Let me explain. There are two main types of molecules that exist on this planet: those that like water and are willing to mix with it and those that do not. Those that like water are called hydrophillic (water loving) and those that do not mix with water are hydrophobic (water fearing). You can see this behavior everyday in your kitchen. What happens when you mix olive oil and balsamic vinegar to make salad dressing? They quickly separate. Balsamic vinegar is a solution of mostly water. We have all heard the phrase "oil and water don't mix." Oil is just fat. Fat is hydrophobic and vinegar is hydrophillic. We won't go into why fats don't like water, that is a discussion for another day. Most of you would prefer not to "nerd out" with me on that topic anyway .
For me, as a biochemist, the solubility of a molecule is very important because it determines how that molecule will interact in its environment. The term solubility refers to how will a material will mix or dissolve into another substance to form a uniform solution. Substances that dissolves other matierals are called solvents. Water is considered the universal solvent. However, water cannot dissolve everything. Thank heaven it can't, or we would not exist on this planet.
Now why would it matter to you if a substance is hydrophillic or hydrophobic? Your body is roughly 80% water. Most of your body is hydrophillic. If your body was 100% hydrophilic that would pose a problem because you would start to dissolve every time you got wet. How stressful it would be if the cells of your arm or leg would begin to float away every time you got into the bath, a swimming pool or the ocean or even got caught in the rain? Therefore, you must have parts of you that are hydrophobic. This is where the elegance and genius of the cell membrane enters the conversation.
Each of your cells has a lipid bilayer cell membrane. Which means that the membrane that defines boundaries of your cells in your body has hydrophilic part and a hydrophobic part. The outside of the cell membrane likes water but the inside of the cell membrane does not. The cell membrane is composed of these long carbon based molecules that have a water loving head and a water fearing tail. They are called phospholipids. Your cell membranes have two layers of phospholipid molecules. The water loving heads are on the outside of the lipid bilayer that interact with the environment inside and outside the cell which is mostly water. The water fearing tails are all lined up on the inside of the lipid bilayer. What an ingenious combination!! Your cells remain intact when you get wet because of the lipid bilayer. Good fat is necessary and important to your health!
We also have other types of fat loving molecules that need to get into and out of cells to do their jobs. Many of these fat loving molecules are hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, to name a few. The body has to continually make new hormones and other fat loving molecules and break down old ones to function properly. The fat soluble or fat loving molecules that are broken down need to be eliminated in waste products. Your major pathways to remove waste in your body are #1 the colon or your fecal matter (aka poop) and #2 is your urine. Now both the feces and urine are water based so fat loving molecules don't mix well with them. The fat soluble molecules that need to be eliminated must be transferred to the liver to be converted to water soluble compounds for elimination. The liver is our primary detoxification organ and needs a continual supply of nutrients to do its job. If the liver is not working effectively, we can have toxic buildup in our bodies and it can make us feel sick, sluggish, have brain fog, or even tired and just plain yucky.
Your liver needs B vitamins, magnesium, zinc and other nutrients so the enzymes that convert these hydrophobic molecules into hydrophillic ones can work. Eating whole foods with lots of fruits and vegetables as well as healthy protein goes a long way to helping supply the liver with what it needs to function. Take care of your body by eating well and limiting or even eliminating alcohol. Alchohol is converted into toxic substances that harm the liver and other organs as the body processess the ethanol you drink. Plus alcoholic drinks typically contain a lot of carbohydrates which will hijack your metabolism.
Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of what the term "fat soluble" means and why good fat is important to your health. If you have any questions about this topic or would like to learn more about our coaching program please contact us through this website. Maybe you are struggling with symptoms of poor health or want to understand what you can do to improve your already good health. Just fill out the health history form under the forms tab and we will schedule your initial consult with our trained specialists. Remember, your first consultation with us is absolutley free with no obligation. We are passionate about supporting you on your health journey.
Yours in Health,
Renee Williams
Biochemist and Nationally Certified Health Coach
Nourishing Roots Nutritional and Wellness Coaching
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