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Fat has gone from public enemy #1 to the darling of the wellness world - but the truth is more nuanced than either camp admits. Dr. Barrett breaks down the two essential fats (omega-3 and omega-6), why your body needs fat for brain health, cell structure, hormone production, and vitamin absorption, and tackles the seed oil debate head-on. He covers why extra virgin olive oil is the strongest dietary fat for longevity, why saturated fat response is genetic, and introduces C15 - an emerging longevity fatty acid - before closing with six practical rules for eating fat well.
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Watch the episode on YouTube here!
DISCLAIMER
This content is strictly the opinion of Dr. Barrett Deubert and is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to replace medical advice or treatment from a physician. All viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding health questions and concerns. Neither Dr. Deubert nor the Real Health Co. takes responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons reading or following the information in this educational content. All audience members, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement, or lifestyle program.
. . .
Watch the episode on YouTube here!
- (00:00) - Intro
- (01:14) - Fat’s Reputation
- (02:02) - Omega-3 & Omega-6 Basics
- (04:36) - Why We Need Fat
- (06:20) - The Good
- (08:12) - The “Bad”
- (10:40) - The Healthiest Fat
- (14:04) - Saturated Fat & Genetics
- (14:55) - C15
- (16:08) - Closing Thoughts
DISCLAIMER
This content is strictly the opinion of Dr. Barrett Deubert and is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to replace medical advice or treatment from a physician. All viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding health questions and concerns. Neither Dr. Deubert nor the Real Health Co. takes responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons reading or following the information in this educational content. All audience members, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement, or lifestyle program.
Creators and Guests
What is The Real Health Podcast?
You've tried everything: extreme diets, expensive specialists, and medicine with side effects. Yet you're still stuck. This show is for you. The Real Health Podcast is hosted by Dr. Barrett Deubert, a practicing chiropractor and functional medicine provider who treats patients dealing with exactly what you're dealing with: weight that won't move, energy that never comes back, chronic symptoms doctors can't explain. Each week, he digs into the actual root cause behind things like weight loss resistance, hormone imbalance, autoimmune flare-ups, and metabolic dysfunction. No fad diets, no miracle supplements, no blaming you for not trying hard enough. Just real, evidence-based answers for why your body hasn't been working the way it should, and what actually helps.
Fat could be one of the most misunderstood macronutrients of them all. On today's episode of the Real Health Podcast we're diving deep into fat. The good, the bad, the ugly. How much do you need? What types do you need?
Dr. Barrett:And truly, is processed oils really bad for you? All on the latest episode of The Real Health Podcast. Well, welcome back another episode of The Real Health Podcast. We're going to add value to you in a really efficient way, let's go ahead and get into it. Let's talk fat.
Dr. Barrett:Fat is a macronutrient that's probably the most confusing. At one time we considered fat as being the most unhealthy macronutrient, don't consume it, it's terrible for you. It was put at the top of the food pyramid and it was considered a driver of cardiovascular disease. And then we flipped around, no fat is good, eat as much fat as you want, yet we found that people eating these fats were still having issues with losing weight or they were having ApoB levels increase. So is that true for all?
Dr. Barrett:And then I think we've settled in the middle. Fat is good. Fat can be bad. How do you know? Right?
Dr. Barrett:How do you know what is appropriate for you? How much to consume and which fats should you be eating? Is butter really healthy? Is coconut oil ideal? Or are there better fats out there?
Dr. Barrett:What about the craze of, C15, right? When we look at the supplement called the C15 fatty acids, it's a supplement that's a little over $100 people could buy and it's supposed to have all these incredible health benefits. Today, we even dive into that incredible supplement that I take every morning. So let's get it, let's talk it, let's get into what is fat, right? Fats are essential to life and there's two essential fats.
Dr. Barrett:That means you really can't synthesize these fats on your own, you have to consume them. There's an omega-three and omega-six. The omega-three is called alpha linolenic acid, also called ALA. This fat can turn into two other fats called EPA and DHA. So ALA converts to these other essential fats, EPA and DHA.
Dr. Barrett:And then those give cellular structure and function to the body. Then there's another fat, an omega-six called linoleic acid or LA. These ALA, LA, omega-three, omega-six are essential to life. If you do not consume them, you will not be able to live. About 15% of your alpha linolenic acid levels convert to EPA and DHA.
Dr. Barrett:It's actually really low conversion rate. And so it's why you see a lot of vegans and vegetarians who consume a ton of flax, nuts, and seeds that are high in ALA are yet, really, really low in their omega three six index, meaning they have more omega sixes than threes, which is not favorable for long term health primarily because ALA does not convert to EPA and DHA for what your body and brain need for survival and thriving. Only 15%. So where do you get EPA and DHA? Well, you get those from cold water fish.
Dr. Barrett:For instance, anchovies, sardines, and salmon is a great source of EPA and DHA. You can get some from grass fed beef, there's other sources we'll talk about, but we do have to understand that fat is a fuel. It provides us with a fuel source like carbohydrates, and it burns super clean. But fat is also something that becomes a part of you. Fat is structure.
