Eicosanoids


Eicosanoids are hormones found inside each of your cells. They can be good or bad. Surprisingly, you can't have ALL good or ALL bad. You need somewhat of a balance to survive... but that doesn't mean that you can't have more good than bad.
Eicosandoids play an important role in such functions as: blood pressure, blood clotting, pain, fever, allergic reactions, sleep/awake cycle, the constriction or dilation of vessels and stomach aches. As you can see they are very important.

    Eicosanoids are controlled by your diet. There are 4 major dietary controllers of Eicosanoids:
  1. Your Insulin / Glucagon Levels.
  2. Transfatty Acids (Anything Partially Hydrogenated)
  3. Alpha Linoleic Acids, or ALA.
  4. Fish Oils.

1.Insulin encourages the production of the "bad" eicosanoids. When you have a diet that contains too many sugars and grains, your insulin levels soar... which encourages the production of the "bad" eicosanoids.
   Glucagon encourages the production of the "good" eicosanoids. That is why you need a diet that is balanced in protein and charbohydrates (or meats and grains).

2.Anything Partially Hydrogenated (such as margarine) inhibits the production of the "good" eicosanoids. So by eating margarine instead of butter, you are inhibiting the "good" eicosanoids... and causing your body some greif. That is why you should eat Butter.

3.Alpha Linoleic Acids (ALA) stops the production of eicosanoids all together... both the good and bads. You should stay away from ALA because your body needs eicosanoids.
    ALA is found in many different Oils. Flaxseed oil is by far the worst, but two other oils with ALA in them are Canola and Soybean. You should try to avoid these oils, and replace them with Olive Oil or Sesame Oil (both of which don't contain any ALA).
    On a side note... Aspirin works much like ALA; It stops the production of eicosanoids. That is why it relieves pain and headaches (it stops the production of those bad eicosanoids). That is why it also causes stomach aches, ulsurs and allergic reactions (because it stops the production of good eicosanoids normally keeping those things from happening).

4.Fish Oils shift the production of eicosanoids to good. You should try to have fish once a week.

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