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Omega-3 Power Boosts Health

By Stacey Colino

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There’s something fishy going on. Omega-3 fatty acids, once found primarily in fatty fish, are being added to all sorts of foods, including fruit juices, soy milk, eggs, nutrition bars, cereal, yogurt -- even infant formula. In fact, they’ve become the wonder nutrient du jour, largely because researchers are discovering more and more health benefits associated with them. “Since omega-3 fatty acids have a positive effect on the fragile membrane systems of all the cells throughout the body, they can benefit numerous organ systems,” explains Barry Swanson, Ph.D., fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists and professor of food science at Washington State University in Pullman.

In fact, “many people are surprised to learn that nerve tissue, especially in the brain and the retina in the eye, is rich in omega-3 fatty acids,” says J. Thomas Brenna, Ph.D., professor of human nutrition at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. “Nerve tissue uses omega-3s as building blocks for cells, and they are crucial for proper chemical signaling within and between nerve cells.”

Health Benefits From Head to Toe
So how do these effects translate into health benefits? Let us count the ways. Long known for their heart-protective powers, omega-3 fatty acids:

            1. Decrease the risk of heart arrhythmia

            2. Reduce triglyceride levels

            3. Lower blood pressure

            4. Decrease the buildup of artery-clogging plaque

They also reduce inflammatory activity in the body, which is why they can be helpful in:

            5. Alleviating asthma

            6. Reducing acne

            7. Relieving symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis

What’s more, recent studies suggest that consuming enough of these essential fatty acids may help guard against:

            8. Macular degeneration (a leading cause of blindness)

            9. Diabetes

            10. Parkinson’s disease

            11. Alzheimer’s disease

            12. Age-related cognitive decline

There’s even some evidence that omega-3 fatty acids may help to:

            13. Relieve depression

            14. Treat bipolar disorder

            15. Improve attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

And while the above are among the most promising results to date, research is ongoing, so don’t be surprised if experts discover even more health benefits in the future!

How to Get Your Omega-3s
While fat often gets a bad rap, omega-3 fatty acids are actually among the healthiest fats around. They’re called “essential fatty acids” because they cannot be made by the human body; we need to get these nutrients from our diet.

There are a few different types of omega-3 fatty acids, but the real powerhouses are EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). You’ll find EPA and DHA mostly in fatty cold-water fish, such as salmon, tuna, herring, lake trout, sardines, mackerel and anchovies. ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) is another important type of omega-3 that is found in some plant-based foods, such as flaxseed, canola oil, soybean oil and walnuts.

While your body can convert ALA to EPA and DHA, “there’s less than a 10 percent conversion rate,” Swanson notes. That’s why the American Heart Association (AHA) now recommends that most people eat fish, particularly fatty fish, at least twice per week to get EPA and DHA directly. The American Heart Association (AHA) also recommends that people who have heart disease consume about one gram of EPA and DHA per day, possibly in supplement form. Those who need to lower their triglycerides are advised to ingest two to four grams of EPA and DHA per day from capsules.

Some experts go beyond the AHA recommendation, believing that even more people should be taking these supplements. “Those who consume less than the equivalent of two to three fish meals per week and no other sources of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as omega-3 eggs, should consider supplements,” Brenna says. And if you’re worried about contaminants associated with fish, you’ll be happy to hear that omega-3 supplements have been found to be free of heavy metals that have been a concern with fish. In fact, Consumer Labs recently tested more than 50 brands of omega-3 supplements and found that every single one was free of mercury, PCBs and other contaminants linked to fish. 

So eat more fish and plant foods rich in omega-3s and consider omega-3-fortified foods and supplements. Says Swanson: It doesn’t matter how you get your omega-3s -- “as long as you get these nutrients in your body, it’s better than not consuming them at all.” 

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