Dr. Barrett:It's structure to your cell membranes. It allows your cells to be resilient and healthy. It keeps toxins coming in and allows nutrients to come in and toxins to be eliminated. So having the right ratio of omega-3s and 6s is essential to long term health and it's one of the most common discrepancies we see and we'll talk about that here in just a minute, but fat so it shouldn't be considered just a fuel source, it has to be considered a structure. In essence, it becomes a part of you.
Dr. Barrett:And there's four big reasons we need fat. Number one, we need fat for our brain and nervous system. When we look at our brain and what's comprised of DHA, which is what can come from ALA but very low conversion. So we really need to consume it from cold water fish. DHA is essential to healthy neurological function.
Dr. Barrett:It's where we see in kids, neuro disorders and symptoms arise because their DHA levels are so low. Number two, we need it for our cell membrane so it gives structure integrity to our cells themself. Number three, it's essential for hormone signaling. So every hormone is built off of the backbone of cholesterol. So when we look at steroid hormones, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, you need cholesterol in order to synthesize those hormones.
Dr. Barrett:And the last one is vitamins, vitamin A, D, E, K, the four fat soluble vitamins. Dietary fat is essential at helping the absorption of those vitamins. We need it for our nervous system, We need it for structural integrity of ourselves. We need it for hormone signaling and we need it for fat soluble vitamins. This is why fat is so essential to health.
Dr. Barrett:And if we get it right, we'll live longer, healthier lives. So let's talk about the good. Traditionally, omega-3s are considered the good. When we look at omega-3s, we look at what's called an omega-three index. So it's in essence the percentage of EPA and DHA that's in your red blood cell membranes compared to omega-6s that's in your red blood cell membranes.
Dr. Barrett:What is that ratio, right? And when we look at that ratio, it's pretty simple. When we look at the ideal percentage, we wanna be above eight percent. Most of our patients are coming in at three percent. Below four is in severe inflammatory state.
Dr. Barrett:When we're below four we see cardiovascular lipids arise. When we're below four our cellular membranes are rigid and inflamed. When we're below four we have neurological inflammation. When we're above eight, our inflammation levels are down. Our cellular membrane are strong.
Dr. Barrett:Our hormone signaling is strong. So making sure we're looking at our omega-three-six index above eight is the sweet spot we want to get most patients to. And how do we get those omega-3s? Well, we get them from cold water fish. We get them from pasture raised eggs to a lesser degree as well, but it's really gonna come from cold water fish.
Dr. Barrett:If you're not consuming salmon, sardines, right, trout, you're probably not getting the adequate amount of omega-3s that your body needs. So what do you do? Well, you supplement. Look at your omega-three index, run the panel. If you don't know how to do that, you can reach out to our office and we can help you.
Dr. Barrett:But you run the panel, look at your percentage and then you dose accordingly. I wouldn't strategically just start dosing omega-three fatty acids if you don't know your numbers because if you actually have too many omega-3s it can cause too much leakiness to your cell membranes and actually drive a totally separate issue that we don't want at all. Let's talk about the quote unquote bad, and that's omega-six. And this is where we have to ask the question, are seed oils poison? Are they poison to the body?
Dr. Barrett:Well, and this is controversial here, but when we look at seed oils, they're omega-six fatty acids is fundamentally what they are. And when we look at it that inherently, we have to objectively say, hey, is that seed oil bad for us? And the answer really is no, right? LA, omega-six is not bad for us. Linoleic acid is an essential fatty acid.
Dr. Barrett:So we actually need it. Here's where, I don't know, maybe it's just clickbait of Instagram, but here's where we get in trouble. We say, hey, processed oils are bad, which I get what they're saying. They're full of usually glyphosate, chemicals, and when you cook them they become rancid and they become a totally different fat and inflammatory fat. But in and of themselves, when you're looking at linoleic fats, omega-6s, need them for essential life.
Dr. Barrett:And if you were to get that from avocado oil, I'm okay with that. Now if you're getting it from, you know, corn oil, soybean oil, we probably have some issues because we know how it's been processed and what chemicals are are found in those oils, which which is a totally separate issue. But if we just talk about the fat itself, the fat is healthy. In proper balance and the right dosing, linoleic acid is essential. Don't avoid omega-6s.
Dr. Barrett:You need them for life. The problem is they're overly consumed in our culture. They're overly toxic with what we're putting in these oils from the plants from spraying these soybean plants and corn plants and then the glyphosate residue is found in these oils and that's the issue, right? But you can get a healthy organic source of this linoleic acid that's actually beneficial for the body and you need it to some degree. The problem isn't that an omega-six like you consumed it from these fats.
Dr. Barrett:It's really the ultra processed effects of these fats that's the problem. So just be mindful. There are actually healthy sources of seed oils out there. Let's talk through the healthiest fat on the planet. When we look at fats, this is the king.
