Omega 6
Omega6 are essential fatty acids (AGE); their structure is polyunsaturated, that is, it has two or more double bonds that make them liquid both at room temperature and at more rigid temperatures.
The English acronym for essential fatty acids is PUFA, which derives from the specific nomenclature Poly-Unsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA), or better, in the case of omega6, PUFA-n6.
Omega6 is the basis for the synthesis of some bioregulators: prostaglandins and thromboxanes. Since these are precursors involved in inflammatory processes and blood clotting, some researchers have carried out tests in vitro to verify the potential harmfulness to humans at pharmacological doses; the results were not encouraging. However, only at a later time, other experimental statistics and in vivo they have denied these theories and on the contrary increasingly assimilate the metabolic effects of linoleic acid (precursor of omega6) to those of the other beneficial EFA without side effects, namely α-linolenic acid (PUFA-n3).
Sources of omega6 (ω6)
Linoleic acid is found mainly in seeds, nuts and oils. They are excellent sources of omega6: sunflower oil, wheat germ and wheat germ oil, sesame, walnuts and wheat oil. nuts, soybeans and soybean oil, corn and corn oil, olives and olive oil, etc.
Intake levels of omega6 (ω6)
To hear what the Recommended Nutrient Intake Levels for the Italian population (LARN), the contribution of AGE should be around 2.5% of total calories (kcal), appropriately divided into 0.5% of omega3 and 2.0% of omega6. Ultimately, the ratio between omega6 and omega3 should be 4: 1 and in any case not exceed 6: 1. Based on statistical data obtained from research on a large sample, it is estimated that, in the Italian diet, the ratio between omega6 and omega3 is between 10: 1 and 13: 1; on the other hand, this does not mean that the intake of omega6 reaches the recommended values (much less that of omega3) and that the overall intake of EFA can be defined as satisfactory.
We are what we eat: interaction of nutritional molecules with the body
An old saying of the German philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach quotes: "... we are what we eat ..."; nothing more true.
The lipid and protein content of our tissues also depends on the nutritional molecules we take with our diet; it is true that the organism, with the exception of essential molecules (vitamins, mineral salts, essential amino acids and AGE), synthesizes the "building blocks" that make up the organism autonomously ... but it is not always so efficient! Just think of food contamination by prions, peptide sequences which, changing structure suddenly, alter the structure of the protein they constitute (see Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy - BSE, or mad cow syndrome); animals and humans, feeding on meat infected with prions and not cooked adequately, can contract this pathology. Another sensational example is that referred to the direct correlation between the content of saturated fatty acids, hydrogenated and in trans conformation VS reduction of mental efficiency and predisposition to degenerative brain diseases (Alzheimer's) in old age. It seems that a diet excessively rich in these "nutrients" interacts with the composition of nerve cells, significantly worsening their overall efficiency.
It goes without saying that it is absolutely essential to manage one's diet in a healthy and intelligent way; Unfortunately, however, often our "choices" are limited to a superficial level, that is the food group: those who want to introduce more good fats and less bad fats tend to eat more fish and vegetable oils than foods derived from terrestrial animals (such as cheeses and fatty pork). The reader does not misunderstand, this is an "excellent interpretation of the" guidelines "and for no reason should he modify it; however, it can help to reach a new level of awareness concerning the distinction of various foods based on origin and / or to the race they belong to.
Omega6 (ω6) content in pork, the Black of the Mandonie
From what is written in the introduction, it seems that the essential fatty acids of the omega6 category are exclusive to foods of vegetable origin (seeds, sprouts and resulting oils), but in the following paragraph we will discover that there are some welcome exceptions.
'We are what we eat"is a saying that concerns all forms of life, including the animals of our farms; therefore, it should be deductible that the meat of the animals destined for slaughter could be more or less healthy based on the diet and lifestyle that these animals have followed (or have followed) throughout their lives.
As regards the composition of lipids in meat, in addition to the type of farming (intensive or extensive), nutrition also plays an important role. Obviously, we are all aware that some chemical and nutritional aspects are impossible to modify; for example, the cholesterol content of meat (which cannot be lowered beyond a certain level, being a constituent of cell membranes), or the (moderate) content of fatty acids in configuration trans present in the tissues of ruminant animals (which originate from intestinal bacterial fermentation). However, there are breeds of BRED animals that contain a high intake of AGE and a smaller quantity of saturated ones, by virtue of a completely natural diet, therefore HEALTHY; it is the "Sicilian black pig of Nebrodi, or Nero delle Mandonie ".
In reality, it is not the only BRED species (consequently excluding wild animals) that boasts a lipid content of the genus; also in other European countries (such as Spain) you can find farms that produce meat similar to that of the Black of the Mandonie, but "for parochialism", in the following paragraph, we will focus on Italian farms.
Pork Black of the Nebrodi is an "ancient native breed of Sicily and its presence on the territory can be traced back to the Greek and Carthaginian period (VII-VI century BC); it is a dark-colored pig with an almost totally wild behavior that requires free grazing and independent. The breeding of the Black of the Mandonie takes place in the wooded areas of the island, on the Nebrodi precisely, an area that is located in the "only Apennine-like green spot in Sicily: the slopes ofEtna. This pig reaches considerable dimensions and generally lives in groups of 10-15 specimens; it grazes and roots in thickets composed of oaks, turkey oaks and beeches, where it can find mushrooms, tubers, roots, bulbs, hazelnuts and acorns in abundance.
Precisely with regard to his diet, the Black pig of the Nebrodi boasts an excellent omega6 content; more than from tubers, roots, bulbs and mushrooms, this animal derives essential fatty acids from the continuous introduction of acorns and hazelnuts. It is a diet that is closer to that of the wild relative, the wild boar, and less similar to that of the breeding brother (consisting of flour and feed of all kinds); this feature gives the Black of the Mandonie an unparalleled nutritional richness.
In conclusion, to favor the intake of omega6 fatty acids also with pork (if possible), it would be advisable to prefer meat (both fresh and preserved) obtained from the slaughter of pigs from farms of Black of the Mandonie, a breed with a registry and officially recognized by the "National Association of Pig Breeders (ANAS).
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