Omega-3's
>> Dec 4, 2008
It seems like you can’t go the grocery store these days without seeing everything from eggs to margarine and even crackers boasting to have "Omega-3’s"! So what are Omega’s? And what do the numbers mean? If you want to sound smart to all your friends at your next party, dazzle them with this: Omega-3 fatty acids are a family of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The number refers to the location of the first double-bond on the molecule, and the “omega” refers to the end of the molecule we start counting bonds from. But all you really need to know is that essential fatty acids are those that your body can not make itself, so we need to get them from food. Omega-6’s are another such family.
The reason we don’t see all these foods supplemented with omega-6 instead of omega-3 is that omega-6’s are found in abundance in the foods we eat. Omega-3’s are harder to come by. The key to health with these fats is to have a proper balance between them. Ideally, a ratio of two omega-6’s to one omega-3 is ideal. However, we are far from that. The average North American gets more like 20 omega-6’s to one omega-3!!
So why should you care? Omega-3’s have been associated with a number of health benefits, including reducing the risk of Cardiovascular disease, reducing symptoms of hypertension, depression, inflammatory conditions such as Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis, and much, much more. People are catching on to this and eating it up (literally). As a result, companies are putting omega's into more and more products.
Personally, I think some of these products are great to incorporate into your diet if you’re not meeting your recommended 2 servings of oily fish per week. However, these products generally cost more, and not all products contain the same amount of omega-3’s, so be sure you’re getting your bang for your buck. Keep in mind that whole flax seeds aren’t able to be digested by the body, so unless they’re using ground flax meal, you probably aren’t getting the amount of omega-3 that’s listed on the label. Flax meal and oils are also tricky, because they oxidize quickly in heat and light, which means they need to be kept in the fridge, and can’t be stored for long periods of time. As if that weren’t enough to remember, if the product has more than 4 times the amount of omega-6 as omega-3’s, it’s not really helping improve your status.
Other sources of omega-3’s are salmon, sturgeon, walnuts, olive oil, canola oil, salba seeds, broccoli, spinach, and kidney beans. Fish oil supplements are also popular, but eating the actual fish is going to provide you with more protein and nutrients, which may assist the n-3’s efficiency.
There is no current recommended amount of n-3 fatty acids, but some studies have shown benefits at 800-1000mg per day. Above this amount, the benefit doesn’t seem to increase.
The reason we don’t see all these foods supplemented with omega-6 instead of omega-3 is that omega-6’s are found in abundance in the foods we eat. Omega-3’s are harder to come by. The key to health with these fats is to have a proper balance between them. Ideally, a ratio of two omega-6’s to one omega-3 is ideal. However, we are far from that. The average North American gets more like 20 omega-6’s to one omega-3!!
So why should you care? Omega-3’s have been associated with a number of health benefits, including reducing the risk of Cardiovascular disease, reducing symptoms of hypertension, depression, inflammatory conditions such as Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis, and much, much more. People are catching on to this and eating it up (literally). As a result, companies are putting omega's into more and more products.
Personally, I think some of these products are great to incorporate into your diet if you’re not meeting your recommended 2 servings of oily fish per week. However, these products generally cost more, and not all products contain the same amount of omega-3’s, so be sure you’re getting your bang for your buck. Keep in mind that whole flax seeds aren’t able to be digested by the body, so unless they’re using ground flax meal, you probably aren’t getting the amount of omega-3 that’s listed on the label. Flax meal and oils are also tricky, because they oxidize quickly in heat and light, which means they need to be kept in the fridge, and can’t be stored for long periods of time. As if that weren’t enough to remember, if the product has more than 4 times the amount of omega-6 as omega-3’s, it’s not really helping improve your status.
Other sources of omega-3’s are salmon, sturgeon, walnuts, olive oil, canola oil, salba seeds, broccoli, spinach, and kidney beans. Fish oil supplements are also popular, but eating the actual fish is going to provide you with more protein and nutrients, which may assist the n-3’s efficiency.
There is no current recommended amount of n-3 fatty acids, but some studies have shown benefits at 800-1000mg per day. Above this amount, the benefit doesn’t seem to increase.
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