By way of review I want to remind you of Dr Dave's Unified Theory of the Diseases of Aging.
This theory states that many if not all of the diseases that plague us in our later aged years are the result of free radical oxidative damage, and the resulting inflammation that comes with it.
Those of you who have been following along for awhile may be developing a strange sense of Deja Vu as you read this.
If you do that is a good thing, you are understanding!
I must oversimplify a bit and lump all cataracts together. To my Ophthalmologic colleagues I apologize. I recognize there are different types, 'sugar' Cataracts, (diabetic), senile and myopic to name a few.
No matter which 'flavor' you chose there appears to be a role for oxidation as a cause for the destruction of the proteins and fats of the cell membranes of the eye that leads to cataracts of all types.
If you remember a few issues ago I spoke about another eye disease that occurs as we age. Age Related Macular Degeneration.
We touched upon one of my favorite pet peeves: the notion that fish oil omega 3 fatty acid 'peroxidation' is the cause of this problem.
Peroxidation for our purposes is when an oxygen free radical (also called a reactive oxygen species) gloms onto a molecule and distorts it.
In the case of polyunsaturated fatty acids like fish oil, the polyunsaturated part is the part that seems to make it vulnerable to 'damage' by these oxygen free radicals.
But here is the deal. Some people associate this with causing the disease. It does not. Just like macular degeneration, it is a marker for the formation of cataracts, not a cause.
If you supply enough fish oil, you provide a 'free radical sponge' which absorbs these bad oxygen species and prevents the damage.
Recall from earlier emails I spoke about the bad fat to good fat ratio (omega 3 fish oil vs. Omega 6 fats). The average American may have a ratio as high as 30:1 bad to good.
If you supply enough Omega 3's to balance this out, you do not get the lipid peroxidation (damage to the fats in the eye) by free radicals.
But if you don't have enough, then the damaged Omega 3 fatty acids are integrated into the cells of the eye causing problems.
More Fish Oil equals more protection! Reference: Nur Neurosci. Jun;5 2002 (3) :149-57.
Now where have you heard this before? In Heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, vascular disease, Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, Arthritis, and cancer.
The following is excerpted from another great reference: American Journal of Nutrition 1993 May;57 (5 suppl): 779S-785S; Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of lipid-oxidation products.
Excerpt: (slightly modified by me so it at least sounds like English!)Experimental and investigational studies support the hypothesis that lipid oxidation products ingested with food or produced by the body represent a health risk. Chronic uptake of large amounts of omega 6 fatty acids increases tumors and atherosclerosis (blocked arteries). Omega 3 fatty acids (fish Oil) can combat this process.
In other words all of these disease processes can be balanced out with enough Fish Oil. Repeat: All of this can be balanced out with enough Fish Oil which is why the American heart Association finally had to recognize fish oil as heart healthy after so very long. I'd bet there was more documentation on this benefit than any prescription drug ever had!
This is also why the American Cancer society finally put out the message that Fish Oil helps prevent and fight Colon, Breast, And Prostate Cancer to name a few!!
Same situation with cataracts: prevent the oxidation by replacing the damaged fatty acids and you can maintain a healthy eye and thus reduce cataract formation. (Not to mention the #1 cause of blindness in the elderly: Age Related Macular Degeneration).
Remember, these disease processes start long before the labs most doctors do detect them. Heart disease starts in the teens. Diabetes starts when the insulin rises, long before your blood sugar goes up. The oxidative damage that causes Alzheimer's disease is probably well on its way in our 40's!
Arthritis begins when the joint space stops functioning properly, long before you get chronic pain ugly hands or X-ray evidence of arthritis. The damage that causes cataracts begins long before you can see them on an eye exam.
Somewhere deep in the recesses of most doctors' minds they know this. Many will agree with all of this. Few will alter their clinical practice to do anything about it.
There are many reasons why this is so. The biggest one is PREVENTION DOESN'T PAY. The next is that doctors are not trained to think out of the box this way. We believe that somewhere out there. there is a higher authority medical authority than us.
Perhaps it's the editorial Board of The New England Journal of Medicine. Perhaps it's the AMA (they have sure helped the practice of medicine lately...NOT)! Perhaps it's the State Medical Board.
But ultimately it is the individual doctor who is responsible for the long term health of his patients.
Since that is the case I have decided to think outside of the box, use my brain and energy and find a better way!
Hopefully you have begun to understand the 'UNIFIED' term in my Unified theory of the Disease of Aging and the absolutely critical role Fish Oil plays in keeping us young and safe from the many illnesses that lurk out there as the years go by.
I want to repeat what I said in a recent teleconference that many of you were on: We can divide society into 2 groups. One group which includes all of you who are reading this is on a very high speed 'Bullet Train' heading in the direction of extended youth, better memory, better sex, better athletic ability and most likely longer healthier life.
Unfortunately that 'Bullet Train' has only a few cars.
There is another train that carries the rest of humanity equally quickly in the opposite direction. If they don't get this information they will be force to depend on a failed medical system that has paralyzed itself and is unable to meet the demands of a huge Baby Boom generation, let alone those of you who are younger.
Help me spread the word at least to your friends and loved ones, folks. There is still room on that first train!
Dave Woynarowski, M.D., CPT
The Nation's #1 Anti-Aging Physician
P.S. For the worlds best anti-aging supplements including Dr Dave's Best
Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil go here and order now.
Don't delay; you are not getting any younger, YET!
