Essential Fatty Acids

by gloria scholbe
June 2001

Definition of Terms Used in This Article

Very little is written about the importance of fatty acid nutrition in birds. Even books devote d to avian health and nutrition say little about the subject. Maybe this is because there is so much controversy about the role of dietary fats in human health. Our belief about what is healthy for our birds tends to be a direct reflection of our belief about what is healthy for us. If we believe that a low fat diet is best for us, then we give our birds a low fat diet. If we understand how important certain fats are to good health, then we try to incorporate those fats into the diet of our birds.

Although birds are not humans, there are many physical similarities between us. Birds and humans have comparable organs of digestion and metabolism, including stomach, intestines, gall bladder, liver, pancreas, and kidneys. These organs perform the same functions in both of us and they are affected by nutrient imbalances in the same way. Both humans and birds suffer from many of the same degenerative diseases associated with poor nutrition. 

Animal studies help us to understand human nutrition and the reverse can also be true. There are differences, of course, so the comparisons are not exact; but there are corollaries that can be drawn. Fat is a subject of extreme conflict in the medical community. Experts in the fields of nutrition, cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other degenerative diseases hold various opposing statements in regard to fat consumption.  One view states that fats be avoided completely; another says that only saturated fats and cholesterol must be avoided; a third claims that the real culprit is damaged fats; and another view holds that fat itself is not the problem but the consumption of refined carbohydrates is. The truth is probably a combination of these assertions. 

Current research is revealing new insights in regard to human fatty acid requirements. Because of this, recent medical literature is devoting well-deserved attention to the role of fats in preventing a variety of health problems including digestive disorders, skin disease, immune disorders, mental and emotional problems and obesity. 

According to some of the most recent cutting-edge studies, it isn’t the amount of fat in the diet that is harmful. It is the kind of fat consumed that can cause problems.  

There are three categories of fats:

Unhealthy Fats
The worst fats are trans-fats (transformed fats) and hydrogenated fats. 

Trans fats are produced during the process of refining, which involves the use of excessive heat and light. This causes a chemical reaction. The molecules of polyunsaturated fatty acids (healthy when unrefined) change from a C-shape to a straight line, creating an unnatural fat molecule that is difficult for the body to metabolize. Because of the change in their molecular structure, trans-fats interfere with the normal functioning of essential fatty acids, slow down fat metabolism, and also cause some organ cell damage. Recent studies have caused the FDA to link trans fats to increases in LDL (bad) cholesterol.                           

Hydrogenated fat is created when hydrogen is added to liquid polyunsaturated fatty acids. The chemical reaction results in hydrogen bonds that create a solid (saturated) or semisolid fat. Hydrogenated fats are man made fats that were created to extend shelf life of manufactured foods. In the effort to make foods last longer in the supermarket, all traces of essential fatty acids are destroyed and replaced with partially hydrogenated oils. 

These fats are found in shortenings, margarines, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils in baked goods, fried foods, chips, and crackers, some bird foods and treats, etc. These unnatural fats compete with essential fatty acids to be metabolized first. Using only or mostly hydrogenated fats leads to nutrient depletion because the body is not given the kind of fat it needs from the diet for proper body function. 

Saturated fats and cholesterol
Although the consumption of saturated fats and cholesterol in the human diet has decreased over the past several decades, the incidence of heart disease, diabetes, and other such diseases has increased. Because of the raging controversy over dietary fats, poor background in nutrition, and personal prejudices against fat, many doctors may not recognize Fatty Acid deficiency as being the cause of health problems. Symptoms are often overlooked or mistaken for something else. 

In the past ten years we have seen parallel health problems in our birds. Their diets have changed from mainly seeds to mainly pellets.  Instead of seeing health problems related to the nutritional deficiencies in seed, we are now seeing health problems related to nutrient deficiencies and/or excesses in pellets. Some of these diseases are a reflection of the same diseases seen in humans with Fatty Acid deficiencies or from the damaged fats in processed foods.   

Oxidized fats and cholesterol that occur in cured, processed, and aged foods like sausages, cheese, scrambled or fried eggs, fried convenience foods and stored foods play an important role in degenerative diseases because oxidation damages them.  This not only compromises their functionality but also creates organ damaging free radicals that the body has to deal with when they are consumed.

