WHAT IS SACHA INCHI?
The Sacha Inchi plant, Plukentia Volubilis Linneo, is harvested for its seeds that are encased inside a 4-7 star-shaped pod. In a 2013 publication in Food Chemistry, 'Sacha inchi seeds should be considered as an important dietary source of health promoting phytochemicals.' It contains abundant cysteine, tyrosine, threonine, and tryptophan. Sacha inchi oil is rich in omega fatty acids, and has about 96% unsaturated fatty acid; highest among other edible oils.
HIGH IN GOOD FATS
In 2004, sacha inchi oil was awarded the gold medal at the World Edible Oils competition. As polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) oxidizes easily, high quality oils are generally cold-pressed to retain nutritional value. There are three types of omega fatty acids: omega-3 and omega-6, both PUFAs, and omega-9 which is a mono-unsaturated fat. They are considered 'healthy' compared to saturated and trans fats, that are associated with heart disease, stroke, obesity and type 2 diabetes.
HIGH IN OMEGA FATTY ACIDS
Sacha inchi oil is a rich source of omega fatty acids. Both alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and linoleic (LA) are essential fatty acids (EFA) as they cannot be synthesized and must be obtained from diet. In sacha inchi oil, 42% to 48% omega-3, 32.8% to 38.4% is omega-6, and 9.4% to 14.4% is omega-9. Comparing with fish oil, which has only about 11.9 to 35.3g of omega-3 per 100g of oil, sacha inchi oil packs in more. Furthermore, it has only about 7% of saturated fatty acids.
OMEGA-3 VS 6
Both omega-3 and 6 are crucial to important functions such as brain development, hormones production, cholesterol processing, the regulation of blood pressure and clotting and so on. Omega-3 reduces inflammation, and omega-6 promotes it. An excess of omega-6 causes cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, macular degeneration, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer and autoimmune diseases, yet too much of omega-3 may increase the risk of haemorrhage and related diseases.
IDEAL RATIO
Quoting Susan Allport, 'no one knows what the optimal ratio in the diet is for these two families of fats.' Andrew Stoll reasoned that 'once in the body, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids follow parallel pathways, continually competing with each other for chemical conversion to various structures and molecules inside and outside the cells. Given this mechanism, it makes sense that the two fats might be required in approximately equal amounts.' This makes Sacha inchi oil ideal.
HIGH IN VITAMIN E
Antioxidants combat the damage caused by free radicals. Sacha inchi oil contains about 114mg and 125mg of γ and δ tocopherols respectively per 100g of oil, which are forms of vitamin E, an antioxidant. γ-tocopherol also has reactive nitrogen oxide species (RNOS) detoxification ability. Reducing RNOS decreases the risk of cancer, cardiovascular diseases and neurodegenerative diseases. Combined with the omega-3 fatty acid, it is a particularly potent for reducing inflammation.
CLEARS ARTERIES
Arteries become blocked due to plague built up over many years, and can suddenly rapture. The blood clot causes a heart attack or stroke. Unlike saturated fats, unsaturated fats do not form plaque and reduces LDL (bad cholesterol) and increases HDL (good cholesterol). A study in Revista Peruana de Medicina Experimental y Salud Pública in 2011, tested sacha inchi oil on 24 people over four months to successfully show it's beneficial effects.
