Omega 7 Powerful Anti-Inflammatory Tool, which food contains it?
We now know that much of illness is driven by excessive inflammation.
Inflammation running amok drives many nasty cellular changes.
What is one food that has a unique anti-inflammatory action, that is easy to munch, drink as a milk, or make into a pudding?
Macadamia nuts.
Macadamia is a unique food.
You have heard of omega-3 fatty acids
Macadamia has a unique omega-7 fatty acid.
This fights inflammation powerfully.
Take this highly inflamed population. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
A group of researchers wanted to see how well omega-7 fatty acid could fight the inflammation of the gut, in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, like in this case, Ulcerative Colitis (UC).
They were gut specialists from Mexico who did this research?
Affiliations
1Department of Gastroenterology, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic, National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition "Salvador Zubirán" (INCMNSZ), Mexico City, Mexico.
2Gastroenterology Laboratory, National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition "Salvador Zubirán" (INCMNSZ), Mexico City, Mexico.
3Nutrition Unit, National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition "Salvador Zubirán" (INCMNSZ), Mexico City, Mexico.
4Department of Gastroenterology, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic, National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition "Salvador Zubirán" (INCMNSZ), Mexico City, Mexico - kazuofurusho@hotmail.com.
They found that macadamia nuts contain cis-palmitoleic acid (Omega-7 fatty acid).
Omega-7 fatty acid, this monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA), is associated with “anti-inflammatory” processes.
How?
This special omega fatty acid up regulates specific anti-inflammatory proteins such as HNF4γ and HNF4α.
These two genes are related to the immune response in ulcerative colitis (UC).
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Cis-palmitoleic acid supplementation on inflammatory activity and the expression of genes HNF4γ, HNF4α and IL6 in the colonic mucosa of patients with active UC.
Methods: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study was conducted in 20 patients with UC. A dose of 720 mg/day of Cis-palmitoleic acid was orally administered during 8 weeks and Mayo Clinic score was used for the assessment of clinical activity in UC before and after treatment with Cis-palmitoleic acid and placebo.
Results: A total of 20 patients with UC were randomized to receive Cis-palmitoleic acid or placebo. Significant changes in the biochemical markers of inflammation were found in UC patients before and after treatment with Cis-palmitoleic acid vs. placebo such as total protein (P=0.02), hs-CRP (P=0.04) and ESR (P<0.05). The gene expression of HNF4γ and HNF4α were found to be increased in the Cis-palmitoleic acid group compared to placebo group (P=0.05 and P=0.07 respectively) as well as significant reduction upon IL6 expression in the Cis-palmitoleic acid group (P=0.005).
Conclusions: Cis-palmitoleic acid as co-adjuvant therapy for 8 weeks seems to decrease the inflammatory activity through the increased expression of HNF4α and HNF4γ in patients with UC.
About a tablespoon of ground macadamia extract a day was able to act like a “food prednisone” to bring down inflammatory markers (like Calprotectin) in the gut.
Patients taking this nut extract didn’t need meds to fight inflammation as much as patients being treated without macadamia nut extract.
Macadamia nuts are expensive but you don’t need a lot.
You can eat them roasted or as a pudding.
Raw Chocolate Mousse
4 heaping tbsps. Organic raw unsweetened cacoa powder
½ cup mac nuts
¼ cup cashews (or pecans)
4 tbsp. Raw hemp seeds
2 heaping tbsps coconut manna
Stevia/Monkfruit to taste
Almond milk or any milk alternative as needed for consistency (start with ½ cup)
Mix till creamy. Refrigerate
Divine white macadamia pudding
1 cup of raw mac nuts
½ tsp liquid vanilla
1 TBsp. of healthy stevia (not junky kind with maltodextrin and additives)
cashew or hemp or soy or any milk a bit above the levels of the nuts in the vita mix
To-do’s:
Put all in VitaMix and blend till completely cream.
Variations:
Add heaping TBsp. of roasted sunflower butter for amazing taste variation.
Add less water and make mac whipped cream.
It is so good you will be amazed and comes out pure white!
My grocery store sells chocolate covered mac nuts for a sometimes treat, especially if kept in the freezer.
Some foods have unique qualities.
Like macadamia nuts and their very special ability to tamp down inflammation.
And quick.
Within 4 to 8 weeks!
Omega 7 fights insulin resistance. Especially when added to some omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. These omega fats “sensitize” the insulin receptor to make it more functional.
In today’s toxic world many of our hormone receptors become dysfunctional.
Hormones, insulin included, need “receptor functionality” and healthy fats help receptors work. Kind of like DW40.
That’s why many studies show that if folks snack on nuts, even though nuts are high in calories, they help maintain healthier weight!
Omega-7 fatty acid also fights fat deposition in the liver!
One in 3 Americans now has this “silent issue” of the liver being jammed with fat and the liver can’t process hormones, nutrients, and detox like it is supposed to. (Some hints that a patient might have a fatty liver are elevating liver enzymes, low levels of “good cholesterol” HDL, large gut, not responding to hormone therapies normally, have a low ferritin that supplementation is not bringing back to healthier, higher levels).
Omega-7 fatty acid even acts as an anti-aging fatty acid, by increasing telomere length. This is in an animal model wound study, but still. You get my point.
Macadamia nuts are special.
I have bags of whole diverse nuts in my fridge. All kinds. But always some macs.
I do not vilify nuts.
Whenever I share nutrients or recommend pharmaceuticals to a patient, there are always also food recommendations made.
Food is medicine but it’s good to know which foods help do what protective actions.
Macadamia nuts are powerful anti-inflammatory fighters. And insulin sensitizers.
Knowledge is power.
Dr. B.
Reference:
Effect of Cis-palmitoleic acid supplementation on inflammation and expression of HNF4γ, HNF4α and IL6 in patients with ulcerative colitis. Minerva Gastroenterol Dietol. 2017 Sep;63(3):257-263
Fatty Acid β-Oxidation Plays a Key Role in Regulating cis-Palmitoleic Acid Levels in the Liver. Biol Pharm Bull. 2016;39(12):1995-2008
GPR120 is an omega-3 fatty acid receptor mediating potent anti-inflammatory and insulin-sensitizing effects. Cell. 2010 Sep 3;142(5):687-98
Omega-7 oil increases telomerase activity and accelerates healing of grafted burn and donor site wounds. Sci Rep. 2021 Jan 13;11(1):975
How interesting that mac nuts help upregulate the UC genes! ANd I can attest that the mac nut pudding is delish! I make it regularly and one of the many recipes I use from Dr. B!