Some PUFA helpful/necessary?

[Hayley]

I know this will probably be met with a “NO” by most of you, but after half a year of Peating and some developing skin issues, I’m wondering if it’s time to add back in some PUFA.

Over the past few months my skin has become very dry and dull. While I’ve had other good results from Peating (digestion is amazing) the skin issue is becoming very annoying. My skin always looks dehydrated and never has before. I’ve found some other threads with members complaining about dry skin and scalp dryness since Peating, and then fixing the issue by adding back in some PUFA. My diet currently consists of very little PUFA aside from milk, egg, and poultry sources.

Have any of you experienced benefits from adding some PUFA back in? Is it specifically Omega 6 that is perhaps deficient? Curious to hear other people’s experience with this.

 

[Perry Staltic]

I don't pay attention to PUFA apart from PUFA vege oils, which I eliminated from my diet. Got rid of processed frozen foods and snacks cooked with vege oils and all oils besides coconut, olive and avocado. Humanity has survived for millennia eating PUFAs; vege oils are what's new and probably harmful.

 

[Hayley]

I don't pay attention to PUFA apart from PUFA vege oils, which I eliminated from my diet. Got rid of processed frozen foods and snacks cooked with vege oils and all oils besides coconut and olive. Humanity has survived for millennia eating PUFAs; vege oils are what's new and probably harmful.

Yes I’m starting to think the same thing. I’m going to add back in some nuts and fatty fish like I used to eat and report back. I forgot to mention the back of my hands almost look like they have lipofuscin on them, which I never had before.

 

[Ben.]

I'm a advocate for selfexperimentation. No study and no opinion matters at the end of the day if you experience the opposite of what you supposedly should and maybe get even worse. Ofcourse there are many nuances to this.

Maybe start with olive oil if you can stomache/tolerate it. Preferably as fresh as possible and put it into the refridgerator/freezer. Alot of the health benefitial nutrients degrade/get lost over time and the cold slows that down compared to roomtemperature (it goes thick probably so some of it ready to use can be stored in roomtemperature and the rest in the refridgerator).

Add a little bit of vitamin e and maybe a saturated fat to the pufa meals if you are still worried.

Good luck! Will be interested hearing from your experience. Omega 3 (fish oil) which i took before i found peat and this forum was evidently a bad thing for me. Perhaps becaus of the vitamin d in it.

 

[dukesbobby777]

I think you guys are forgetting that PUFA is in absolutely all foods (if not most), and your body always preferentially stores it above all other types of fats (when you consume them). So you are never deficient in it. Especially omega 6.Unless you eat some kind of human engineered lab food that is devoid of PUFA (which doesn’t exist anyway), it is actually impossible to be deficient in it. Even when we make a conscious effort to keep PUFA intake at a minimum, getting under 4g per day can be a real effort.

As you age, and as the years pass by, the more PUFA you accumulate. This is the whole crux of Peat’s ideas. Everything that involves degenerative diseases and ageing, will involve chemical reactions in the body that interact with the polyunsaturated fats.

You can chose to believe that, or go back to the nuts, avocados and the fattier fishes. Sure they are nutritious foods but, based on Dr Peat’s work, they are ‘anti-thyroid’ in the long run. Which, according to him, doesn’t align with robust health. And I am inclined to believe him because when my temperatures and pulse were consistently bad and, I felt cold all the time, absolutely everything was going wrong with my health (sleep, energy, mood, cognition, libido, etc).

Also, according to Peat, omega 3 is actually one of the most (if not, the most) volatile of the polyunsaturated fats.

 

[Hayley]

I think you guys are forgetting that PUFA is in absolutely all foods (if not most), and your body always preferentially stores it above all other types of fats. So you are never deficient in it. Especially omega 6. Unless you eat some kind of human engineered lab food that is devoid of PUFA (which doesn’t exist anyway), it is actually impossible to be deficient in it. As you age, and as the years pass by, the more PUFA you accumulate. This is the whole crux of Peat’s ideas. Everything that involves degenerative diseases and ageing, will involve chemical reactions in the body that interact with the polyunsaturated fats.

You can chose to believe that, or go back to the nuts, avocados and the fattier fishes. Sure they are nutritious foods but, based on Dr Peat’s work, they are ‘anti-thyroid’ in the long run. Which, according to him, doesn’t align with robust health.

I want to believe that wholesale, but this skin thing is telling me something is off. Of course it could be something else, but poking around here and seeing people with similar issues made me think it might be the PUFA. Or maybe it’s not just PUFA could be something more specific but still related.