Undamaged saturated fats and cholesterol found in butter, fresh meat, and properly handled tropical oils are not in themselves unhealthy. Their role in degenerative disease may have more to do with the way they are affected by the inclusion of sugars and refined starches in the diet.  Nutrition research in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s demonstrated the effect that carbohydrates have on fatty organ disease. One researcher, Rosenfeld, showed that both a high-carbohydrate/high-protein diet and a high-carbohydrate/low-protein diet result in fat deposits in internal organs. When EFAs are added, less fat deposit occurs and better food utilization and energy production take place. Apparently that research was not pursued until recently, but new understanding has brought it to current consideration.  

Undamaged cholesterol is actually a good fat that the body needs to produce hormones like pregnenolone, testosterone, progesterone, estradiol, estrone, and cortisol. Some of these hormones regulate mood and behavior. Diets very low in fat and with insufficient manganese may not provide enough of the raw materials to produce these hormones. In addition, a diet that contains an excess of hydrogenated and trans-fatty acids will interfere with cholesterol metabolism, which causes a cholesterol deficiency.  

Healthy fats

The two categories of healthy fats are Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) and Non-essential Fatty Acids.  Non-essential doesn't mean they are not needed, it means a normally functioning body can produce them from other nutrients.  Essential fatty acids (EFAs) must be included in the diet because the body cannot make them. 

Fat function

The endocrine system and its hormones, the brain and its neurotransmitters, and all the immune system components are derived from lipids (fats). Fatty acid imbalances can result in many physical and mental disorders.

 

Fatty Acid Deficiencies

The ultimate result of Fatty Acid Deficiency is death. Symptoms of gradual deterioration of cells and tissues include:

Birds require both saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids in their diets. The essential fatty acids needed are linoleic, linolenic, and arachidonic. Arachidonic acid can be synthesized from linoleic acid, but if linoleic acid levels are low, then there will not be enough from which to synthesize the arachidonic. In this case, arachidonic must also be supplied by the diet. The most important of these is linoleic. Safflower seeds contain 70% linoleic acid.

Unsaturated fats stay liquid and are mostly from plant sources. They perform key functions in the most active tissues of the body, including the brain, sense organs, and glands as well as affecting electrical energy and assisting in the manufacture of hormone-like substances.  The three forms of unsaturated fats most commonly found in nature are:  

Once in the body, omega 3 and omega 6 are converted to prostaglandins. 

Other unsaturated fats: (Sometimes the spelling on these are very close so they look like the same but are not)  

Saturated fats become hard and are mostly from animal sources. Long chain saturated fats are less healthy because they are more taxing to the liver.  They are also sticky and tend to clog up the cardiovascular system. Short chain saturated fats, which are easier for the body to metabolize, are found in butter and tropical oils.    

Note: all oils contain varying proportions of different fatty acids.  Omega 6 and Omega 3 are essential fatty acids (EFA). As you can see from the list above, there are several sources for both.  Each of these sources provides a somewhat different benefit to the body because of the different chemistries of each of the oils and because of the nutrients
contained in the food.

Omega 3: Omega 6 Ratio

A dietary imbalance between Omega 3 and Omega 6 will cause deficiencies of one or the other. The ideal ratio for humans should be 2:1 Omega 3 to Omega 6.  A natural diet of whole plant foods is the best choice to achieve this balance, however supplementing with an oil blend is an alternative.

Hemp seed oil contains the nearly ideal ratio of 3:1 between Omega 3 and Omega 6 oils. Flax seed oil contains 4 times as much Omega 3 as Omega 6, so you would also need to supplement with another oil that is higher in Omega 6.  The best oils from seeds are unrefined, cold pressed, and taste like the seed from which they are derived. Oils must be stored in opaque containers, protected from light, oxygen, and heat because they are delicate and can easily spoil. Once spoiled or heat damaged, oils and fats cause free radical damage in the body. Most fresh unrefined oils have a pleasant taste. If the taste is *off* or unpleasant, more than likely the oil is spoiled and should not be consumed. These oils should not be used for cooking or baking, but they can be used as salad oils or in other unheated foods. 

