Natural Compounds: What Are They and Why Are They Important?

By now, most of us are seeking natural products that have less ingredients, less artificial colors and flavors, and leave less of a carbon footprint.  Not only  are we often faced with foods containing unnecessary and unhealthy ingredients that can compromise our ability to optimize our nutritional health, but our earth is negatively impacted by the waste and pollution we produce as a byproduct. 

Many of us have become our own healthcare advocates, and in our fight to take better care of ourselves and reclaim our health, we’ve begun to look for ways to wipe the slate clean.  Our bodies are designed to function better when we take a purer  approach to our wellness.  One way of doing this is by choosing vitamins and supplements that we naturally need and are in their purest forms, absent of fillers, flavorings, and other ingredients. 

What Is a Natural Compound?

First things first: a compound is the result of two elements that have bonded together. An example would be water, the combination of hydrogen and oxygen.   A natural compound is a chemical substance produced by a living organism (i.e. either a plant or animal).  A natural compound can also be produced synthetically (manufactured in a lab), which can be a bit confusing.  

If a natural compound is synthetically produced, it simply means a series of chemical reactions were used to produce the compound.  The chemical structure of a natural compound and its functions are exactly the same as the compound found in nature. A good example of this would be melatonin, which occurs naturally in humans and animals, but which can also be created synthetically.  The major takeaway is that just because something has been synthetically produced does not mean it isn’t still a natural compound, and doesn’t mean it is “bad.” In fact, natural compounds that are synthetically made are typically more pure, less taxing on the environment, and lack environmental contaminants that can be present in compounds extracted from nature.

Why Are Natural Compounds Important?

Natural compounds have long served as a basis for drugs that help to treat some of the world’s most common diseases. In fact, it is estimated that natural compounds have led to development of about one-third of prescription drugs available today. Even though natural compounds in living organisms have been studied for centuries, development of new drugs and new treatments come from their continued study.  

Many natural compounds are beneficial to our bodies when we use them.  This is the idea behind supplementation.  We know there are essential vitamins, minerals and fatty acids that we need in order to thrive, but our bodies do not produce on their own.  As such, we need to get these natural compounds from the foods we eat or the supplements we take.  

An example of a natural fatty acid that is emerging as beneficial is C15:0 (also called pentadecanoic acid). A growing body of global science supports that C15:0 is the first essential fatty acid to be discovered in 90 years.  The health benefits of this fatty acid was initially discovered by studying populations of dolphins that began living longer, healthier lives.  Research showed that dolphins that ate a particular type of fish (a fish that contained high levels of C15:0) were healthier than another population of dolphins that did not have access to these fish, and subsequently did not have access to C15:0.  It ends up that similar associations between higher C15:0 levels and better health were being reported in human populations throughout the world. 

Subsequent studies have shown that C15:0 actively protects cellular health, which helps to explain why people with higher C15:0 levels have healthier bodies.*† These studies led to the creation of FA15, a pure, powder form of C15:0 in fatty15. Fatty15 can be taken as a supplement to meet our needs for this natural, essential fatty acid in the same way that it is benefitting dolphins, our fellow big-brained, long-lived mammals of the sea. 

What Else Should I Know About C15:0?

If you’re curious about this dolphin discovery, we don’t blame you; it’s pretty exciting. First, let’s learn a little more about what C15:0 is and why we aren’t getting enough of it.

C15:0 is an odd-chain saturated fatty acid found in products like whole fat milk, whole fat butter, some types of fish, and a few plants.  Because C15:0 is a saturated fat, there’s a good chance you aren’t getting much of it in your diet.  This is largely due to dietary guidelines that, at best, were well intentioned, but now appear to have been wrong due to removal all saturated fats.  Here’s a little timeline of dietary events:

• 1977: Government nutrition guidelines change, instructing 200 million Americans to eat a diet that contains less saturated fat.

• 1998: The changes are measurable.  Americans are eating less whole fat dairy products, opting instead for things like skim milk and vegetable oil-based margarine products.

• 1990-2010: Children begin developing health issues typically reserved for older populations like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity.

• 2015-2019: Researchers discover that not all saturated fats are bad for you.  In fact, some saturated fatty acids, like C15:0, are associated with better health.

