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What eicosanoids are

WHAT ARE EICOSANOIDS

Everyone knows those hormones that may be measured by a blood test: insulin, glucagon, testosterone, and estrogens. However, few have heard any mention of eicosanoids, even though they are the most potent biological agents known. In fact, they control all hormonal systems and every physiological function: the cardiovascular and reproductive systems; the central nervous system and the immune system, etc. It is for this reason that they may be defined "super-hormones". They are chemical messengers that are produced in very low concentrations by each cell in our bodies, last only a few seconds and do not enter the blood stream. It is easy to see that their identification might be difficult.

SOME HISTORY
They have been around for at least 500 million years and were the first kind of hormonal control in living organisms. However, the first examples were only isolated in the prostate in 1936, and it is for this reason they were called prostaglandins. Later, their extraordinary importance was discovered, and their numbers would continue to grow. Leukotrienes, thromboxanes, prostacyclins, lipoxins, the hydroxylated fatty acids, etc. would be added, playing fundamental roles in bronchoconstriction, allergies, cardiopathies, inflammation, etc. In 1982 the Nobel prize for medicine was conferred upon the investigators who researched this potent hormone category of which there are hundreds of types. They explained the mechanism of drug action, such as miraculous aspirin, which up to then was being used without truly understanding its mechanism, revealed to be a modification of the body's eicosanoid levels.

Thus, it is easy to imagine that control of these biochemical messengers, the eicosanoids, which are involved in all bodily functions, may be decisive for health and those diseases that might be defined as the manifestation of eicosanoid balance or imbalance. It may be said that there are two types, those capable of bringing about great benefits to health (good eicosanoids) and those causing great damage (bad eicosanoids) if produced in excess. Both are necessary, but it is their correct balance that allows one to benefit from good health.

THE PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTIONS OF "GOOD" AND "BAD" EICOSANOIDS

"Good" eicosanoids	"Bad" eicosanoids
they inhibit platelet aggregation	they promote platelet aggregation
they promote vasodilation of blood vesserls	they promote vasoconstriction of blood vessels
they reduce pain	they increase pain
they diminish cellular proliferation	they stimulate cellular proliferation
they improve immune system efficiency	they depress the immune systen
they improve cerebral function	they degrade cerebral function
they combat inflammation	they promote inflammation

Obviously, in nature there are no entirely good or entirely bad substances. In the same way, the opposing action of eicosanoids is important. For example, in blood platelet aggregation, the "bad" eicosanoids promote aggregation, while the "good" eicosanoids inhibit it. Should platelets become aggregated at the wrong time, a blood clot is formed which could lead to a heart attack, but if no platelet aggregation should take place following wounding, then there is a risk of excess bleeding. It is the same for blood pressure: too much of the "bad" eicosanoids causes increased pressure due to excess vasoconstriction, but too much of the "good" eicosanoids can lead to collapse due to exaggerated vasodilation. Hence this is an important equilibrium that, surprisingly, may be controlled by food.

Dietary fats are the sole source of essential fatty acids, which are the building blocks of eicosanoids; and the balance between protein and carbohydrates controls another important hormonal axis, that between insulin and glucagon, which in turn determines whether "good" or "bad" eicosanoids are produced. Hence, through diet, we must try to introduce the correct quantities of essential fatty acids and control insulin production that, if excessive, can have negative effects on health.

All the "bad" eicosanoids are derived from arachidonic acid (AA), a long-chain omega 6 fatty acid. For the production of more "good" eicosanoids there must be an abundance of omega 3, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which is found in fish oil and inhibits the production of AA. Furthermore, high insulin levels, which can have an influence on the enzyme delta 5 desaturase, leading to the production of AA, should be avoided.

Unfortunately, current day-to-day diets include both too few long-chain omega 3 and excessive carbohydrates, leading to excessive insulin production. In order to re-establish the balance, it is necessary to bridge the omega 3 nutritional gap through a diet of fish that are rich in it (salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines, etc.) or through fish oil, and control the stimulation of insulin by choosing the correct carbohydrates and a balanced association among carbohydrates, protein and fats.

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