Omega 3 (EPA/DHA) for Good Health

Omega 3 (EPA/DHA) for Good Health 

Before this discussion of omega 3 I believe it is important to clear up some of the confusion about the omega essential fatty acids. Many of the food manufacturers attempting to jump on the omega 3 bandwagon are using misleading information to try to get you to buy their products. The omega 3 fatty acids that are missing in most modern western diets are Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexainoic acid (DHA). There is another omega 3 fatty acid (Alpha-linolenic acid, ALA) which most of us get plenty of. EPA and DHA we get from fish. ALA we get from vegetable sources, primarily vegetable oils. Don't let the misleading advertising and labeling fool you.

Are there different kinds of omega fatty acids?

Yes. Omega-3 fatty acids are one type of polyunsaturated fatty acid. A second type is called omega-6. Monounsaturated fatty acids are from the omega-9 family of fatty acids. Only omega-9 fatty acids can be synthesized by our bodies. We must obtain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids from the foods we eat. The following table shows different families of fatty acids and their food sources.

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential. This means that they are necessary for our bodies to be able to function, as they should. The body cannot produce these fatty acids by itself. Therefore we need a daily supplement of Omega-3 fatty acids. The Omega-3 fatty acids from fatty fish are especially important. These are the ones the body can utilize best.

The U. S. National Library of medicine has this to say about omega 3; "Omega-3 fatty acids are a form of polyunsaturated fat that the body derives from food. Omega-3s (and omega-6s) are known as essential fatty acids (EFAs) because they are important for good health. The body cannot make these fatty acids on its own so omega-3s must be obtained from food. These different types of acids can be obtained in foods such as cold-water fish including tuna, salmon, and mackerel. Other important omega 3 fatty acids are found in dark green leafy vegetables, flaxseed oils, and certain vegetable oils. Omega-3 fatty acids have been found to be beneficial for the heart. Positive effects include anti-inflammatory and anti-blood clotting actions, lowering cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and reducing blood pressure. These fatty acids may also reduce the risks and symptoms for other disorders including diabetes, stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, some cancers, and mental decline."

If you do not like fatty fish, or for other reasons cannot or do not wish to eat as much fish as necessary, and few of us eat nearly as much fish as would be required, you can meet your needs by taking a supplement of Omega-3 fatty acids.

Omega-3 is the name of a group of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The two most important of these are called EPA and DHA and are made by plankton. Fish eat plankton; so Omega-3 fatty acids are stored in the fat of the fish. Omega-3 fatty acids are primarily found in fatty fish such as herring, mackerel and salmon. Lean types of fish such as cod and flounder contain few Omega-3s.

Why take Omega-3s?

We need a certain amount of these fatty acids to thrive. They are important building blocks for cells throughout the body. Since the body does not produce them itself, we have to acquire them in the form of food and/or a dietary supplement.

Fish containing Omega-3s have been a natural part of the human diet for millions of years. However, our diet has undergone great changes over the last 100 years. Today we eat much more saturated fat and vegetable oils and much less fish. This has led to a significant imbalance in fat intake, correlating with negative effects on our health. (As being studied by the U. S. Center for Disease Control

Adding omega-3 fatty acids to your nutrient intake can restore this balance. The best method is to significantly increase your consumption of fatty fish, but softgels containing Omega-3 fatty acids are a good alternative or addition for people who cannot or do not want to eat so much fish.

Production of Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3s are primarily formed in plankton in the sea. It is especially plankton in the cold sea areas near the North and South Poles that contains high concentrations of Omega-3s. When the fish eat this plankton, they ingest Omega-3s, which then accumulate in the fat of the fish. The fish body oils are then used to make Omega-3 products.

Some of the types of fish used most commonly in the production of Omega-3 fatty acids are sardines, mackerel and herring. The best sources are Blue Hake and Hoki. These fish are found in the deep cold-water off the coast of New Zealand. There is another benefit in using the New Zealand fish. The waters of the North Atlantic and North Pacific are rather polluted. The waters off New Zealand are still pristine. I would have to believe that starting with a fish that is less affected by pollutants would have to produce a better finished product. The quantity and type of Omega-3s in the fish varies from sea to sea. The fish used for Omega-3 products is usually fish caught for the purpose of producing fishmeal. The oil containing Omega-3 fatty acids is extracted prior to this process.

