Omega-7 supplements?? Dont you mean omega-3 supplements? No.......were talking about something relatively new to the scene which has a variety of positive effects on cardiac risk, diabetes risk, body fat, inflammation, and cholesterol. Stand posted for more info on omega 7s in one second, but a quick diversion first. One of my kids had a bit of a health crisis over the last few days....nothing life threatening, but even for me (whos seen it all), this was enough to provoke significant concern. We are extremely fortunate to have good friends, some of whom happen to be great doctors, and one was there for us when we needed her. She took time out of her weekend to meet us at her hospital, operate on our son, assuage our fears, and eliminate our anxiety. The fact that she was someone we are close to and trust was so important, and made me reflect on my own practice. My practice, which is smaller and more patient centric than a traditional practice, is built around the same experiences....I hope...being there for my patients, most of whom I feel are as much friends and family as they are patients. OK, the scoop with omega 7s. Omega 7s are fats, like omega 3s and omega 6s, but omega 7s are monounsaturated fats. Omega -7s are also known as palmitoleic acid. Omega 7s function as molecules that facilitate communication between muscle and fat. Molecules that help fat to communicate with other parts of the body (like hormones) are called Lipokines. They are particularly helpful in the context of metabolic syndrome, which is a cluster of risk factors like high blood sugar, abdominal fat, high blood pressure, and cholesterol abnormalities. Omega 7s can help with all of these features of the metabolic syndrome. Specifically, Omega 7s reduce insulin resistance and lower blood sugar, suppress fat production and therefore fight obesity, suppress inflammation, and improve cholesterol. Omega 7s reduce an enzyme known as SCD1 and when the level of this enzyme is reduced, fat becomes less inflamed and levels of inflammation in the bloodstream associated with cardiac risk......like C-reactive protein drop...and lower levels of CRP are associated with less cardiac risk. Studies have been done in humans showing robust 43% - 73% decreases in CRP, which is quite a large decrease. Omega 7s can help to increase the uptake of sugar by muscle cells (which lowers insulin levels and improves insulin resistance) and storage of sugar as glycogen rather than fat. Omega 7s have been shown in some studies to raise HDL and lower triglyceride (common when insulin resistance improves), reduce plaque formation in the aorta, and improve endothelial function (the all important behavior of blood vessels). Omega 7s may cut down on the storage of fat in the body (again, another feature of insulin resistance is increased belly fat and liver fat). While omega 7s are intriguing, we havent had large trials in humans looking at outcomes (heart attack, stroke, death) but Im hopeful that at some point well see something. In the meantime, well have to rely on surrogate markers of these outcomes.....insulin resistance, inflammation, cholesterol levels, glucose levels....and omega 7s seem to positively influence all of these. Most of the doses in the trials was 220mg or above, and omega 7s may also be called Sea Buckthorne after the plant it comes from. Macadamia nuts are a rich dietary source of Omega 7s but not as rich as the supplements. I use a supplement with 450mg of omega 7. As always, Id urge anyone out there considering ANY supplement to discuss it with his or her doctor first.
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 23:05:39 +0000
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