Omega-3s are a hot topic. If you google omega-3s, you will find an inordinate amount of information touting their health benefits, and with good reason. The downside is that there is a lot of misinformation out there. For example, you could be buying a product that has been fortified with omega-3s that has zero health benefits for you, and you will be paying more than you would have for the un-enriched version. Understanding where they come from and how they interact with the body is crucial.
The human body is capable of making most of the fats it requires from other fats or raw materials. This is not the case with omega-3 fatty acids. These are referred to as “essential fats” because the body can’t produce them internally so therefore we must get them from food. Foods high in omega-3 include wild-caught fish, pasture-raised beef, poultry and eggs, nuts (especially walnuts), flax seeds, flaxseed oil, and leafy vegetables.
What makes omega-3 fatty acids so important? They are an integral part of cell membranes throughout the body and they affect the function of the cell receptors in these membranes. They provide the starting point for making hormones that regulate blood clotting, contraction and relaxation of artery walls, and inflammation. They also bind to receptors in cells that regulate genetic function. Due to these effects, omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to help prevent heart disease and stroke, may help control lupus, eczema, and rheumatoid arthritis, and may play protective roles in cancer and other conditions.
Omega-3 fats are a key family of polyunsaturated fats. There are three main omega-3s: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) that come primarily from wild-caught fish; and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the most common omega-3 fatty acid in most Western diets, which is found in vegetable oils and nuts (especially walnuts), flax seeds and flaxseed oil, leafy vegetables, and some animal fat, especially in grass-fed animals. The human body generally uses ALA for energy, and conversion into EPA and DHA is very limited.
Those of us in the west consume far more of another essential fat, omega-6, than we do omega-3 fat. The balance between omega-6 and omega-3 intake is critical to human health. The perfect ratio is somewhere between 1:1 (omega 6: omega 3) and 4:1. The average person in western society gets between 16:1 and 20:1 or even more. The problem is that these two fats compete to get into the cells of our bodies. When we overload on the pro-inflammatory omega-6s, the anti-inflammatory omega-3s can’t do the work that they need to do to fight inflammation which has been recognized as a root cause of many chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, depression, obesity and arthritis.
Researchers from INSERM (the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research) put a group of mice on a diet high in omega-6s (vegetable oils) and low in omega-3s. The imbalance produced significant consequences (all of them negative) on both brain activity and emotional behaviours. The researchers also noticed a significant increase in depressive behaviour amongst the omega-3 deficient mice.
The take home message here is to make sure you are getting some form of omega-3 fatty acids every day. If you are not a fish eater, buy some high quality fish oil. If you do enjoy eating fish, make sure it is wild caught. For meat eaters, seek out free range chicken, pastured eggs and grass fed beef. You can find them at Whole Foods and other grocers or you can purchase them directly through a local farmer. If you are a vegetarian/vegan, get a wide variety of nuts, seeds and dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, collard greens, broccoli) into your diet daily. At the same time, cut back your intake of omega-6 fatty acids. The biggest culprits are most vegetable oils, margarine, factory farmed meats and all processed foods (cookies, cakes, breads, pastries and cereals).