It would be hard to guess what the proper ratio of Omega 3 to 6 should be for birds, and I could not find that information listed anywhere. For horses the ratio is 3:2. However, I would guess that some species of birds, like Macaws would have a 1:1 ratio because of their preference for a diet high in nuts. Other birds would have a ratio closer to that of humans, 2:1 because of the opportunistic nature of their foraging. Human ancestral races show wide traditional variance in their dietary ratio. The Inuit ratio for example is 2.5:1 Mediterranean diets are about 1:6 Despite the difference, neither race consuming the traditional diet experienced a deficiency in either Omega 3 or Omega 6. 

This chart shows the ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 of various seeds and nuts. It does not give ratios of green foods, grains, fruits and vegetation that birds would eat in nature. Corn contains 4% total fat, 0% of which is Omega 3, and 59% Omega 6.   

 

Total Fat

Omega 3

Omega 6

       

Almond

54

0

17

Avocado

12

0

8

Beech

50

0

32

Brazil

67

0

24

Cashew

41

0

6

Coconut

35

0

3

Corn

4

0

59

Evening Primrose

17

0

81

Filbert

62

0

16

Flax

35

58

14

Grape

20

0

71

Hickory

68

0

17

Macadamia

71

0

10

Olive

10

0

8

Palm kernel

35

0

2

Peanut

47

0

29

Pecan

71

0

20

Pistachio

53

0

19

Pumpkin

46

7

15

Rape

30

7

30

Rice bran

10

1

35

Safflower

60

0

75

Sesame

49

0

45

Soybean

17

7

50

Sunflower

47

0

65

Walnut

60

5

51

Wheat germ

11

5

50
Nutrition of Selected Seeds and Nuts 
Palm Oil 

I mention palm oil because some parrots rely heavily on the fruit of the oil palm for their main subsistence in nature.  I think many of our companion birds would benefit from the addition of crude palm oil in their diets. 

Oil palms, Elaeis guineensis, are grown in East Africa, South America, Malaysia, and Java.  Palm oil is obtained from the fruit of the oil palm rather than from the kernel, which has a different chemical make-up. Palm oil consists of about 50% saturated fatty acids, 40% mono-unsaturated, and 10% polyunsaturated. The monounsaturated content of palm oil is similar to olive oil. Crude palm oil contains carotenoids and vitamin E.  Africans have long used it as a source of vitamin A. Elsewhere in the world however, palm oil is not well accepted because of the its saturated fatty acid content. 

Crude palm oil is the world's richest natural plant source of carotenes, which give it the orangey-red color. It contains about 15 to 300 times the amount of carotenes found in carrots, leafy green vegetables, and other carotene rich vegetables. Palm oil from the Far East, Zaire, and Malaysia contains fewer carotenes than oil from palms grown in South America, which are a different species (Elaeis oleifera or E. melanococca.) 

It is important to note that: refined palm oil contains practically no carotenoids, as they have been destroyed during refining.   

Almonds are High in potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, vitamin E, B-vitamins, and protein. 

Sunflower seeds have been used traditionally not only as energy food but medicinally as well.  Medicinally, sunflower seeds help to reduce allergic reactions, reduce  cardiovascular problems, treat worms, and improve eyesight.           

Nutritionally, sunflower is high in potassium/low in sodium, contains essential linoleic acid, vitamin E, selenium, 25% protein, a good amount of fiber, and is rich in B vitamins, (particularly thiamine, pyridoxine, niacin, and pantothenic acid) plus the minerals zinc, calcium, manganese, copper, and phosphorous. Sunflower seeds are really good food, albeit high in fat...so limit the amount.  

Flax seed is high in essential Omega 3 fatty acid and fiber. It must be balanced with one of the Omega 6 fatty acid sources to avoid Omega 6 deficiencies. 

Pumpkinseeds are high in zinc.  Medicinally they have been used in the treatment of intestinal worms. They are a source of protein with a good balance of the amino acids, though tryptophan, methionine, and cysteine are a little low. Pumpkin seeds are also high in iron, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, copper, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and essential fatty acids. 

Safflower is 16% protein and 38% fat. It also is high in B vitamins. 70% of the fat content of safflower seeds consists of the essential linoleic acid. 

Millet contains 15% protein, is low in fat, has high fiber, good amounts of niacin, thiamine, and riboflavin, a little vitamin E, and some iron, magnesium, and potassium 

Conclusion

Many of the health and behavior problems seen in our companion birds may be directly attributed to improper fatty acid nutrition. This is caused by an imbalance of essential fatty acids, the inclusion of damaged and hydrogenated fats in processed foods, and/or the desire to eliminate all fats from bird diets because of the mistaken impression that fat makes birds fat.  

