What’s all the fuss about Omega 3 and how do you choose one from the other with the huge range available?
First up here’s a crash course in biochemistry. Omega 3 is one of a group of Essential Fatty Acids that you need in your diet. They are……. well…… essential. Why? Because we need them and our body cannot make them. They must be part of our diet.
Your body needs them to create every cell and operate every function in your body. They are needed:
- To make healthy cell membranes
- For effective brain and nervous system operation
- For effective thyroid and adrenal activity
- To produce hormones
- To regulate blood pressure
- For optimum liver function
- For strong immunity
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Are all Omega 3’s the same?
Definitely not!
The easiest way to tell them apart is to look at the label and know the difference. You’ll usually find three different sets of three initials describing the key ingredients. ALA, EPA and DHA.
What’s the difference between ALA, EPA and DHA?
ALA is short for alpha linolenic acid. There are a bunch of other names but this is most common. This is the form of omega 3 found mostly in plant seed and nut oils. Concentrations vary with soya bean oil at 8% ALA, rape seed oil (a.k.a. canola oil) at 10% ALA, flax seed oil (a.k.a. linseed oil) at 55% ALA and the highest amount is found in Chia oil at 64% ALA.
ALA is an 18 carbon atom chain poly unsaturated fatty acid.
Eicosapentaenoic acid or EPA has 20 carbon atoms and docosahexaenoic acid or DHA has 22. They can both be made from ALA but the process is energy consuming and requires a specific enzyme that some people don’t have or have insufficient levels of. ALA converts first to EPA then to DHA, so unless DHA is in the diet your body concentration of this essential fatty acid will be the lowest.
What do EPA and DHA do?
Both EPA and DHA are incorporated into the cell walls as critical components that keep them permeable. In other words nutrients can get in and waste out. But that’s not all!
Every cell carries genetic codes that enable it to perform multiple tasks. It will receive messages from other parts of your body that will trigger certain chemicals to be produced if it is a gland and those chemicals might be hormones that control blood sugar levels.
Your cells are constantly bathed in chemicals from your body and these messages are instructions to produce one substance, stop making that substance or make more of yourself if it is the bone marrow.
Messages to drink more, open your pupils, increase your heart rate, or produce more saliva are all carried into and out of cells so they can be acted on.
So what’s the big deal?
Most of the plant seeds contain much higher levels of Omega 6 than Omega 3 and it is this ratio that is important.
The ideal ratio to have in your diet is about 4:1 of Omega 6 to Omega 3. The problem is most of our diets are much higher in Omega 6’s than Omega 3’s and we actually consume at levels commonly at 15:1 and some foods get up to 30:1.
ALA is one of the good fats, but….
It competes, as do all the Omega 6 fatty acids, with the other Omega 3 fats EPA and DHA in the cell membrane building process. Their functions differ widely.
Research now shows without a shadow of a doubt that EPA and DHA are the most beneficial Omega three forms to add to your diet. Not only will they reverse the imbalance brought about by modern diets high in saturated fats but they have specific effects on major health problems.
Heart, Joint and Sugar
Omega 3 fatty acids added to the diet have been proven to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease.1
In fact in Italy a doctor would be considered to be professionally negligent if they did not prescribe Omega 3 supplements to patients who have experienced a heart attack or been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease.
In America less than 15% of doctors routinely do this. Why? My cynical view is there are two reasons. Firstly there is a negative stigma associated with supplements. And secondly there is a billion dollar medical industry associated with surgical intervention such as pacemakers, bypass surgery and the likes.
Omega 3 supplementation also reduces joint inflammation and eases pain associated with arthritic changes. Supplementation allows sufferers to reduce their reliance on pain relief and this is a major benefit as side effects from these pain killers and anti-inflammatory drugs can become severe problems in their own right.
Particularly positive benefits have been seen with rheumatoid arthritis sufferers and which is not surprising when this is associated with a breakdown in your own body’s immune system where it begins to attack itself in the joints.
If that is not a failure of cell to cell communication I don’t know what is!
Finally even diabetics can see reduction in their requirement for insulin, particularly if their triglyceride levels are high. This topic needs further investigation and I will cover it again in more depth.
My recommendation is to go for fish based omega 3 supplements over plant (you can forget the taste after effects, choose a brand that doesn’t have that effect). Pick a supplement that gives you more DHA and EPA than ALA with a total intake of 1000mg three times daily.
Eat salmon or tuna as regularly as your budget allows and if it is not farm raised add Detox & Rebuild Chlorella to counteract potential mercury exposure.
Watch this space for more oil information.
References:
1. n–3 Fatty Acid Dietary Recommendations and Food Sources to Achieve Essentiality and Cardiovascular Benefits. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Vol. 83, No. 6, S1526-1535S, June 2006 Back
