If you don’t know about omega 3 fatty acids, you haven’t been paying attention. Fish oil and other omega 3 supplements are among the most popular items on the market today, resulting in $25 billion worth of sales in 2011.
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends omega 3 fatty acid consumption through foods, if possible. These “good” fats, according to the AHA, “benefit the hearts of healthy people, and those at high risk of–or who have–cardiovascular disease.” Research shows that they lower the risk of arrhythmias, decrease triglycerides and slow the growth of plaque deposits in blood vessels.
Omega 3 fatty acids may also lower the risk of cancer, arthritis, cognitive problems and many other chronic health problems. Most of the research to date, however, comes from large population-based studies that do not establish a cause-effect relationship. And most nutritionists recommend getting your omega 3s from food rather than the popular supplements.
If you are truly interested in the health benefits, you will do well to learn more about omega 3 fatty acids, how they work and how you can best incorporate them into your diet.
Know These Three Types
There are three different types of omega 3 that must be understood even if you are only reading the labels on supplement bottles.
ALA or alpha linolenic acid is what is called an essential fatty acid. That means that it is needed by the body but the body is incapable of manufacturing it. It must be obtained by diet, primarily plant foods. Among the best sources are flax seed, walnuts, tofu, spinach and other greens such as kale, collard greens and mustard greens.
These foods are nutritious and ALA is capable of producing energy. One important benefit, however, is that, under certain circumstances, the body can use ALA to manufacture two other omega 3s–EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).
EPA and DHA play important roles in virtually every system of the body–immune, cardiovascular, inflammatory and nervous.
A major benefit of EPA is its anti-inflammatory qualities, making it theoretically useful in preventing a number of diseases, including heart disease and arthritis. And it tends to make heart rhythms more regular.
DHA plays an important role in brain function. Children need DHA for neurological development; adults need it to maintain good cognitive function. Fat is a major component of brain tissue, and DHA makes up 15 to 20 percent of all fat in the brain.
The most notable source of both EPA and DHA is cold water fish. Most fish oil supplements offer a listing of how much EPA and DHA is in each capsule. But a better way to get your omega 3s is to include fish at least twice a week in your diet, as the American Heart Association recommends.
EPA and DHA can also be obtained from animal foods–meat, eggs, milk, cheese and other dairy products–depending on what these animals are fed. And under some circumstances, the body is able to manufacture the EPA and DHA that it needs from ALA.
The body’s ability to manufacture EPA and DHA depends in large part on other fats that a person eats. A high intake of omega 6 fats, for example, compromises the ability to do so.
Most fatty foods and most fried foods are high in omega 6 fatty acids. Oils include corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower seed oil and soybean oil. As a result, the typical American diet contains far more omega 6 than omega 3 fats.
Some nutritionists believe that this high ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fats contributes to heart disease and other chronic medical conditions. This view is somewhat controversial, but all agree that it’s important to maximize your intake of omega 3 fatty acids and take advantage of their health benefits. You can do this by:
• eating more flaxseed, walnuts, spinach and greens;
• making fish and seafood a regular part of your diet;
• lowering your total intake of fatty and fried foods; and
• unless you’re a vegan, eating meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products that come from pastured animals fed mostly on grass.
Why is the pasture so important? you ask. Chickens fed grain in crowded egg factories get less omega 3 fatty acids than chickens who range freely and forage on bugs, seeds and grass. And there is less omega 3 in their eggs. The omega 3 content of eggs can be increased even more if hens are fed flaxseed, fish oil and algae.
Conventionally raised cattle are corn fed. That makes them plumper and their meat, more tender. It also increases the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids in that meat. One study found a ratio of 9:1 in corn fed cattle compared to 2:1 in grass fed. The same has been found true for goats, sheep and bison; studies are being conducted on chickens and other birds.
Grain-fed animals have also been found to have higher levels of saturated fats compared to animals who graze on grass.
Dairy products such as milk, butter, cheese and yogurt are also higher in omega 3 fatty acids when they come from grass fed cows.
The high omega 3 content of fish is too often taken for granted. Actually, the amount of omega 3 fatty acids is dependent on the type of fish, where it lives and what it eats. The best sources are cold water fish such as Atlantic salmon, halibut, mackerel, sardines and tuna.
Even wild caught fish must have access to the right diet–omega 3-rich algae and sea plants–if they are going to give you high quantities of omega 3. Some, but not all, farm-raised fish are fed diets high in omega 3 concentrate. On the other hand, these fish are often raised under crowded conditions and fed antibiotics and hormones to protect them.
The red color that characterizes salmon comes from their natural diet of shrimp and krill. Without such a diet, farm-raised fish may be fed chemicals to give them a similar color.
Omega 3 fatty acids are also vulnerable to oxidation damage caused by light, oxygen or heat. For maximum benefit, the fish you eat should be fresh and well stored. Frying reduces much of the omega 3 content.
It’s complicated, but that doesn’t mean you should give up and take supplements. Food is your best source of any nutrition. You are what you eat, goes the old saying. Even more important, you are what your food eats.
REFERENCES:
Pauline Anderson, “Omega-3 fatty acids may not protect cognition,” Medscape Medical News Neurology, September 26, 2013.
Stephanie Crawford and Christine Venzon, “Top 10 foods high in omega-3,” HowStuffWorks.com.
“Fish and omega-3 fatty acids,” Heart.org.
Kurtis Hiatt and Sarah Baldnauf, “8 easy ways to load up on healthy omega-3 fats,” U.S. News & World Report, April 14, 2011.
Sue Hughes, “Omega-3 fatty acids may prevent ALS,” Medscape Medical News Neurology, July 15, 2014.
Sue Hughes, “Omega-3 fatty acids linked to brain volume,” Medscape Medical News Neurology, January23, 2014.
Mayo Clinic Staff, “Omega-3 fatty acids, fish oil, alpha-linolenic acids,” MayoClinic.com, last updated November 1, 2013.
“Omega-3 fatty acids,” University of Maryland Medical Center, last updated June 24, 2013.
Michael O’Riordan, “Study finds no CVD benefit with omega-3 fatty acids,” Heartwire, March 17, 2014.
“The world’s healthiest foods,” the George Mateljan Foundation.
Dr. Franks Sacks, “Ask the expert: omega-3 fatty acids,” the Nutrition Source, Harvard School of Public Health
“Your omega-3 family shopping list,” WebMD, reviewed by Kimball Johnson, M.D., August 27, 2012.
“Why fish oil is NOT the best omega-3 source,” Mercola.com, May 27, 2008.
10/22/2014
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