percent of women in England were reported to be diagnosed with cardiovascular disease.
• If you’ve survived childhood and middle age and managed to maintain a healthy heart in the meantime, you still can’t afford to cut back on the fish.
• As we get older, we all fear a decline in cognitive function. It appears that one of the best ways to boost memory and brain function is by consuming oily fish: researchers in the US have discovered that eating fish at least once a week may slow down the onset of dementia.

Symptoms of EFA Deficiency

• On a totally fat-free diet, EFA deficiency is extremely serious and can eventually lead to death. It is therefore logical to assume that, between extreme life-threatening deficiency and optimal intake, there are varying degrees of insufficiency, ranging from mild to serious.
• It is also a logical assumption that any form of deficiency can manifest as a symptom. Again, severity of symptoms is directly related to the level of deficiency.
• Severe deficiency may manifest as growth retardation (in children) and multiple organ impairment or degeneration in adults. What we are concerned with here, however, are the more subtle signs which may indicate a mild deficiency.
• You may not have a chronic disease, but you can still experience the symptoms of inadequate EFA levels. We have seen how consumption levels of omega-3 in the general population have plummeted over the ages, aggravated by excessive omega-6 fatty acids.
• According to the SACN, the body’s demand for these fatty acids is so great that it is believed that current levels of consumption are not likely to meet those needs. Another assumption that we might make, therefore, is that symptoms of mild deficiency must be rife. These symptoms include:

Dry skin: This includes inflammatory skin conditions – fish oil is known to be beneficial in the treatment of inflammatory skin disorders.

Dry eyes: A higher ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty’ acid consumption was found, in one study of the dietary habits of over 32,000 women, to be associated with a significantly increased risk of dry eyes syndrome. ‘Dry eyes syndrome can lead to decreased functional visual acuity’. The fatty acid DHA is especially important in the development of the retina.

Premenstrual syndrome and/or menstrual pain: Hormones are regulated by prostaglandins placebo-controlled trial studies have demonstrated the beneficial effect of dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids on symptoms of dysmenorrhoea, or period pain.

Fatigue: EFAs are required for metabolism and energy production. In 2005, a study was published in Neuroendocrinology Letters which found that, in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, levels of omega-6 fatty acids were elevated, and the ratio between omega-3 and omega-6 was significantly lower. The omega-3/omega-6 ratio was significantly and negatively correlated to the severity of illness.

Depression and/or anxiety: Mood disorders have been associated with diminished omega-3 fatty acid concentrations. A much-publicized review of numerous studies into the effect of food on the brain, carried out by the Mental Health Foundation in the UK, concluded that low intake of omega-3 fats is linked to depression, including postnatal depression.

Poor memory and/or concentration: About 20 percent of the brain is made from EFAs. No wonder, then, that deficiency of EFAs has been linked to depression, poor cognitive function, poor memory, and poor concentration.

• Whenever I see a client whom I suspect might have EFA deficiency, I always ask certain questions. I want to know if he or she suffers from dry skin and/or eyes.
• I want to know about mood, memory, and concentration, and (if my client is a woman of menstruating age) if she suffers from PMS and/or painful periods. I cannot stress enough how individual symptoms may be due to any number of causes what I look for are clusters of symptoms.
• To my mind, anyone suffering from dry skin and eyes, anxiety, menstrual pain, and aching joints, for example, is quite possibly experiencing EFA deficiency.
• I am always surprised by how frequently young people, especially women, report the need to moisturize all over every day because of their dry skin. Many of these people describe themselves as having skin like a lizard, or fish scales.
• If women complain not only of dryness but also premenstrual symptoms and menstrual pain (also known as dysmenorrhoea) my suspicions that omega-3 fatty acids are deficient are greatly heightened. Dysmenorrhoea is an extremely unpleasant experience, the severity of which can vary.
• The pain can be debilitating and accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, and fainting. These symptoms are due to the inflammatory effect caused by the release of omega-6 fatty acids and subsequent prostaglandins and leukotrienes into the uterus just before menstruation.
• The result is cramping and pain. I have found supplementation with fish oil to be extraordinarily effective in the treatment of this dreadful condition.
• I know this from personal experience as well as professional practice. Rarely have I found this treatment to be ineffective.