The truth is that fats are a critical component of avian nutrition. Fats help to burn fats, improve immune function, ease mood swings, and stave off degenerative diseases. By eliminating seeds and nuts from the diets of our birds we are denying them the nutrition needed for good health. This nutrition can best be obtained from their natural sources. 

Seeds contain necessary nutrition but are not by themselves a complete diet because they lack other nutrients. All foods lack some nutrients, that is why variety is essential. Seeds should be included in any balanced diet but this is not to say that temperate climate seeds commonly found in captive seed mixes are entirely appropriate for tropical birds. 

Each bird species will have its own fatty acid requirements. What those requirements are is yet to be determined through further research and study. Hopefully that will be accomplished by avicultural organizations, each dedicated to an avian species, whose goal it is to research those needs and share information openly with one another.

Terms

Calories Fats contain 2.25 times the calories in either protein or carbohydrates. In other words, if a gram of protein contains 15 calories, a gram of fat will contain 2.25 x 15 calories = 37.5 calories.  However, fat satisfies the appetite for a longer period of time than do carbohydrates.  

Cholesterol is a complex fatty substance required by and produced by the body. 

Choline is involved in the metabolism of fats and in nerve function.

Essential Fatty Acids are fats that the body requires but cannot manufacture itself. Therefore they must be provided in the diet. EFAs for birds are Linoleic (lin o lay ik),

Linolenic (lin o len ik), and arachidonic (a rak y don ik).  The body can synthesize Arachidonic acid from linoleic acid as long as there is sufficient linoleic acid in the diet.

HDL is high-density lipoprotein, which transports fats and cholesterol. It is considered to be good cholesterol, but it is decreased in low fat high carbohydrate diets unless the carbohydrates have a low glycemic index rating.

LDL is low-density lipoprotein, which carries fats and cholesterol. It is considered bad cholesterol when found in large amounts in the bloodstream because of its association with cardiovascular disease.

Lecithin consists of fatty acids, glycerol, and Choline. It helps to emulsify fats (break fats down into smaller molecules.)

Lipids are all kinds of fatty substances including: fats, cholesterol, fatty acids, phospholipids, and oils.

Lipoproteins are fatty substances that transport lipids between the intestines, liver, and body cells.

Oils are liquid fats that are mostly unsaturated.  

Phospholipids are found in the cell walls of all living organisms, both plant and animal.

Prostaglandins are hormone like substances produced by Essential Fatty Acids that lower blood pressure, induce smooth muscle contractions, control all interactions among cells, and are anti-inflammatory.

Fat is composed of three fatty acid molecules and one glycerol molecule.

Glycerol is composed of 3 carbon atoms, hydrogen and oxygen. Two glycerol molecules make one sugar molecule.

Trans Fatty Acids (TFA) comprise the majority of fat found in processed foods. They reduce production of prostaglandins (hormones that act locally to control all cell-to-cell interactions) and interfere with fatty acid metabolism.

Bibliography 

Burgmann, Petra DVM Feeding Your Pet Bird                              

Edelson, Stephen B. M.D., Fatty Acids: The Healing Fats The Edelson Center for Environmental and Preventive Medicine 

Erasmus, Udo Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill

Gittleman, Anne Louise Your Body Knows Best

Haas, Elson M. Dr. Staying Healthy with Nutrition

Henzler, David J. DVM Healthy Diet Healthy Bird

Kamen, Betty PhD From Fats to Fiction Alternative Medicine Digest issue 40

Kamen, Betty PhD Palm Oil and Vitamin E  

Kane Patricia, Ph.D., Millville, New Jersey, U.S.A. Essential Fatty Acids, Lorenzo's Oil and Beyond (Explore Issue: Volume 7, Number 6)

Murray, Michael ND and Pizzorno, Joseph ND Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine

Articles about Palm Oil:

http://www.tocotrienol.org/sources.htm

http://www.prescotts-inc.com/health_components/tocotrienols.htm

http://people.bu.edu/bsnyder/reportonpo.htm

http://www.unu.edu/unupress/food/8F152e/8F152E05.htm