Fred Kummerov, biochemist, died on Wednesday at 102 [1].
At age 99, frustrated by the continued presence of trans fats in the food supply, he sued the FDA. This led to a ban, which comes into effect next year - 60 years after his research on trans fats began.
But I was interested to see his paper on turkey feed, from 1948, almost 70 years ago. The army had asked him to look into the rancid flavor of frozen turkeys sent overseas. In the paper, he refers to a 1934 paper by Cruickshank, who:
"found that the characteristics of the fat deposited in the tissue was influenced markedly by the degree of unsaturation of the dietary fat"
Unfortunately, the feed commonly used for turkeys contained linseed (flaxseed) meal. Kummerov replaced the fat content with a more stable fat & the rancidity problem went away.
Here's a quote from Klose, 1950, who conducted a similar study [2]:
"Typically fishy flavors and odors in roasted turkey meat, which can be caused by feeding fish (oil) products, can also be produced in the absence of fish products by a highly unsaturated vegetable oil, linseed oil. The fishy flavor is present in the roasted, freshly slaughtered turkey and apparently increases very little if any in intensity during storage."
Many men have used Barlean's flaxseed oil. including me. I consider it to have been a colossal mistake. It is rich in the omega-3, alpha-linolenic acid [ALA]. ALA is associated with PCa incidence & aggressive disease. Particularly when coupled with a low intake of the omega-6, linoleic acid [LA]. Quite ironic, really - pro-inflammatory omega-6 protecting us from a presumed-healthy omega-3 (they compete for enzymes & cellular uptake.)
Once I got up to speed on this, I wondered about the biological fate of ALA. The Barlean's product needs careful handling. It should be under refrigeration where purchased. & one should use it quickly, since oxidation begins when the seal is broken. It isn't cheap, & I imagine that many continue to use bottles that have been open for a week or more.
But it occurred to me that, with ALA being so unstable, flaxseed oil might quiickly oxidize in the body.
ALA is taken up into the lipid rafts of prostate cells. In a 2012 post-surgical study [3]:
"This study provides evidence that prostatic ALA, independent of the amount of ALA consumed, is positively associated with biomarkers of aggressive prostate cancer."
I doubt that Fred Kummerow would have been surprised.
...
{Many newly-diagnosed men come across dead-end sites such as the Budwig group. Typically, they don't linger, but might waste some time there. I know a man who claimed to be using the Budwig protocol for PCa, but was simply taking flaxseed oil. Budwig was adamant that the oil alone was dangerous, & that sulphur-rich quark (or cottage cheese) was an essential part of the protocol. Whatever benefit Budwig might have for other cancers, ALA & dairy are contraindicated in PCa.}
-Patrick
[1] nytimes.com/2017/06/01/scie...
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