There has been a lot of "buzz" lately around the importance of omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment and prevention of many diseases. They have been shown to protect the heart from cardiovascular disease, to protecting against Alzheimer's and reducing inflammation in the body. But what are they and where do we get them?
The significance behind the Omega-3 fatty acids is that they are essential to our body. This means not only are they necessary, but our bodies cannot make them and they need to come from the diet. Well what happens when we don't get enough of these essential fatty acids in the diet? That's why there are 2000 peer-reviewed studies on omega-3's and their role in health. Without boring you with the biochemistry we need to make a few distinctions with regards to Omega-3's. While there are a few good sources of omega-3's (ie flax seeds/oil) a lot of the research is done studying the long chain omega-3's EPA and DHA. While your body can convert a % or the omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid into EPA and DHA with various enzymes, we can consume EPA and DHA directly in cold water fatty fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines and anchovies. Part of the reason we need DHA in our bodies is because it composes part of the brain. At birth your brain is composed of 60% fat and a total of 11% of the brain's mass comes from DHA. So what happens when the mom does not get enough EPA/DHA in the diet? We know from research that DHA continues to accumulate in the brain and neural tissues until the age of two. This is part of the reason it is important for the mom to breast feed. Not only does the baby get the perfect nutritional composition and immune support, but they also get the necessary omega-3's for proper brain development. This also poses an interesting question about post-partum depression. They have studied the correlation between countries with low fish consumption and the incidence of post-partum depression and noted that it is significantly higher than those countries that have a higher consumption of fish.
There are now over 2000 peer-reviewed studies documenting the various benefits of omega-3 oils in the diet. A lot of this information comes from studying groups of people, monitoring their fish intake and noticing trends with conditions like cardiovascular disease. As an example, the average North American consumes approximately 0.1-0.2 g/day EPA/DHA. Compare this to an Inuit person who consumes approximately 2.1 g of EPA/DHA and has a significantly lower risk of heart disease. Omega-3's have shown to reduce levels of triglycerides in teh blood and raise the HDL ("good" cholesterol) which has had a significant impact on the prevention and treatment of at risk individuals. It has also been shown to reduce atherosclerosis (plaque formation), heart arrythmia's and inflammatory markers.
Well what about the risk of contamination from the heavy metals and other environmental pollutants? The reputable companies will put their oil through a few processes to ensure the oil is free from contaminants. Ask your local health food store who the good companies are. This may be one case where it is better to take a supplement than eat the actual food. Most fish oils don't taste anything like fish. In fact they usually taste like lemon or orange. I usually recommend people take the oil as it is more cost effective, but there are capsules if you need them. Most of the studies done with regards to EPA/DHA would require us to take 1-2 teaspoons of fish oil/day. This would provide approximately 1.6-3.2 grams of the brain protecting, heart protecting, good stuff per day. This would take a lot of capsules so read your labels. It has been shown that most humans will convert between 5-15% of alpha-linolenic acid (found in flax oil) to EPA/DHA. This would require a lot of flax oil so this is why I recommend the fish oil. SOme people ask about the "blended" oils of omega-3,6,9 and these are great, but most people are so deficient in EPA/DHA that it won't provide enough. Besides, if you consume olive oil, nuts and seeds in your diet you will get enough of the other oils.
I knew this was an important topic when the first two seminars I attended this year revolved around the topic of omega-3 fatty acids and their role in health. It was also interesting that both seminars were focused on the consumption of EPA/DHA and this made it clear to me why everybody needs to look at their current intake and supplement as necessary.
Dr. Jason Plotsky
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