The Growing Importance of Omega3 Acid
By: Laurel Cohen
Let me tell you a quick story. The omega3 acid is a polyunsaturated fat that has a carbon double bond in the third position from the methyl end of the fatty-acid chain. These long-chained fatty acids are unlike other dietary fats, in that they are good for our health and essential for normal bodily functions.
The omega6s are similar, in that they are unsaturated fats, with a carbon double bond. But, the position of the carbon bond is in the sixth position from the end. They are also essential for normal bodily functions.
In the early days of nutritional research, scientists focused only on omega-6s. Today, research focuses primarily on the omega3s and the dietary requirements for adults, children, infants and pregnant women.
It is theorized that early humans consumed diets that were balanced (1:1) in omega6 and omega3 acid. The theory is based on knowledge of the foods that ancient peoples consumed frequently. Fish, nuts and olives were among the most common foods.
Almost all oils, except for sunflower, peanut and cottonseed contain both types of fatty acids. Just as a side note, peanuts are not actually nuts. They are legumes. When dietary advisors reco
mmend consuming nuts, they are talking about walnuts, cashews, pecans and other real nuts. They are not talking about peanuts.
Oils that we normally used for cooking, baking and salad dressings, such as canola, olive, soybean and corn oil contain omega sixes and threes in various amounts. Butter, dairy products, meats and other dietary sources of fats may contain a small amount of omega-3s, but they also contain saturated fats and trans-fatty acids. Eating too many foods that contain those kinds of fats increases your risk of heart disease, cancer and other health problems.
So, ancient man may have had a dietary intake of omega6 to omega3 acid that was 1:1, but in modern man’s diet, the ratio is as high as 30 or 40 to 1, skewed greatly towards the omega-6s. In addition, vegetable oils, such as canola and olive oils, provide only alpha-linolenic acid or ALA. The human brain contains a great deal of Docosahexaenoic acid or DHA. The only dietary source is fatty fish like anchovies and salmon.
We have known about the dietary imbalance for quite some time, but it has been difficult to convince people that they needed to change their diets, eating fewer omega6s and more omega3 acid. Perhaps, if you are learning this information for the first time or you have yet to be convinced, this might convince you.
Researchers are now saying that low dietary intake of omega3s is a preventable cause of death. In other words, if you don’t change your diet, you may not live as long as you could or you may start to suffer from diseases that you could have avoided.
Now that you are armed with this information, the easiest and most painless way to change your diet is by switching from corn oil to canola, substituting fatty fish for beef and pork, at least 3 or 4 times per week and by taking a good omega3 acid supplement, one derived from fish oil.
Let me tell you a quick story. The omega3 acid is a polyunsaturated fat that has a carbon double bond in the third position from the methyl end of the fatty-acid chain. These long-chained fatty acids are unlike other dietary fats, in that they are good for our health and essential for normal bodily functions.
The omega6s are similar, in that they are unsaturated fats, with a carbon double bond. But, the position of the carbon bond is in the sixth position from the end. They are also essential for normal bodily functions.
In the early days of nutritional research, scientists focused only on omega-6s. Today, research focuses primarily on the omega3s and the dietary requirements for adults, children, infants and pregnant women.
It is theorized that early humans consumed diets that were balanced (1:1) in omega6 and omega3 acid. The theory is based on knowledge of the foods that ancient peoples consumed frequently. Fish, nuts and olives were among the most common foods.
Almost all oils, except for sunflower, peanut and cottonseed contain both types of fatty acids. Just as a side note, peanuts are not actually nuts. They are legumes. When dietary advisors reco
Oils that we normally used for cooking, baking and salad dressings, such as canola, olive, soybean and corn oil contain omega sixes and threes in various amounts. Butter, dairy products, meats and other dietary sources of fats may contain a small amount of omega-3s, but they also contain saturated fats and trans-fatty acids. Eating too many foods that contain those kinds of fats increases your risk of heart disease, cancer and other health problems.
So, ancient man may have had a dietary intake of omega6 to omega3 acid that was 1:1, but in modern man’s diet, the ratio is as high as 30 or 40 to 1, skewed greatly towards the omega-6s. In addition, vegetable oils, such as canola and olive oils, provide only alpha-linolenic acid or ALA. The human brain contains a great deal of Docosahexaenoic acid or DHA. The only dietary source is fatty fish like anchovies and salmon.
We have known about the dietary imbalance for quite some time, but it has been difficult to convince people that they needed to change their diets, eating fewer omega6s and more omega3 acid. Perhaps, if you are learning this information for the first time or you have yet to be convinced, this might convince you.
Researchers are now saying that low dietary intake of omega3s is a preventable cause of death. In other words, if you don’t change your diet, you may not live as long as you could or you may start to suffer from diseases that you could have avoided.
Now that you are armed with this information, the easiest and most painless way to change your diet is by switching from corn oil to canola, substituting fatty fish for beef and pork, at least 3 or 4 times per week and by taking a good omega3 acid supplement, one derived from fish oil.
Laurel Cohen is a strong advocate of natural health in all its forms: skin care, supplementation, and farm fresh foods. She enjoys introducing people to the best natural products she can find and uses herself daily. Visit her site http://www.omega-3-for-health.com to learn about the omega 3 fish oils Laurel uses daily for optimal health.