• 2020: Fatty15, the world’s first pure C15:0 fatty acid supplement is released, giving us all a chance to fight back against a generation of fat deficient diets.  

While low fat diets have resulted in population-wide declines in C15:0 levels, there’s hope.  As a once-daily supplement, fatty15 provides FA15,  a pure powder form of the natural compound, C15:0, that can change the landscape of our health and wellness for the better, allowing us to protect our health and age on our own terms.*

How Can Taking fatty15 Benefit Health and Wellness?

It all starts with our cells and what happens to them as we age.  Our body is composed of trillions of cells, and they each get older every second of every day.  

Here’s what happens when our cells age:

• Cellular structures break down.  Our cells’ membranes become more fragile as we get older, compromising our cells’ ability to readily deliver things like oxygen and nutrients to other tissues in our bodies that need them.

• Mitochondria get tired.  Mitochondria are the powerhouses of our cells.  When we get older, mitochondrial function can begin to decline, which increases cellular stress and decreases your cell’s energy output.

• Cellular homeostasis is compromised.  Aging can leave our immune system and metabolism unbalanced, resulting in overactive immune cells and poor glucose and cholesterol control that can leave us feeling unbalanced, too. 

It’s no wonder so many of us in the over-thirty crowd are reaching for extra cups of coffee and feeling generally unwell, unrested, and sluggish. A growing body of science supports that odd-chain saturated fats, specifically C15:0, can naturally help us regain balanced immunity and metabolism, as well as provide critical support to our cells, but we likely aren’t getting enough of them in our diets.*† 

Thankfully, there is a solution!  Fatty15 is a once daily supplement that contains nothing but the natural compound FA15, a pure, powder form of natural C15:0.  By taking fatty15, you can give your cells a fighting chance to recuperate from decades of low C15:0 dietary intake caused by our movement away from all saturated fats.* Based on a growing body of scientific evidence, here’s how fatty15 can give your cells the support they need:*†

• Balanced immunity.  By naturally binding to key receptors that regulate your immune system, fatty15 can help soothe your body’s immune response, supporting healthy and balanced immunity.

• Healthy metabolism.  Slower metabolism can result in poor glucose and cholesterol control, as well as poor control over our body weight.  Science supports that fatty15 can support healthy glucose, cholesterol, and weight maintenance.  

• Liver health.  Our livers are a major player in our digestive system, removing not only toxins from our blood but also nutrients to be delivered to other body parts. By protecting our liver cells, fatty15 supports healthy liver function. 

• Improved mitochondrial function.  Send help to your tired mitochondria.  Fatty15 can help repair mitochondrial function so your cells get the energy they need

If you want to give your cells the fighting chance they deserve against aging-related degradation, fatty15 is here to help.  Fatty15 provides you with a full and pure daily dose of C15:0 in a small, easy to take capsule. Created to be accessible to all, fatty15 is:

• Vegan.  No animal products or byproducts, ever.

• Allergen free.  Fatty15 contains just one ingredient, FA15 (a pure powder form of C15:0).  No gluten, foil, GMOs, dairy, fillers, or artificial colors or flavors are included. 

• Small.  Just one small, easy to swallow capsule per day gives you 100 milligrams of the good stuff.

• Sustainable.  We aim for a healthy you and a healthy planet.   That’s why fatty15 is sustainable from start to finish.  Our reusable glass bottles hold a 90-day supply of  supplements.  When you need a new supply, we ship another 90 capsules directly to your door in an eco-friendly package.  Simply refill your bottle and you’re ready to go.  No plastic, no waste. 

Even the caps of our bottles are sustainable and made from bamboo, one of the fastest growing trees in the world.  As soon as bamboo is cut for harvest, it quickly regrows, keeping the earth healthy and renewed.  

Natural compounds are great for helping us take care of our bodies and promoting our overall health and wellness. Studying natural compounds can lead us to even deeper and more promising discoveries of better healthcare, including groundbreaking products like fatty15.  

Sources:

https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/know-science/natural-doesnt-mean-better

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2658564/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-64960-y

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4511797/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5691386/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5496042/

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0189965

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22802735/