VIDEO+PDF 20-year Evolution of FATTY ACID THERAPY (FAT)
VIDEO+PDF 20-year Evolution of FATTY ACID THERAPY (FAT)
This 2-hour-and-11-minute presentation was prepared for and delivered to my graduate students (at the Master of Science level). I think that it is sufficiently complete to encompass newer discoveries
From my own perspective and experiences, I’d say that our understanding of the clinical use of fatty acids has evolved through at least three timeframes/epochs.
See video embedded below after section no3.
Prior to 2005: We were mostly clueless
I graduated from the Naturopathic Medicine Program at Bastyr University (Seattle, Washington, USA) in 1999, and our Clinical Nutrition Professor was Alan Gaby MD, who has been one of the world’s leading experts in clinical nutrition for at least 30 years, as he was already well known and respected in this field when I started studying his work in 1994. Nonetheless, within this timeframe, even the experts and the people seeking expertise really did not understand the biochemistry of fatty acid metabolism, and thus any deep understanding of the physiologic mechanisms and clinical effects was out of reach.
I also lectured for the Institute for Functional Medicine, where I was faculty for 11 years from 2003-2013, and certainly in those early years (until 2005) even our dedicated speaker on fatty acids (Bob/Robert Lerman MD PhD) still focused (as I recall) on biochemistry rather than the physiologic effects and clinical benefits.
In 2004 and 2005, I published a hard-fought monograph on fatty acid biochemistry, which at that time provided the most comprehensive fatty acid biochemical flow diagram that I’d ever seen. I published this theme in two parts for the American Chiropractic Association, with the first part published in 2004 focusing on fatty acids, their sources, and the enzymes involved in their sequential conversion (provided here as PDF document).
2005-2011: We mastered the Biochemistry and understood the clinical benefits, and transitioned to CFAT: Combination Fatty Acid Therapy
Within this timeframe, we mastered the biochemistry, and this mastery allowed us to better understand the biological plausibility and the clinical benefits. Knowledge of the biochemistry allowed us to predict how to use what I termed CFAT: Combination Fatty Acid Therapy for better safety and clinical benefits. You can see this detailed in my 2005 publication included herein/below as a PDF document, which is also archived at academia.edu/39813845; more details are provided in the 2-hour graduate-level video presentation provided below.
2012 and Beyond: Combination Fatty Acid Therapy (CFAT) provides numerous, specific and interconnected benefits via effects on genetic expression, inflammatory mediator (eg, cytokine) release, mitochondrial function, pro-resolution, gut microbiome, brain function
The following video is a 2-hour-and-11-minute lecture that I prepared and delivered to my graduate students (at the Master of Science level). I think that it is sufficiently complete to also encompass more recent and upcoming discoveries in this field as those will be variations and nuances on the themes presented here.
Very obviously, fatty acids are not simply used as sources of fuel at 9 calories per gram; fatty acids aren’t simply metabolized but rather fatty acids dictate metabolism and physiology at numerous levels, for example:
Cell membrane dynamics, neurotransmitter/hormone production and reception, and thus influences on mood and behavior
Intercellular adhesion (see also my video review on vitamin D and barrier function), and thus cancer
Mitochondrial performance, enzyme function, and thus energy/ATP production
Genetic expression, cytokine release, and thus inflammation
Clinical benefits in mood disorders
Clinical benefits in cardiovascular disorders
Clinical benefits against cancer
Clinical benefits in mitochondrial diseases
Clinical benefits in autoimmunity and inflammatory diseases
Possible benefit in promoting resolution of acute inflammation such as viral respiratory infections
Video access at HealthyThinking.substack.com
Access to this video is provided here (embedded below) at the HealthyThinking.substack.com website (for subscribers); as usual, adjust the volume and video size (eg, full screen) to your preference.