Omega-3s are natural. First the oil is pressed out of the fish meat. Then removing the unwanted fat - the saturated fat, refines the oil. The more unnecessary oils removed, the greater the concentration of Omega-3s.

The difference between fish oil (Omega-3) and cod-liver oil

Cod-liver oil is made from the livers of codfish. Omega-3 products are made from the oil of the meat of fatty fish. Cod liver oil contains a naturally high content of the fat-soluble vitamins A and D, which are stored in the body. Cod liver oil was regarded as a vitamin product until late 1970s, when Omega-3 fatty acids were discovered. Cod liver oil cannot be concentrated strongly the way fish oil can, making fish oil a much better source for concentrated, and pure omega-3s.

How do we notice the effect of Omega-3s?

Our bodies need Omega-3s. Just like vitamins, Omega-3 fatty acids have a long-term effect.

Since Omega-3 fatty acids have a beneficial effect on the heart, blood vessels and circulation, changes can only be measured at the doctor's office by testing blood pressure and levels of blood lipids. In the case of people who take high doses of omega-3s for their skin and joints, on the other hand, the user should notice a positive effect after a few months*.

Even if you do not feel it directly, Omega-3s will be built into your cells, helping to ensure vigor and vitality, and helping to enable you to enjoy life for a long time.*

Does the effect disappear if we stop taking Omega-3 supplements?

If you stop taking an Omega-3 supplement, your body will gradually be emptied of the reserves that have been built up. In the course of four to six weeks the proportion of Omega-3s in your body will fall to the same level as before you started. Omega-3s are something that must be added to the body all the time, through food and/or dietary supplements - like vitamins.

In nutritional terms, the expression "essential" refers to a large number of substances, which are crucial to good health, but not produced by the body. Such essential substances must be supplied through the diet.

Essential fatty acids

Vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids and essential fatty acids are all among these substances, which we must eat constantly in order to maintain good health.

Various plants produce polyunsaturated fatty acids. We get them through our diet, either directly through fruits and vegetables or indirectly through the meat or eggs of animals, birds or fish that have eaten plants containing polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Difference between Omega-3s and Omega-6s

Essential polyunsaturated fatty acids belong to one of two "families", the Omega-6 family or the Omega-3 family. The two families differ not only in their chemistry, but also in their natural occurrence and biological function. Terrestrial plants typically produce omega-6 fatty acids. We usually find them in cooking oils such as corn oil, soybean oil and sunflower oil.  Omega-3 fatty acids, on the other hand, originate mainly from marine plankton ending up in the marine food chain. The most important source of Omega-3s is high-fat fish.

DHA Docosapentaenoic acid), one of the most abundant of the Omega-3 fatty acids, is essential to the brain, other nerve tissue and the light-sensitive cells in the retina of the eye. In all these functions, the presence of the Omega-3 fatty acid in the cell membrane has a strong impact on the cell's ability to transmit electrical impulses.

Omega 3 is important to so many human systems that listing all the research on omega 3 would take several web pages. An excellent resource for documentation about the health benefits of omega 3 cam be found at http://omega-research.com/.

Possible Interactions with: Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Also listed as: Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Interactions

If you are currently being treated with any of the following medications, you should not use omega-3 fatty acid supplements without first talking to your healthcare provider.

Blood-thinning Medications - Omega-3 fatty acids may increase the blood-thinning effects of aspirin or warfarin. While the combination of aspirin and omega-3 fatty acids may actually be helpful under certain circumstances (such as heart disease), they should only be taken together under the guidance and supervision of your healthcare provider.

Cyclosporine

Taking omega-3 fatty acids during cyclosporine therapy may reduce toxic side effects (such as high blood pressure and kidney damage) associated with this medication in transplant patients.

Etretinate and Topical Steroids - The addition of omega-3 fatty acids (specifically EPA) to a drug regimen of etretinate and topical corticosteroids may improve symptoms of psoriasis.

Cholesterol-lowering Medications - Following certain nutritional guidelines, including increasing the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in your diet and reducing the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, may allow a group of cholesterol lowering medications known as "statins" (such as atorvastatin, lovastatin, and simvastatin) to work more effectively.

Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) - In an animal study, treatment with omega-3 fatty acids reduced the risk of ulcers from nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). More research is needed to evaluate whether omega-3 fatty acids would have the same effects in people.