 

[Hayley]

I'm a advocate for selfexperimentation. No study and no opinion matters at the end of the day if you experience the opposite of what you supposedly should and maybe get even worse. Ofcourse there are many nuances to this.

Maybe start with olive oil if you can stomache/tolerate it. Preferably as fresh as possible and put it into the refridgerator/freezer. Alot of the health benefitial nutrients degrade/get lost over time and the cold slows that down compared to roomtemperature (it goes thick probably so some of it ready to use can be stored in roomtemperature and the rest in the refridgerator).

Add a little bit of vitamin e and maybe a saturated fat to the pufa meals if you are still worried.

Good luck! Will be interested hearing from your experience. Omega 3 (fish oil) which i took before i found peat and this forum was evidently a bad thing for me. Perhaps becaus of the vitamin d in it.

I'm a advocate for selfexperimentation. No study and no opinion matters at the end of the day if you experience the opposite of what you supposedly should and maybe get even worse. Ofcourse there are many nuances to this.

Maybe start with olive oil if you can stomache/tolerate it. Preferably as fresh as possible and put it into the refridgerator/freezer. Alot of the health benefitial nutrients degrade/get lost over time and the cold slows that down compared to roomtemperature (it goes thick probably so some of it ready to use can be stored in roomtemperature and the rest in the refridgerator).

Add a little bit of vitamin e and maybe a saturated fat to the pufa meals if you are still worried.

Good luck! Will be interested hearing from your experience. Omega 3 (fish oil) which i took before i found peat and this forum was evidently a bad thing for me. Perhaps becaus of the vitamin d in it.

I agree, it’s all so complicated and personal that self experimentation is necessary.

 

[Veritas IV]

Will post a few thoughts that may be helpful to some.

As for Ben's comments regarding mitigation of the PUFA's we do eat, I do the same. Vitamin E, added saturated fats especially coconut, and aspirin right before or after a meal that has PUFA.

To the original poster, there is one "special" PUFA called black seed oil, also known as Kalonji seed, black cumin seed, Thymoquinone extract, Nigella Sativa (you can use these phrases as search terms). I forget the proper wording so hopefully someone can chime in to better explain, but apparently it has some sort of preservative component within. It doesn't oxidize the same way other PUFA's do which makes it less harmful. The actual seeds may contain a few extra helpful components, but the oil seems very therapeutic as well. I began using a half tsp of both every few days or so. I picked up over 1lb of the seed at a local Indian market along with a small bottle of oil. I also picked up a bottle of oil at Walmart. Since i'm reasonably healthy i only get the feeling of "wellbeing" from it but it's still pretty obvious.

But i would strongly recommend researching it here first before purchasing just to be on the safe side because i would almost classify it as a medicine / therapeutic.

 

[Braveheart]

I don't pay attention to PUFA apart from PUFA vege oils, which I eliminated from my diet. Got rid of processed frozen foods and snacks cooked with vege oils and all oils besides coconut, olive and avocado. Humanity has survived for millennia eating PUFAs; vege oils are what's new and probably harmful.

 

[retroactive]

its impossible not to get at least 2-3% in your diet. Also you can make them if you need to and don't consume them

 

[OccamzRazer]

I know this will probably be met with a “NO” by most of you, but after half a year of Peating and some developing skin issues, I’m wondering if it’s time to add back in some PUFA.

Over the past few months my skin has become very dry and dull. While I’ve had other good results from Peating (digestion is amazing) the skin issue is becoming very annoying. My skin always looks dehydrated and never has before. I’ve found some other threads with members complaining about dry skin and scalp dryness since Peating, and then fixing the issue by adding back in some PUFA. My diet currently consists of very little PUFA aside from milk, egg, and poultry sources.

Have any of you experienced benefits from adding some PUFA back in? Is it specifically Omega 6 that is perhaps deficient? Curious to hear other people’s experience with this.

I've experienced something similar from strict 'Peating.'

Now I eat salmon roe a few times a month, always separate from carbs or sugar (to avoid glycation problems), and my skin is getting better.

 

[SaltiestSardine]

I've experienced something similar from strict 'Peating.'

Now I eat salmon roe a few times a month, always separate from carbs or sugar (to avoid glycation problems), and my skin is getting better.

This is similar to what i have ended up doing..eating oily fish every 2-3 weeks.

 

[Hayley]

This is similar to what i have ended up doing..eating oily fish every 2-3 weeks.

I've experienced something similar from strict 'Peating.'

Now I eat salmon roe a few times a month, always separate from carbs or sugar (to avoid glycation problems), and my skin is getting better.

I’m going to try this next, incorporating good marine PUFA sources. I’ll update the thread with results.

