Saturated Fats Are Needed to Assimilate Fat-Soluble Vitamins
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Saturated Fats Are Needed to Assimilate Fat-Soluble Vitamins
One of the fundamental ways saturated fats nourish us is by facilitating the digestion and assimilation of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. These vitamins serve major functions in the body, including building bone, blood, and vision (vitamins A and D); supporting blood circulation, tissue repair, and healing (vitamin E); and, contributing to bone formation (vitamin K) (Fallon, 2001, p. 37 – 39). In his landmark book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, originally published in 1939, Weston A. Price, D.D.S., found that saturated fats and fat-soluble vitamins were staples in the traditional diets of the high immunity indigenous groups he studied across the world. Dr. Price observed that their diets contained at least ten times the fat-soluble vitamins from animal fats compared to the average American diet. The “total fat content of the traditional diets varied from 30% to 80% but only about 4% of calories c[a]me from polyunsaturated oils naturally occurring in grains, pulses, nuts, fish, animal fats and vegetables. The balance of fat calories was in the form of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids” (Nienhiser, 2000a).
Dr. Price researched where the indigenous groups obtained what he called “fat-soluble activators, which include the known fat-soluble vitamins” He found that dairy products were primary sources. “This includes the Swiss in the high Alps, the Arabs (using camel’s milk), and the Asiatic races (using milk of sheep and musk ox). In the second place there are those using liberally the organs of animals, and the eggs of birds, wild and domesticated. These include the Indians of the far North, the buffalo-hunting Plains Indians and the Andean tribes. In the third place there are those using liberally animal life of the sea. These include Pacific Islanders and coastal tribes throughout the world. In the fourth place there are those using small animals and insects. These include the Australian Aborigines in the interior, and the African tribes in the interior” (Price, 2019, p. 253).
Reviewing Dr. Price’s findings, the Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF) developed dietary guidelines that enable us to design a diet for ourselves that nutritionally mirrors the traditional diets Dr. Price investigated. WAPF guidelines include saturated fats and fat-soluble vitamins from both animal and plant sources, summarized as follows: beef, lamb, game, organ meats, poultry and eggs from pasture-fed animals; wild fish, fish eggs and shellfish; full-fat raw and cultured milk products from pasture-fed cows; lard, tallow, egg yolks; expeller-pressed olive, sesame seed, and flax seed oils; tropical oils—coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel; and cod liver oil to provide at least 10,000 IU vitamin A and 1,000 IU vitamin D per day (Nienhiser, 2000b).
It is noteworthy that WAPF Dietary Guidelines include the biosynthesis of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) by the ruminal bacteria of ruminant animals, such as cows. This involves the conversion of unsaturated fatty acids in pastured grasses to CLA, a saturated fatty acid. Most of the CLA is found in the milk of ruminants and to a lesser extent in the meat. As a naturally occurring component of ruminant milk fat and meat, “CLA has potent cancer-fighting properties'' (Muller & Delahoy 2016). “When butter comes from cows eating green grass, it contains high levels of CLA . . . that helps the body build muscle rather than store fat” (WAPF, 2010).
References
Fallon, S. (2001). Nourishing Traditions. (Revised 2nd Edition). Washington, D.C.: New Trends Publishing, Inc. Muller, L., Delahoy, J. (2016). Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in animal production and human health. PenStateExtension. University Park, PA: College of Agricultural Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University (newsletter). Retrieved from: https://extension.psu.edu/conjugated-linoleic-acid-cla-in-animal-production-and-human-health.
Nienhiser, J. (2000). Characteristics of traditional diets. Washington, D.C.: The Weston A. Price Foundation. Retrieved from: https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/abcs-of-nutrition/characteristics-of-traditional-diets/.
Nienhiser, J. (2000). Dietary guidelines. Washington, D.C.: The Weston A. Price Foundation. Retrieved from: https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/abcs-of-nutrition/dietary-guidelines/.
Price, W.A. (2019). Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. (8th Edition). Lemon Grove, CA: Price Pottenger.
WAPF. 2010. Butter is better (pamphlet). Washington, D.C.: The Weston A. Price Foundation.
Fallon, S. (2001). Nourishing Traditions. (Revised 2nd Edition). Washington, D.C.: New Trends Publishing, Inc. Muller, L., Delahoy, J. (2016). Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in animal production and human health. PenStateExtension. University Park, PA: College of Agricultural Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University (newsletter). Retrieved from: https://extension.psu.edu/conjugated-linoleic-acid-cla-in-animal-production-and-human-health.
Nienhiser, J. (2000). Characteristics of traditional diets. Washington, D.C.: The Weston A. Price Foundation. Retrieved from: https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/abcs-of-nutrition/characteristics-of-traditional-diets/.
Nienhiser, J. (2000). Dietary guidelines. Washington, D.C.: The Weston A. Price Foundation. Retrieved from: https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/abcs-of-nutrition/dietary-guidelines/.
Price, W.A. (2019). Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. (8th Edition). Lemon Grove, CA: Price Pottenger.
WAPF. 2010. Butter is better (pamphlet). Washington, D.C.: The Weston A. Price Foundation.
Amy Wing, Holistic Health Educator,
Nature’s Hearth
Website: www.naturesheart.net
Email: ajw.habitat@gmail.com
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