Are you getting enough omega-3 essential fatty acids in your diet? Unfortunately, many Americans fail to get even their minimal needs met as other types of oils are consumed. Omega-6 plant or seed oils (vegetable, canola/rapeseed, corn, grapeseed, hemp, avocado, sunflower, safflower, sesame, walnut, etc.) dominate the Western diet and can severely inflame the body in excess and when omega-3 essential fatty acids are insufficient.
Plant-Based Omega-3 Oils
Perhaps you have chosen to focus on plant sources of omega-3 oils like flax, walnuts, flaxseeds, hemp seeds, and chia seeds. These sources provide alpha linolenic acid (ALA), a short chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFAs). While these oils contain a type of omega-3 oil, they must be converted into EPA and DHA which are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Poor Conversion Rate
The conversion rate of omega-3 ALA into EPA and DHA is very inefficient. In women, the conversion rate of ALA into EPA and DHA respectively is 21% and 9%; in men, the rate is even lower with less than 8% and 4% conversion.
The conversion process of ALA into EPA and DHA requires iron, zinc, magnesium, and vitamins B6 and C. A lack of one or more of these commonly deficient nutrients further impairs the poor conversion process.
Do Other Types of Oils Provide Omega-3?
Health-conscious individuals often use coconut or olive oil as their dominant source of oils, eliminating omega-3 and 6 oils. Unfortunately, these oils do not contain any negligible amount of omega-3 essential fatty acids EPA and DHA.
Olive oil is predominantly an omega-9 oil, with some omega-6, and negligible amounts of omega-3. Coconut and palm oil have no omega-3 content. Butter from grass-fed cows provides plant-based omega-3 oils. DHA is sometimes added to other foods, but it can become oxidized as it is highly sensitive to heat and exposure to oxygen during food manufacturing, transit, and storage.
Essential to Provide Daily
Omega-3 oils are termed “essential” as you must consume them in your diet regularly as your body cannot make them. It is vital to consume omega-3 as EPA and DHA to bypass these issues.
Omega-3 oils EPA and DHA are found in cold water fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, herring, halibut, mackerel, and sardines and can also be found in lesser amounts with marine organisms like algae and krill. Wild caught salmon provides the highest amounts of omega-3 EPA and DHA whereas farm-raised salmon omega-3 content can be at least 50 percent lower. Both types of salmon, however, provide more EPA and DHA than other common sources.
Critical Functions
Omega-3 long chain fatty acids EPA and DHA play essential roles in cell membrane function and structure, electrophysiology of cells and ion channels, receptor site activity, production of anti-inflammatory compounds like PGE1 and PGE3, numerous other bioactive metabolites and more.
They are required throughout all your organs and tissues. Optimizing your omega-3 fish oil intake, especially DHA, is fundamental to numerous daily body functions and repair needs. Here are several vital examples of how your body requires these essential omega-3 fatty acids to maintain healthy function.
1. Cardiovascular and Circulation
The heart is considered to be the most affected organ by dietary DHA and is vital to conditioning the heart against stress. The heart muscles, nerves, cell membranes, blood vessels and red blood cells incorporate DHA more efficiently into the EPA because of its structure affecting electrical activity, heart rate and rhythm, blood vessel elasticity and endothelial lining. DHA furthermore modulates tissue release of C-reactive protein, IL-6, TNF-a, raises production of HDL, and supports overall lipid metabolism. Omega-3 DHA and EPA also support platelet slipperiness and circulation of blood.
Corn oil and other vegetable oils were widely promoted in past decades for heart health. Research shows that too much omega-6 increases the risk for cardiovascular disease.
2. Brain
You may have grown up learning that fish is brain food. Indeed, cold water fatty fish, like salmon, tuna, and sardines, rich in omega-3 oils like DHA, are critical for brain health. Research shows that brain function and structure depend upon a constant, optimal supply of omega-3 EPA and DHA.
EPA accounts for about 1% of brain fatty acids, whereas DHA makes up about 15% of fatty acids in gray matter of the prefrontal cortex. This is the part of the brain involved with attention, decision making, planning, emotional regulation, goal-directed behaviors and adaption to new situations.
DHA is essential to maintain healthy brain volume, overall brain function for bodily functions, cognitive function, mood and memory. Cell membranes in the brain require DHA to maintain cell membrane fluidity, flexibility, synapse function, and receptors site activity. DHA is required for brain perfusion, i.e. blood flow through the brain, neurotransmitter and hormone functions, inflammation modulation, microglial cell stability, blood brain barrier stability and more.
DHA regulates brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor which are essential for neuroplasticity, repair, and rejuvenation of the brain. DHA is critical from conception through life.
3. Vision and Eye Comfort
Eye health, comfort and vision depend upon omega-3s. DHA is especially vital for eye moisture/lubrication. The act of blinking provides microdoses of moisture and oils like DHA to keep the eye lubricated and promote tear production. When focused on screens or other things for an extended time, your eye moisture will have a greater tendency to dry out from lack of blinking. Medications, dehydration, low humidity climates, and many other factors lead to dry eyes affecting about 75 percent of the population over age 40.
DHA is essential to protect the lens of your eyes as well as the macula and retina against oxidative stress caused by blue light, UV radiation, blood sugar imbalances, etc. DHA is also essential to protect against age-related vision changes. The ability to see a contrast of colors, night vision, vision clarity, and retina and macular function and health depend upon optimal DHA levels in the eye.