 

[Limon9]

I know this will probably be met with a “NO” by most of you, but after half a year of Peating and some developing skin issues, I’m wondering if it’s time to add back in some PUFA.

Over the past few months my skin has become very dry and dull. While I’ve had other good results from Peating (digestion is amazing) the skin issue is becoming very annoying. My skin always looks dehydrated and never has before. I’ve found some other threads with members complaining about dry skin and scalp dryness since Peating, and then fixing the issue by adding back in some PUFA. My diet currently consists of very little PUFA aside from milk, egg, and poultry sources.

Have any of you experienced benefits from adding some PUFA back in? Is it specifically Omega 6 that is perhaps deficient? Curious to hear other people’s experience with this.

Sorry - in 2 years I've experience no such thing. Skin issues often correspond to dysbiosis & bacterial migration though, do you eat carrot salads or have any anti-endotoxin protocol? People often notice that things clear up after a course of antibiotics. Also possible you're repeating the Burr & Burr error, lacking B6 or other nutrients which correspond to an induced deficiency via raised metabolic rate, & mistaking this for the essentiality of PUFA in general. Do you eat liver? Vitamin A obviously essential here.

 

[OccamzRazer]

Also possible you're repeating the Burr & Burr error, lacking B6 or other nutrients which correspond to an induced deficiency via raised metabolic rate

Can you or someone else reading this be a little more specific?

I often see people here talking about PUFA 'deficiency' as something that's easily corrected by B vitamin supplementation...but have never seen a protocol or even set of guidelines for said supplementation.

 

[OccamzRazer]

@Hayley

How are your results?

Yesterday I ate over a pound of fatty fish and it noticeably improved my mood. I think 'Peating' gave me an omega-3 deficiency.

 

[supercoolguy]

There's definitely an answer to dry skin. No PUFU needed. I just cant remember it all. BuT what comes to mind is Quality Proteins 100g+/daily.
Theres a few things to consider, but PUFA is flat out garbage.
Quality Milk?
B & D & E Vitamins
If your thyroid is improving, maybe some Vit A ?

Just know it can resolve and Stick with RP words directly, AND your personal observations. Not (just) the forum members.
Even non-specific interviews will have info worth exploring.

This can get you started:
Just type "Skin"
Bioenergetic Search

Link HUB

PeatSearch: a Ray Peat-specific search engine - Toxinless

A Ray Peat-specific search engine that includes content from Peat's interviews, articles, and community sites.

www.toxinless.com

 

[Hayley]

@Hayley

How are your results?

Yesterday I ate over a pound of fatty fish and it noticeably improved my mood. I think 'Peating' gave me an omega-3 deficiency.

So far this is some improvement for me, but not yet back to my pre Peat skin which was really much better. What I’ve done so far is ease up on the PUFA restriction, eating salmon and avocados once a week or so, eating some Mayo or canola oil based sauce now or then although not very frequently.

When I enter everything into chronometer I notice I hit all my micros pretty well except for vitamin e, I’m always very low. My next test will be to get some cold pressed wheat germ oil since it’s very high in vitamin e and take that and see how I react.

That’s interesting about the fish mood reaction. I’m thankful to Peat for the perspective of raising metabolism but I’m definitely skeptical about no PUFA at this point.

 

[Hayley]

There's definitely an answer to dry skin. No PUFU needed. I just cant remember it all. BuT what comes to mind is Quality Proteins 100g+/daily.
Theres a few things to consider, but PUFA is flat out garbage.
Quality Milk?
B & D & E Vitamins
If your thyroid is improving, maybe some Vit A ?

Just know it can resolve and Stick with RP words directly, AND your personal observations. Not (just) the forum members.
Even non-specific interviews will have info worth exploring.

This can get you started:
Just type "Skin"
Bioenergetic Search

Link HUB

PeatSearch: a Ray Peat-specific search engine - Toxinless

A Ray Peat-specific search engine that includes content from Peat's interviews, articles, and community sites.

www.toxinless.com

Thanks for that I’ll check that out

 

[Hayley]

Sorry - in 2 years I've experience no such thing. Skin issues often correspond to dysbiosis & bacterial migration though, do you eat carrot salads or have any anti-endotoxin protocol? People often notice that things clear up after a course of antibiotics. Also possible you're repeating the Burr & Burr error, lacking B6 or other nutrients which correspond to an induced deficiency via raised metabolic rate, & mistaking this for the essentiality of PUFA in general. Do you eat liver? Vitamin A obviously essential here.

Yes I eat liver once every two weeks or so. And carrots every other day. I’m open to what you’re saying though, but I just can’t think of what the deficiency would be other than vitamin e.