Customer Reviews

The Queen of Fats: Why Omega-3s Were Removed from the Western Diet and What We Can Do to Replace Them (California Studies in Food and Culture)

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Allport does an excellent job of recounting the history of omega-3 fatty acids, the people involved in the discovery of the essential nature of omega-3, and why these vital fats are rare in the typical diet. My only critique would be that Allport seemed to ignore the evidence that alpha-linoleic acid, the so-called parent omega-3 found in the food supply, is poorly converted into the real players of omega-3, EPA and DHA, in humans. Men convert only about 2% of ALA into EPA, and none into DHA. Women are a bit more efficient in this conversion. As such, it makes far more sense to rely on direct sources of EPA and DHA, such as fish oil supplements and fatty fish. Allport also makes an error when she says that " all fish are rich in omega-3." In fact, only fatty fish are rich in omega-3, such as sardines, herring, mackeral, and halibut. The lean fish sources are poor to mediocre sources. These minor errors aside, however, the book is an entertaining and educational source of information about omega-3 fats.

Here is a history of research leading to the discoveries that linoleic acid, an omega-6 type, is essential in diet in small amounts, and the later finding that linolenic acid, an omega-3 type, is also essential, and no longer found in desirable amounts in our diets. The latter is converted to the very valuable EPA and DHA, which may also be eaten as fish oil or as supplements. The omega-3s in adequate amounts are said to prevent heart attacks, obesity and cancer, at the least. Advice on what foods to eat or avoid is given in a clear, if not totally evidence-based manner. How to have one's own blood tested for omega levels is given. The fairly recent discoveries are presented that linoleic acid is converted to eicosanoids that cause inflammation vs. eicosanoids that cause relaxation from omega-3s. An important angle, if true, was that a high level of omega-6s in the diet will partially prevent the conversion of plant omega-3 (linolenic) to EPA and DHA.

The writing is very easy to read, very well-edited, and the diagrams and photos are adequate. There is an adequate index, but the citations are not numbered in the text, but are together near the end by page number, which makes it harder to check claims. Many claims which which were considered too proven to have citations were not actually proven or bolstered with citations.

Some angles in Queen are new to me, but the first popular book on the desirability of omega-3s may have been: Enter the Zone, by Barry Sears, PhD, and Bill Lawren, New York, NY:Regan/HarperCollins, 1995. In his The Omega Rx Zone, 2002, the omega-3 and -6 fatty acid message is greatly improved, but the message on saturated fats was not. So Allport has not contributed much that is original. My opinion is that one of the best books on omega-3s in the diet is The Modern Nutritional Diseases by Alice & Fred Ottoboni.

Unfortunately, there was considerable misdirection. The Seven-Country Study by Ancel Keys that was so influential (cholesterol and saturated fat being "bad") was not presented as the fraud it was. For a great description, see The Great Cholesterol Con (GCC), by Anthony Colpo (2007). For an honest Fourteen Country Study see another GCC of 2007, this one by Malcolm Kendrick, in which Kendrick showed that the 7 countries with the lowest saturated fat consumption had the highest mortality from heart disease (450/100,000 per year), while the 7 countries with the highest saturated fat intake had the lowest mortality from heart disease (170/100,000). See also The Cholesterol Myths by Uffe Ravnskov, 2000. Low-carb high-fat diets were ridiculed from start to finish as destructive and a fad, despite overwhelming evidence that they are not. See Nielsen JV, Joensson EA, Low-carbohydrate diet in type 2 diabetes. Stable improvement of bodyweight and glycaemic control during 22 months follow-up, Nutrition & Metabolism 2006;3(22) doi:10.1186/1743-7075-3-22. While Allport may be correct in claiming that omega-3s will prevent or reverse diabetes (and she is not always clear on which type), the evidence is clear that type-1 is much more easily controlled with a low-carb high-fat diet, and type-2 may be controlled so well on a low-carb diet that no medication is needed. See Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution, rev. ed. by Richard K. Bernstein, MD, Boston, MA:Little, Brown, 2003. So Allport's recommendation to eat large amounts of fruit (p139) could be a disaster for diabetics. Eskimos are often obese albeit healthy, so omega-3s for weight loss seems too much to claim. And she seems unaware of the prevalence of grain allergies. See Natural Health & Weight Loss, Barry Groves, 2007; Know Your Fats by Mary G. Enig, 2000. Also Allport seems to equate eating linolenic acid as the equivalent of eating EPA and DHA in fish, and does not recommend supplements of the latter two. Neither idea had any supporting evidence presented. Nor was the ideal range of omega-3 intake given. A study of the conversion of radioisotopically-labeled linolenic acid to EPA in humans showed poor conversion, and even poorer conversion to DHA. Adequate intakes of pre-formed DHA are needed for good health. See Burdge G, alpha-Linolenic acid metabolism in men and women: nutritional and biological implications, Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care 2004;7:137-144.

A list of 67 more errors may be obtained from kauffman@bee.net. Thus this book is not recommended.

This book is part detective story, part science lesson and part narrative. It is written in clear, straightforward prose that clarifies and educates as well as entertains. It answers a lot of the questions you may have about fats: why are they called Omega-3s? What is the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats? Why are animal fats called fats and plant fats called oils? Are there good fats and bad fats? Is the Atkins diet really healthy?

