Men, listen up. If you are concerned about prostate cancer (and what man isn’t), Dr. Robert Rowan has some advice: “There’s a particular fat that can significantly increase your risk.” He cites an article in the Journal of Urology linking prostate cancer to too many omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-6 fatty acids are pro-inflammatory, increasing the risk of diabetes, cancer, and vascular disease. Omega-3’s are anti-inflammatory. Both omega-3’s and omega-6’s are called polyunsaturated fats. Sunflower, corn, soybean, canola, and cottonseed oils contain the most omega-6’s, and Dr. Rowan recommends you avoid these like the plague. Most processed foods contain these bad oils, and the typical Western diet contains a large imbalance in the ratios of omega-6 to omega-3’s (roughly 8:1). The ideal ratio is 4:1 omega-6 to omega-3, and this is what occurs in nature. This is one of the reasons I aim for 70% of my diet to include nature-derived or whole foods. The best oils to eat (and cook with using low to medium heat-avoid high heat) are butter, lard (yes lard), coconut, sesame, palm, and olive oil are the best to eat. Omega-9’s are also healthy for you. Omega-9 is a mono saturated fat found in avocados, peanuts, almonds, cashews, macadamias, pecans walnuts, and pistachios. Also in egg yolks. Omega-9’s are important for heart health and blood sugar control. Be sure to read labels-even so-called health foods can contain vegetable oils with excess omega-6’s; reading lanes is vital!
Stay well, John R Blilie, M.S.