Nutrient of the week: Omega 3-6-9!

[biogeek]

Nutrient of the week: The omega 3 fatty acid! (Omega 6 & 9 thrown in for good measure.)


Many of you have no doubt have heard or read about the wonders of many supplements including the omega oils. How much should one take, and why should one even take it? It is my goal today to clarify all the jargon and give you the straight scoop. So to begin…..

We definitely need fat in our diet, but some are absolutely necessary for good health. Why? Because certain fats are part of every cell in our body and they are also building blocks to certain chemicals that's necessary for good health. Fats that we cannot make on our own are called ESSENTIAL, such as Omega 3 and Omega 6. A deficiency in fatty acid intake has many signs and symptoms that are often so broad that they are typically blamed for something else.

Typical signs and symptoms of a fatty acid deficiency include the following:

➢ Dry skin and hair
➢ Cracked nails
➢ Dry mucous membranes
➢ Immune weakness
➢ Inflammatory conditions
➢ Fatigue
➢ Constipation
➢ Sore, achy joints
➢ Forgetfulness
➢ Lack of motivation
➢ Frequent colds

The list goes on and on, but as you can see, these symptoms could also be attributed to other things.

Then there are claims of what fatty acids, especially Omega 3, can do for you. These claims include the following:

➢ Improve cardiovascular disease, including cholesterol and triglyceride levels and to help prevent heart attacks
➢ Improve allergic and inflammatory conditions, including joint diseases
➢ Lower cancer risk
➢ Treating the signs & symptoms on the previous list

This list also goes on and on. So, what is a heath conscious individual to do?

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), Americans consume 10 times more Omega 6 than Omega 3. Other sources state an even higher ratio such as 50 to 1. Big deal you say. The more the merrier, right? WRONG! It is unfortunate that you can get too much of a good thing. Both Omega 3 and Omega 6 produce a hormone-like compound called prostaglandins. There are several types of prostaglandins, and I won’t bore you with the details today, but just know that with Omega 6, it produces both good & bad versions of prostaglandins while Omega 3 only has another form of the good type.

Oh dear, should I avoid Omega 6 at all costs? NO!!! Like I said before, Omega 6 is an essential fatty acid. We do need it, but not in the quantities that are common in Western societies. Where do we find Omega 6 in our diet? Meat and veggie oils such as safflower, sunflower, corn oils are just a few examples of increased quantities of Omega 6.

Is there any reason to supplement Omega 6? Not really, unless you wish to reduce or omit the previously listed veggie oils and take a supplement that mostly contains the good version of Omega 6. These supplements include evening primrose oil, black currant seed oil, and borage oil with the last having the largest percent of good Omega 6. For some folks, this is not practical for a variety of reasons, one being cost.

So what can one do to balance the ratio between Omega 3 and 6? Focus on Omega 3!!!! Cold water fish is full of wonderful Omega 3 fatty acids. So, eating a nice piece of salmon not only fills your belly, but gives you a great dose of Omega 3. What? Don’t like salmon….no problem! Many people take fish oil capsules to get their intake of Omega 3, but a down side is that it’s pricy! A great and even better alternative is to supplement with flaxseed and its oil. It’s also a lot cheaper to purchase than fish oil!

If you’re going to buy a high-quality flaxseed oil (or other healthy oils like walnut, canola, etc), look for one that is expeller pressed only. You are avoiding oils that have been heated to high temperatures & or have been chemically extracted (usually with hexane). The oil should be in an opaque container.

Flaxseed oil can be used in many recipes, so feel free to experiment. If adding it to a hot dish, such as soup, add it at then end. It’s great in dressings and sauces, too! You can also grind up the flaxseeds and use them in recipes as well or use them whole in salads and such.

Oh, and the other great benefit to flaxseed oil over fish oil….flaxseed oil has over twice the amount of Omega 3 fatty acids than fish oils. Flaxseed oil also has the good version of Omega 6! Woo hoo!

So, what about Omega 9? Omega 9 is good for us, however, it’s not an essential fatty acid. Huh? That means, our bodies can make Omega 9 by converting other fats. So, if you consume olive oil, rapeseed oil, and so forth, you will get your allotment of Omega 9 automatically. Pretty cool, eh?

How much Omega 3 should I take? If you wish to try to balance your Omega oils, aim for 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon a day. If your goal is more therapeutic, up to 3 tablespoons may be taken per day. If you’re taking Omega 3 in supplement form, 1 gram of the active ingredient should suffice. Never take more than 3 grams without consulting your physician!

Is there anyone who should take a supplement with Omega 3-6-9? Sure, those that are vegetarians and follow a low-fat diet should take that particular supplement. However, since you’re reading this article on a low-carb website, I’m assuming that you are neither vegetarian nor are you following a low-fat diet.

Well, that’s it for this week. If you wish for further details, including biochemical processes of these fatty acids, the various types of prostaglandins, journal articles, etc, please let me know. I’m always happy to chat about biology/chemisty/nutritional topics!!!

Next weeks topic: B vitamins….why they’re so good!

[jimmie 48]

thank you bio!!!!
i knew you would be perfect for this!

i will re read this several times.


i look forward to next weeks thread!

[biogeek]

Thanks Jimmie!

I tried to keep it short & sweet, but I do like to go on & on! I hope that it is easy to read & understand because I didn't want to get too technical on the initial post. My currently plan is to try to keep it simple and add detail later on if a question pops up.

[sallyseachange]

Bio! Thank you! Awesome to have it explained in such an easy to understand way!

[Miss Phode]

Biogeek, is there anything you can't do??

Excellent post!

[lantanapooh]

oh man I made a boo boo then today. I went vitamin shoping today and got some of the flax, fish, borage oil. I will tell about the different vits I got today in a different thread to see if I got some good ones. I know it would be going off tpoic in here

[biogeek]

You didn't make a mistake, Lanta. All the oils you bought were good ones. Borage oil is rich in Omega 6, but it's mostly GLA & that's the good version. There's no reason why you can't take both flax & fish oils. They're both rich in Omega 3: flax with ALA and fish with EPA and DHA types.

I look forward to seeing your vitamin list.

[lantanapooh]

Oh good. Im on a tight budget and I already stopped taking the prenatal that I still have a million of (ok maybe not that many) and switched to a multi with less iron. I was worried I would have to give up the three oil one too lol.

[biogeek]

What was wrong with your prenatal ones?

[jimmie 48]

Typical signs and symptoms of a fatty acid deficiency include the following:

➢ Dry skin and hair
➢ Cracked nails
➢ Dry mucous membranes
➢ Immune weakness
➢ Inflammatory conditions
➢ Fatigue
➢ Constipation
➢ Sore, achy joints
➢ Forgetfulness
➢ Lack of motivation
➢ Frequent colds

jack has so many of these syptoms. his skin is very dry and his nails are horrid!
i did get some fish oil w/omega 3 the other day. the dosage is 3 pills a day. my gosh, the bottle will only last 20 days at that rate! hence your suggestion of buying the flaxseed oil (which i forgot while stand in a stupor at the vitamins section)
but
i will check out the grams and see what dosage one tab is.

jack is such a dork.
i told him i had bought a new pill so he would have an extra one to take. i told him what it was for and handed him the geltab. he took it and immediately said "why these work wonders! look! my skin is so soft and smooth already! and look at my nails!!!" he's such a dork.