4. Bones and Joints
Bones and cartilage need omega-3 DHA, too. When tissues are inflamed, there is a predominance of arachidonic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid metabolite inside the cells. High amounts of arachidonic acid promote tissue breakdown and joint discomfort. Increased intake of omega-3 oils is required to change the composition of cells and downregulate inflammatory pathways that excess omega-6 upregulates.
Omega-3 oils have been shown to promote bone formation and enhance peak bone mass in all ages including postmenopausal women. In Japan and Greenland, it was shown that women age 49-64 years who consumed large amounts of omega-3 rich seafood have higher bone density and strength compared to those with limited intake.
5. Gastrointestinal and Immune Health
Gastrointestinal health also requires omega-3 long-chain fatty acids EPA and DHA as they regulate and maintain gut homeostasis, microbiome, and intestinal immunity. These essential fatty acids modulate the types and abundance of gut flora, promote beneficial types like Bifidobacteria and Akkermansia, exert an inhibitory effect on non-beneficial strains and decrease production of inflammatory endotoxins like LPS.
About 70-80% of your immune system is in the gastrointestinal tract, where optimal intake of omega-3 fish oils supports immune system homeostasis. In addition, omega-3 fish oils aid in regulating short chain fatty acids, which are post-biotics. They also enhance the intestinal mucosal barrier thickness and its function and supports fat metabolism in the liver and healthy weight.
6. HPA-Stress, Gut-Brain Connection
DHA helps stress tolerance as it helps to calm and offset overactivity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis that leads to high cortisol and stress. Studies show that when DHA levels are low or less than optimal, an exaggerated response occurs to stress with behavior and health. Chronic high cortisol levels and HPA axis dysfunction interfere with metabolic function of insulin and leptin that can lead to weight gain, insulin resistance and visceral fat accumulation.
DHA, the most abundant omega-3 fatty acid in the brain is also vital to maintaining proper function between the gut- – brain connection. DHA supports the function and homeostasis of the vagus nerve, the long nerves that run between gut and brain, and autonomic nervous system (fight/flight and rest/relax/digest).
7. Sleep Rhythms
DHA is needed to support circadian rhythms and sleep quality. The pineal gland in your brain regulates sleep/wake cycles and produces melatonin which requires optimal DHA for its functions. Animal studies show that low levels of DHA dysregulate melatonin production and disrupts sleep-wake cycles. Both EPA and DHA are involved with serotonin production for sleep onset and sleeping through the night.
8. Skin Quality
Skin quality requires DHA, including barrier integrity, reduction of itchiness, and hydration. A combination of omega-3 EPA and DHA with GLA, a beneficial omega-6 oil, provides superior benefits to skin health and quality.
9. First 1000 Days of Life
Omega-3 DHA is extremely critical for the first 1000 days of life. Women in family planning stages and breast-feeding infants and toddlers must supplement with omega-3 DHA or add supplemental support for their child’s neurodevelopment. This affects growth, vision, hearing, speech and learning development, digestion, gut microbiome, sleep rhythms, and much more impacting that person for the rest of their life.
Supplement Choices for Your Health
Cold water fatty fish is the best way to obtain food sources of EPA and DHA. Individuals consuming the Western Diet, plant-based diets, or follow other restrictive diets will need omega-3 supplemental support with emphasis on DHA as described above.
High ratios of omega-6 intake relative to omega-3 have a strong risk for all-causes of death, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Many Americans have an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 20:1 or much higher promoting widespread dysfunction, inflammation, and loss of health. The optimal range omega-6: omega-3 is 2:1 to 4:1. Historical records show that ancestral intake was likely 1:1, far different than today’s culture.
If you remain doubtful that you need omega-3 EPA and DHA and feel that your diet is adequate, Omega-3 EPA, DHA, ALA and omega-6 oils can be tested in a blood test to determine your levels and ratios. These omega-check or fatty acid balance tests are widely available.
High-quality supplements like Wellness Resources Daily DHA, DHA Kids, and Leptinal provide superior quality, natural triglyceride form, molecular distilled “no-burp” fish oil. They are free of mercury, other heavy metals, solvents and other toxins that can be found in fatty fish.
• Daily DHA provides 500 mg of DHA and 100 mg EPA per serving and comes in easy to swallow soft gels. Dosage is 1-3 servings per day. It absorbs best with food.
• DHA Kids provides 135 mg DHA and 17 mg EPA per serving. They come in small, easy to swallow soft gels. Dosage is 1-3 servings per day. It absorbs best with food.
• Leptinal provides 500 mg DHA, 100 mg EPA, Borage Oil (providing 110 mg GLA), pomegranate extract, Sytrinol citrus-flavones, and vitamin E as tocotrienols for more comprehensive cardiometabolic and skin support. It is a larger-size soft gel. The dosage is 1-3 servings per day. It absorbs best with food.
You wouldn’t put an oil in your vehicle that the manufacturer doesn’t recommend and expect things to work well. What about your body? Are you getting enough of the right omega-3 oils to keep your body going and stay healthy?
Additional Resources
Leptinal® – Understanding the Vast Effects of this Unique Nutrient Blend
Navigating a Plant-Based Diet: What You Need to Know for Optimal Health
BDNF: The Key to Better Mood, Metabolism, and Weight Control
Top Essential Nutrients to Protect Your Vision
