What is Omega 3 and how do we to get it

There are many articles regarding the benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids toward promoting and maintaining good health. It is referred to as “essential” Omega 3 fatty acid because it requires to be ingested and cannot be manufactured through our body’s biological processes.

The three types of omega-3 fatty acids that provide benefit to our bodies these are:-

• ALA (α-linolenic acid) from plant oils
• EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) from fish oils 
• DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) from fish oils

The benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids include promoting the health of the brain; the heart and eyes and reduction of cellular inflammation. Excessive cellular inflammation can lead to many diseases and conditions, such as heart disease, arthritis and certain types of cancers.

ALA 

ALA is a short chain fatty acid, formed with 18 Carbon atoms.

The "direct" physiological of ALA are largely not proven and considered much less than EPA or DHA, where the benefits are more established and proven. The main use by the body of ALA is as a source of energy and a building block for DHA and EPA.

The body can use ALA to manufacture EPA and AHA. However, the conversion is quite inefficient with only 6% converted to EPA and 4% to DHA. The conversion is further reduced in people eating a diet rich Omega 6 fatty acids, which is the case for the standard western diet. Can adults adequately convert ALA to DHA & EPA

Typical foods high in Omega 6 are, vegetable oils, margarine, walnuts, pine nuts…. The list goes on and there are too many to list here. Omega 6 is much more prevalent in our typical foods than Omega 3 and if we want to maintain good health we need to be vigilant and consume a sufficient and correct amount of Omega 3.

EPA and DHA

EPA are DHA are long chain fatty acids and formed with 20 and 22 Carbon atoms respectively.

There are many articles available describing the benefits of EPA and DHA and which benefit is derived from either. Those articles and discussions whilst interesting are too in depth and detailed for me to discuss here. However, what does seem clear is that significant health benefits will be achieved if we ensure we ingest sufficient amounts of both EPA and DHA.

The key benefits of DHA and EPA include:-

• Reduction of cellular inflammation (caused by excessive amounts of Omega 6) and associated conditions;
• Reduction in LDL bad cholesterol;
• Increased HDL good cholesterol
• and reduction of Triglycerides fats in the blood.

What are the real differences between EPA and DHA

Recommended Daily Intake

Various organizations provide advice on the amount of EPA and DHA people should consume for the health benefits to be realized. These reference values vary and some reference overall Omega 3 not differentiating between ALA, EPA and DHA. For different groups of people with different health conditions and needs there is also different recommendations.

The reference amounts of DHA/EPA vary between 500mg/day to 1000mg/day between organizations.

The Food and Drug Administration have indicated that up to 3000mg/day of DHA/EPA is considered safe. It is also noted that many Japanese may typically consume 700 to 1200 mg/day without any adverse consequence to health and well documented lower incidence of heart disease and lower obesity.

Omega 3 Safety

In the last few years there have been various press reports that high levels Omega 3 are related to higher incidence of prostate cancer. However, medical experts have discredited these reports and pointed out errors in the conclusions. It is worth noting that historically, prostate cancer rates a high amount of DHA/EPA is consumed is lower than in western countries.

DHA/EPA Content of Different Foods

Food	DHA + EHA mg/100g	Food Amount (g) /Week
Salmon	2150	163 – 326
Herring	2000	175 – 350
Mackerel	1800	194 – 389
Anchovy	1450	241 – 283
Trout	950	368 – 737
Mussels	800	438 – 875
Oysters	450	778 – 1,556
Crab	400	875 – 1,750
Tuna	300	1,167 – 2,333
Snapper	300	1,167 – 2,333
Shrimp	300	1,167 – 2,333
Octopus	300	1,167 – 2,333
Haddock	200	1,750 – 3500
Cod	200	1,750 – 3500
Scallop	200	1,750 – 3500

Amount/week is the amount of the food you should eat per week to get 500mg/day DHA/EPA.

In addition to the above natural sources some foods are fortified with Omega 3 such as eggs, where the chickens are fed flax seed or fish meal causing some Omega 3 to be transferred to the yolk.

Generally, it is considered that the amount of Omega 3 in a fortified egg is minimal compared to natural sources and this is more of a gimmick that allows egg producers to sell eggs at higher prices. Some egg companies boast of 150g /egg for DHA/EPA, which may be overstated. Notwithstanding, you would need to eat between 4 and 8 eggs/day to achieve the nutritional requirements fro DHA/EPA.   

DHA/EPA as Supplements

Ok you don’t like fish, so how do you get your DHA/EPA? There are many supplements on the market that claim to provide the amounts DHA and EPA required for health, including first oils, cod liver oil and krill oil.

The main problem with fish oils such and cod liver oil is that they are highly perishable and require to be processed and handled very carefully. Therefore, you may be taking a fish oil supplement or cod liver oil for no benefit as the DHA/EPA has oxidized. Furthermore, this can also have adverse health effects.    

Krill oil on the other hand is not as perishable as fish oil as the oil contains more oxidants. Therefore, if you are to choose to get your DHA/EPA via a supplement you should chose Krill oil. Krill oil versus fish oil

Vegetable Based Sources for EPA/DHA

Omega 3, ALA (α-linolenic acid) can be sourced through vegetable oils. The highest concentrations are found in Chia with 17,600g/100g.

Based on a 10% conversion of ALA to DHA/EPA, 100g of Chia seeds would provide 176g of DHA/EPA. To meet the daily requirement with Chia seeds alone you would need to consume 300g/day of the ground seeds. In addition you would need to monitor your Omega 6 intake carefully as this may inhibit the conversion of ALA to DHA/EPA. Seed oils are also highly perishable and similar to fish and cod liver oil should be avoided.

Summary

The most efficient and certain way to meet your long chain Omega 3 requirements is by eating oily fish, the whole food.

This can be supplemented by adding vegetable sources such as ground Chia seeds, however if you rely on seeds alone the quantities required to be eaten are quite substantial.

If you wish to follow the supplement route consider Krill oil not fish oil or Cod liver oil, both of which are more likely to be oxidized and hence in effective or harmful.