The narrative format used to trace the history of the discovery of these amazing fats really works. Learning how the facts about fats were uncovered helps the reader understand why a diet rich in Omega-3s is important, unlike many of the fad diets and spurious nutritional advice that are pitched in the media today. It is also very instructive to see how the facts were often misinterpreted and misunderstood when they were first discovered and what new discoveries brought the truth into focus. Allport provides a thorough and balanced account of the science underlying her thesis that these fats, the Omega-3s, are truly the Queen of the Fatty Acids.

And on a final note, unlike most science books, this one has a conclusion that could change your life... for the better. It not only provides a well documented, clearly reasoned case for the benefits of having more Omega-3s in your diet, but it also offers simple, practical advice about adding them back into your diet. Read the book, heed her advice and you're sure to be healthier, smarter and smile more!

I have read a great deal about omega-3's and the essential fatty acids over the past couple of years and yet I still had many unanswered questions. Susan Allport delivered a compelling story that clearly addressed most of my questions. I highly recommend this book!

As always, in "The Queen of Fats," Susan Allport brings a science story alive with just the right amount of esoteric detail to draw the reader in and keep him/her there. In this book, she ferrets out intriguing human dramas behind one of the most misunderstood topics of the day - Omega-3s -- which themselves appear to be the crucial and often-missing cornerstone of personal health. In contrast to diet books that tell you what to eat in a way that is never completely convincing, Allport lays out the facts in such a way that readers can decide for themselves how to make healthy decisions about what they eat.

Mary Carpenter
author, "Rescued by a Cow and a Squeeze"

I've just completed Susan's latest book, The Queen of Fats: Why Omega-3's were removed from the western diet and what we can do to replace them and it's terrific! The title really says it all and the book reads like a thriller - I couldn't put it down. Be warned, there is a good bit of scientific-speak in this book but the subject matter is so compelling that it's a bit like reading sexy passages of a naughty novel in the foreign language you nearly learned in high school. It's well worth the time and this is important stuff for our health - I just had my first taste of flaxseed oil ... Enjoy!

First-rate science writing. I had some very high-level understanding of omega fats when I started the book (I knew the main acronyms, and the importance of omega-3-to-omega-6 dietary balance) but by the end I had a much better feeling for the omega fat family trees, their function, impact on health, plus there is a truly fascinating speculative chapter on why omega-3 and omega-6 have different effects in the body. It's written from the historical point of view, which I think is a fine approach generally - one touches the main ideas again and again which is helpful for understanding, but it's in the context of the historical story so it doesn't seem like pointless repetition. One small criticism is that the author seems to have wanted to keep the presentation as an 'essay for the interested layman' and to avoid it looking like a biochemistry textbook. But the chapter on membranes was just one place that could have benefited from figures. And there are warnings about saturated fat which will surely be of interest to anyone who is a reader of this book, but the background info is way too terse to justify the statements made (so Finland reduced saturated fat and heart disease went down - that alone is no basis for the conclusion that 'saturated fat is bad').

In summary, a great book if you want the science of omega fatty acids. If you just want dietary advice, don't buy this - get Simopoulos's Omega Diet or Michael Schmidt's book instead.

The book does an excellent job of pulling together the results of many years of research studies into the effect of diet on the health and physical well being of peoples from around the world. It points out the importance of balance for the various fatty acids and steps one may take to work toward this balance; i.e., dietary actions to take and avoid. It is heavy on the chemistry involved, but persons not interested in the chemical details can still learn a lot. My belief is the author has great credibility. I have changed my diet aimed at balancing the omega 3s and omega 6s.

Susan Allport is neither a physician nor a nutritionist, but a journalist by profession. As she points out, this may make her less biased and able to take a broader perspective in recounting the development of, and explaining in lay terms, a dietary concept with far-reaching health implications: that an imbalance of certain essential fatty acids in our diet is a fundamental factor in the development of many chronic diseases, particularly coronary heart disease.
Michael Pollan, also a journalist, cites and summarizes her book in his better-selling review of modern nutrition, In Defense of Food. This is what led me to purchase Allport's book. Unfortunately, she does not have Pollan's gift for prose, but by examining in greater depth what he refers to as a possible "unifying hypothesis" of the effects of diet on modern disease, she makes up in content for whatever she lacks in style. Even if omega-3 fatty acids do not ultimately prove to be as critical to human health as she suggests, her book is worth reading as a fascinating account of how new insights into the role of nutrition in health are still being worked out, and the time and research it takes to overcome existing dogma. For practical application of these ideas, with less emphasis on their historical evolution, I would recommend Artemis Simopoulos' The Omega Diet.
I particularly liked the way she told the story from the point of view of the maverick researchers involved, showing how much patience and dedication it takes to not just discover new ideas, but have them heard and accepted. Many interesting facts are sprinkled along the way, from the rarity of diabetes among Eskimos, to the differences in cell membranes between emus and hummingbirds, and why we should care. Bravo to the people who ask these questions and to Susan Allport for informing us of the answers!

I heard her interviewed and immediately ordered the book and then I couldn't put it down. I'm a voracious reader, a biochemist and a mom (i.e. family food director). All I can say is OHMAHGAWD. I have ABSOLUTELY no idea how non-chemists perceive this book, but I have now seen the light and I will be eating lower on the food chain, but not so low as the seeds! LAurie