What are Omega-3 Fats & Why You Need Tem
Growing up, the only thing I knew about fish oil was that they gave you “fish burps”.
I also only knew that supplements meant protein and pre-workout powders…
I’m happy to say that my knowledge on the subject (and quality of the supplements) have come a long way since then.
What are Omega-3s?
Omega-3 fatty acids provide several health benefits and are responsible for many vital roles in the body.
To put it simply, however, your body can’t produce the amount of omega-3s you need to survive. So, omega-3 fatty acids are considered essential nutrients, meaning you need to get them from the foods you eat.
Omega-3s broken down further
Omega-3 fatty acids are a form of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs).
To break it down, there are two main types of fatty acids: saturated and unsaturated.
Saturated fat is considered "bad" or "unhealthy" fat because they increase your risk of certain diseases like heart disease and stroke.
Unsaturated fat, which is further broken down into polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat, is considered "good" or "healthy" fat because they support your heart health and other vital roles in the body.
What benefits do omega-3 fatty acids have?
Like I mentioned, Omega-3s help the cells in your body function properly.
They’re a vital part of your cell membranes, helping to provide structure and supporting interactions between cells.
The main body systems that omega-3 fatty acids benefit include:
-The brain
-Cardiovascular system
-Immune system
-Cell membranes
There are many other benefits to omega-3s as well. Adequate doses of omega-3s can:
- Act as an anti-inflammatory
- Lower blood pressure
- Lower elevated triglyceride levels
- Raise HDL (good) cholesterol
- Reduce depression
- Protect against Alzheimer’s disease & dementia
Three main types of Omega-3s
If you pick up a bottle of fish/cod liver/krill oil, you'll notice that here are three main types of Omega-3s, which include:
- EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). EPA is a “marine omega-3” because it’s found in fish.
- DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). DHA is also a marine omega-3 found in fish.
- ALA (alpha-linolenic acid). ALA is the form of omega-3 found in plants.
To go more in depth:
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid)
DHA is primarily found in animal products, such as:
- Seafood: Cold-water fatty fish like tuna, salmon, sardines, and mackerel, as well as shellfish and oysters
- Eggs: A good alternative for people who don't eat oily fish
- Other animal products: Grass-fed meat and dairy
It also plays a significant role in brain development, maintenance, and cardiovascular health.
Pregnant women, children, and infants, in some cases, need to supplement with DHA as it is crucial during growth and proper brain development.
Even as adults, it’s essential to maintain healthy DHA levels to maintain good brain health for memory and prevent cognitive diseases like Alzheimer’s.
EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid)
Like DHA, EPA is also primarily found in animal products and also algae.
EPA can be partially converted into DHA, making the two fatty acids also work in correlation with each other.
There are many benefits to EPA, including
- Decreasing triglyceride levels
- Reducing inflammation, and
- Reducing or preventing heart-related conditions
The REDUCE-IT study, even found that in comparison to a placebo group, there was a 25% decrease in the rate of having a heart attack, stroke, or other serious cardiovascular events in individuals who were treated with icosapent ethyl (IPE)-a pure form of EPA.
ALA (alpha-linolenic acid)
ALA is mainly found in plant foods and is the most common form of omega-3s, but only a minimal amount is converted to DHA and EPA.
The rest of it is stored in the body and used for energy as needed.
ALA provides various positive benefits, including
-Provides antioxidants
-Is anti-inflammatory, and
-Is good for heart health.
A systematic review of eleven studies (totaling 452 adult participants) found that those taking ALA significantly decreased the serum concentrations of triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein.
Pretty cool!
Omega-3 sources
You can get omega-3 fats from both plant and animal sources.
How much Omega-3s should you take?
The overall recommended dose of omega-3 fatty acids tend to be low.
This is because emerging research suggests that optimal human health–especially in populations with low intake–may require substantially higher intake than current standards.
The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies of Medicine tends to focus on ALA intake because it can be converted to EPA and DHA. However, the recommended amounts are conservative at only 1.6 and 1.1 grams per day for men and women.
These amounts are supposed to represent about 500 milligrams of EPA and DHA, but the conversion process is inefficient and varies greatly (perhaps as low as 10 percent converted) [source].
So what’s a good recommendation?
Sir Andrew Huberman tends to recommend at least 1-3g (1000-3000 mg) of EPA daily.
Researchers estimated that the dosage required to increase the Omega-3 Index into the recommended range of 8 percent or greater ranged from 1,750 to 2,500 mg(1.75 to 2.5 grams) per day.
Personally, I think a minimum 500-1000+ mg of omega-3s will suffice.
In the end…
Omega-3 fatty acids (count how many times I wrote that out in this essay…) are an essential component to the human diet.
Adequate intake provides a plethora of vital roles and benefits to us.
First, seek natural sources from plants and animal sources, like listed above, and then supplement with Fish Oil or I like to use Krill Oil as a supplement.
This is because Krill Oil is said to have high concentrations of omega-3s, may be absorbed better, and has tons of antioxidants. Also because many of the fish oil supplements on the market are terrible sources with fillers and tend to spoil easily.
Either way, don’t forget your omega-3s when searching for ways to improve your health.
Be well and Keep Pluggin, C.