So What Do You Do About Fatty Acid Deficiency

If you are starting to suspect that EFA deficiency is creating some or all of your health problems, the next step is to look at your diet. Do you eat a lot of oily fish, nuts, seeds, and dark leafy greens? Or perhaps not? Do you make all your own food, or do you find yourself depending more than perhaps you ought to on readymade meals? Are your cupboards crammed full of processed foods?

• For processed foods read omega-6 fatty acids, which might be diminishing your already dwindling levels of omega-3, Do you eat a lot of bread, pasta, rice, and corn-based meals?
• It is relatively simple to find out whether or not you have an EFA – or, more specifically, omega-3 – deficiency. Basically, all you do is up your omega-3 intake and lower your omega-6 intake.
• You need to greatly increase your intake of these fatty acids, simultaneously decreasing your intake of vegetable oils, processed foods, and grains. You may also benefit from taking fish oil supplements. You also need to be aware of certain foods which interfere with the metabolism of these fatty acids and avoid them.
• Alcohol is notorious for its effects on fatty acid metabolism and should be drunk only in moderation. If you are indeed omega-3 deficient you can expect speedy results – usually within a week or so of making positive changes, in my experience.
• Obviously, for menstruation problems you will have to be a bit more patient and follow the regime for a full cycle before you can expect to see results.

Foods to Add to Your Diet

• Oily fish: mackerel, sardines, herring, salmon (wild), trout (wild), whitebait, tuna (fresh or frozen, not tinned)
• Dark leafy greens: aim to have a portion of these every day. Choose spinach, rocket, greens, cabbage, watercress, lamb’s lettuce, and so on
• Nuts and seeds: the unsalted, unroasted variety. In particular, go for walnuts, pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, cashews, hazelnuts, Brazils, macadamias
• Extra virgin olive oil in cooking and dressings. Butter may also be used in cooking.

Foods and Drinks to Eliminate or Reduce

• Cakes, biscuits, pastries, sweets, chocolate, etc.
• Savory snacks, such as crisps and salted biscuits
• Alcohol
• Vegetable and seed oils in cooking – corn, sunflower, safflower oils, for example
• Takeaways, ready-meals, processed foods – these are almost always high in omega-6 fatty acids.

Fatty Acid Deficiency Case History

Alison was a very complex case. She came to me with a history of ulcerative colitis and depression. Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disorder and is usually treated with steroids, which is what Alison had been prescribed by her GP. She was not happy taking these and wanted to reduce the dosage. When I saw Alison she was 42 and had been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the age of 30.

• Her symptoms included pain, bleeding, and chronic diarrhea. I asked her about her skin – the answer was ‘dry’. She also suffered from dry eyes.
• She had, in the past, been treated with Prozac but at the time of her appointment with me she was taking nothing for depression.
• Although her diet wasn’t bad, she was vegetarian, ate no fish, and was ‘addicted’ to sweets and chocolates. She had self-prescribed aloe vera juice which she found to be helpful in reducing symptoms.
• I asked Alison if she would be prepared to take fish oil supplements, despite her vegetarian diet. She said she would have no problem with this as she was desperate to get better, though she did say that actually eating fish was out of the question as it would make her nauseous.
• I suggested that Alison take fish oil at a high dose — 3 grams a day. I also asked her to avoid anything with added sugar. She had already eliminated alcohol.
• When I saw Alison several weeks later, she reported that she had much less pain, her skin was much improved and she no longer had dry eyes.
• Despite these considerable improvements, what surprised her most of all was the effect on her anxiety – after a lifetime of feeling anxious and irritable, she reported that she felt strangely calm and relaxed. She said she had never felt so ‘unanxious’ in all her life. I asked her what she attributed this to, and she said it was definitely the fish oil.
• Alison’s ulcerative colitis symptoms had improved but not been eliminated. We continued to meet occasionally and eventually, her diarrhea disappeared.
• Rectal bleeding had greatly reduced and occurred only very infrequently. There was occasional pain, but ‘nothing like before’. Alison had been able to reduce the dosage of steroids with the knowledge and agreement of her GP.

Fatty Acid Deficiency Further Investigations

Bear in mind that inflammation can also be caused by excessive insulin production, so if you suffer from inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis or asthma you should also look at the information provided in Rebalancing Blood Sugar.