Dr. Barrett:This this reigns above them all when it comes to the world of fat, and that's extra virgin olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is oleic acid, which is a type of fat combined with a ton of polyphenols. And these polyphenols are antioxidants for the body to help it regulate and detox and live longer. It is the strongest dietary evidence of a fat affecting longevity. When we look at the Mediterranean culture, it's used so heavily.
Dr. Barrett:And one of the reasons why the Mediterranean diet is so beneficial for the heart is because of this healthy fat. And we get it obviously every day from extra virgin olive oil, right? But you can also get it from avocado, olives, nuts, seeds. We can get it from salmon, sardines and fatty fish. You can put it on top and mix it in there, right?
Dr. Barrett:We can look at this as a fat that is preferably used cold, but you can lightly heat it. It just has to be at a really low temperature to preserve that monounsaturated fat, that very weak fat that gets degraded through light and heat. So it brings me to the question of, hey, it's really important to consider this. When buying extra virgin olive oil, make sure it's organic and make sure it costs a lot of money. If it doesn't and you just pick it up on a shelf and it's not in a dark green bottle, glass bottle, and it's in this like lighter color bottle, okay, that light is oxidase and that fat.
Dr. Barrett:Also, there are ripoffs now in extra virgin olive oil market. There are people that mix EVOO with canola oil and sell it to you as extra virgin olive oil. Make sure you look at this fat. When you put it in a fridge, extra virgin olive oil should stay a liquid. If your extra virgin olive oil in the fridge becomes hard, it's not extra virgin olive oil.
Dr. Barrett:It is mixed with and cut with other oils. I know that sounds crazy, but that's just the world we live in. What about saturated fat? We talk a lot about extra virgin olive oil or monounsaturated fats, but what about saturated fats, which have really been considered as being very harmful for your health? And what we know is some people respond really well to saturated fats and some people don't.
Dr. Barrett:So who responds preferable to saturated fats? Well, it's the person that genetically can handle it. There are certain genes that just literally when people consume saturated fat, their ApoB levels, their LDL levels, just LDL P, LDL C just go through the roof. And we just have to understand that there are some people genetically not designed to handle saturated fat, and that's okay. We should avoid it.
Dr. Barrett:Right? We're gonna probably be a little bit lower fat, moderate carbohydrate type nutrition approach in this situation knowing that, hey, there are people that their LDL P levels go up over 2,000 when you eat saturated fats like coconut oil. You thought it was healthy. It is, but not for you. So making sure that you look at your functional labs so you understand how fats are impacting your cardiovascular system, and we can't be blind to just say, hey, saturated fat, coconut oil is good for everyone.
Dr. Barrett:It may be, but it may not be for some. So it's important to understand saturated fat is one of my favorite things to consume from butter and grass fed beef and from coconut oil. I respond well to it. You may not. We got to understand how each person's individual physiology responds to saturated fat.
Dr. Barrett:When you start consuming fat, make sure you have lab work, right? Make sure you look at, even with its healthy fat, what your LDL P, LDL C and APO B levels are. That would be a really good indicator to see how you respond well, see how well you respond to fat. And then let's talk through this last one, this amazing molecule called C15. So it's penta decanoic acid, penta meaning five, deca meaning 10, C15.
Dr. Barrett:So it's 15 carbon chain fatty acid. This is a molecule that is being studied for longevity purposes. It restores mitochondrial function, cellular membrane health. It's an antioxidant. It really just helps you live longer.
Dr. Barrett:And you might not have heard of C15 fatty acid, but I'll be the first to tell you that research is coming out on this incredible fatty acid as being transformational for health. You should look into it. It is on the pricier side because it is a newer molecule, but there's a lot of promise behind this for longevity reasons. And it's something I take every morning is one capsule of C15. Should you take it?
Dr. Barrett:Well, if you want to live longer and you've got some extra income and it doesn't break the bank, this would definitely be a really good option from a wellness formula for you. You're not going to see this major difference usually in the first couple days of taking it, but over time, it'll keep inflammation levels low and keep your cells healthy. When it when it comes to fat, I've got some rules for you, we'll close with this. Eat fat in its natural food matrix. Like, eat it in the whole is...
Dr. Barrett:Whole food is source. Right? Avocado, salmon, extra virgin olive oil on that. It'd be great. Right?
Dr. Barrett:Fish, olives, avocado, nuts, seeds, eggs. Make extra virgin olive oil your default oil. Use it on everything. Eat fatty fish two to three times a week. If you're not eating salmon, sardines two to three times a week, trout, start now.
Dr. Barrett:Number four, know your omega three index before you start supplementing with omega three fatty acids. Number five, don't don't obsess over seed oils as being bad. You can have some avocado oil. It's okay. Number six, minimize deep, fatty foods, deep fried fatty foods.
Dr. Barrett:That type of fat is very inflammatory to the body. We wanna avoid fried foods at all costs. And when we look at fat, we have to understand it's an incredible molecule. It's a great fuel source, but it gives our structural integrity to our body. I hope this podcast added value to you today.
Dr. Barrett:And as always, thanks for listening to another episode of the Real Health Podcast.