Gotta be Omega-3!

The FDA, USDA and all the folks (and lobbyists) who put together the famous - or infamous - food pyramid have done the American people a real disservice. You see, for decades they have vilified fat. Now, there are definitely some fats we should avoid - like eating lots of saturated fats and especially trans fats. But, there is a group of fats out there that are absolutely essential to your health, and without them, poor health is soon to follow...

What are these fats? They are known as essential fatty acids. They are called essential because our bodies cannot produce them, and therefore we must get them from our diet. The 3 basic types are omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9. The one that is sorely lacking in our diets is omega-3. In fact, we get too many omega-6 fats - typically from plant-based oils, which are in everything. I have read that the optimal balance should be between 1:1 to 4:1 omega-6 to omega-3 (depending on the expert). The balance is critical for proper health. Unfortunately the typical American has a balance of between 20:1 to even 50:1! That is terrible!

So, why is omega-3 so very important? There are tons of reasons, but let me list a few here. Every cell has a membrane made out of lipids (another name for fats) call the phospholipid bilayer. This membrane is critical for letting the good stuff in and keeping the bad stuff out. Omega-3s help maintain the ingetrity of our cell membranes. Did you know that our brains are made up of about 60% fat? Omega-3s help to maintain good cognitive function. Another organ greatly helped by omega-3s is the heart, and fish oil (a source for omega-3s) is widely known as a must-take for heart patients. The following recaps the results of 3 recents studies:

Three new studies add strongly to the growing evidence that consumption of fish and fish oil supplements can reduce death from heart disease.

In the April 10 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, investigators from the Harvard School of Public Health reported that women who consumed more fish and fish oil (omega-3 fatty acids) significantly reduced their risk of heart disease. In this study, among 85,000 women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study, those who ate fish 2 to 4 times per week reduced their risk of heart disease by 30%, compared to women who rarely ate fish.

Similarly, in a study published in the April 11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital reported that men in the Physicians' Health Study (men who had no evidence of prior heart disease) who consumed omega-3 fatty acids had a significantly reduced risk of sudden death.

And finally, investigators from Italy reported this week in Circulation that consuming 1 gram per day of omega-3 fatty acid supplements resulted in a significantly reduced risk of sudden death among survivors of heart attacks.

While a major benefit of fish oil in these studies appears to be a reduction in sudden death from cardiac arrhythmias, omega-3 fatty acids also appear to reduce triglyceride levels, reduce blood pressure, and stabilize the blood clotting mechanisms. Thus, there are several pathways in which fish oil can potentially benefit the cardiovascular system. The evidence that omega-3 fatty acids benefits the heart, thanks to these three studies, is now nearly irrefutable, and will no doubt become widely accepted by the medical community.

Pretty impressive. Omega-3s also cool inflammation in the body and help people who suffer from all types of inflammation, even acne.

So, where do we get omega-3s? Well, there are 3 types of omega-3s: EPA and DHA, which are from animal sources, and ALA, which is from plants. What the body really lacks - or at least most bodies - is EPA and DHA, which is mainly found in larger, fatty fish, such as marckel, sardines and salmon. I wouldn't recommend consuming lots of fish, due to the overwhelming amount of mercury in the majority of our seafood (one of the high costs of industrialization). ALA can be converted into EPA and DHA in the body, but the conversion rate is very, very low (sorry, vegans and vegetarians). (FYI: A good source for ALA is walnuts.)

The best option is to find a very high quality fish oil, one that is mercury-free. For those of you who rarely get out in the sun, I would suggest cod liver oil, since it is very high in natural vitamin D. I personally take krill oil, which is actually from a shellfish that is very high in omega-3s and an antioxidant called astaxanthin, which is capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier. As with all supplements, it is important to find high quality. Mercola.com is a good place to research which would be the best.

Bottom line: Every body needs to take omega-3s. There are so vital to your health and provide so many great benefits. Honestly, you cannot live without them - that's why the are essential. :)