The Five Supplements Anyone Should Consider Taking - Part 1 - Omega 3
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes and does not serve as medical advice. Please consult your medical practitioner before committing to a supplement regime.
I always like to inspire everyone to think of food holistically, as a system, a network of nutrients that were put together in that specific order by mother nature and they have a certain effect on us and other living entities because of that. Food is much more than just a sum of individual chemicals that we can take apart and study their effects. No chemical works in isolation and every time we ingest them, they are confronted by a different environment in our body.
However, science can’t measure this endlessly interdependent approach to nutrition in any reliable way. So at the moment, the best approach we have is to separate them into individual parts and try to measure their benefits and harms as precisely as we can.
When I tried to pin down five supplements almost anyone could consider taking, the first one that came to mind was omega-3 fatty acids.
The basics
The human diet typically includes at least 20 different types of fatty acids, such as saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) that are incorporated into the cellular membranes of every tissue in the body. By being ‘essential’ it means the body can’t synthesise them from other materials (like some other fats) and it needs them ingested in the form of food or supplements.
Omega-3s help build the cell’s structure, enhance cellular communication, and influence gene expression. They are best known for their anti-inflammatory properties and are an excellent counterweight to the pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids.
The body needs a good balance of both. Inflammation helps us fight off infections and viruses while anti-inflammatory molecules then help downregulate this activity back to ‘normal’. In our natural diet thousands of years ago, the ratio used to be around 1:1, but today, with the overconsumption of processed foods, especially refined seed oils, grains, and grain-fed meat, the ratio can go up to 1:16 or more in favour of omega 6. Not good.
For nutrition geeks
There are three primary omega-3 fatty acids: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). When we talk about omega-3’s health benefits we usually have EPA and DHA in mind, They come from sources such as fatty fish and algae and are considered long-chain fatty acids, which can be used directly by your body.
ALA is a short-chain fatty acid found in certain plant foods that can be converted into EPA and DHA in the body, but its conversion rate is low (less than 15%) and dependent on many factors such as genetics, so it is likely less efficient for promoting certain benefits. Oestrogen is one of the factors that can influence conversion. This enables pregnant women to convert any available ALA because it is very beneficial for the child’s brain development.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids have more than one double bond in their chemical structure. This means they are normally found in liquid form. The freezing point of DHA is -44°C(-47.2°F) while EPA freezes at -54°C (-65.2°F). These fats are also much more unstable when exposed to high temperatures compared to saturated fats (i.e. in butter, ghee, and coconut oil) and are not recommended for cooking.
As anti-inflammatory agents, they act, in part, by downregulating the pro-inflammatory NF-κB pathway and reducing the secretion of several proinflammatory molecules, including cytokines.
Health benefits
Along with the reduction of inflammation, omega-3s have been associated with a reduction in triglycerides, plaque buildup in the arteries, blood pressure, and body fat levels, as well as improved insulin sensitivity.
Both EPA and DHA are heart-healthy. They can help the blood platelets to become less sticky - kind of like taking aspirin but without the side effects. In the cell membrane, it improves its fluidity and makes cellular metabolism run more smoothly.
An adequate amount of omega-3s is important for eye health too. Parts of the retina, for example, are made of about 30 per cent of omega-3s of all fatty acids in the cell membrane.
Positive effects on brain health
Omega-3s are shown to be neuroprotective (helping maintain the health of neurons and their communication pathways in the brain). Low amounts of EPA in the blood have been linked with depression. Although EPA is not abundant in the brain, it can rapidly cross the blood-brain barrier as a free fatty acid. One study found that a daily dose of one gram or less of omega-3s made up of at least 60% EPA can improve depression, with one possible explanation being that it keeps inflammation low. Many subjects were able to come off SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) completely after supplementing with high EPA omega-3s.
They’ve also been shown to influence brain development in infants and children. Studies have found higher cognitive ability in infants whose mothers ate more fish during pregnancy, and higher IQ in infants whose mothers took omega-3 supplements when pregnant or breastfeeding.
Sources of Omega-3s
As always it is best to get nutrients from whole foods, and the same goes for omega-3s. Aim to consume EPA and DHA-rich foods like coldwater fish, specifically Atlantic salmon. As mentioned, ALA that comes in plants (i.e. chia seeds, flaxseeds, edamame, and walnuts) needs to be converted to be used, but the efficiency is only 5%.
Here is the list of foods with the highest EPA and DHA amounts per 3 ounces (85 grams):
Atlantic salmon: 1.24 grams of DHA and 0.59 grams of EPA
Atlantic herring: 0.94 grams of DHA and 0.77 grams of EPA
Sardines: 0.74 grams of DHA and 0.45 grams of EPA
Mackerel, canned pink salmon, rainbow trout, oysters, and seabass are good sources of EPA and DHA.
Certain types of fish like tilefish, king mackerel, swordfish, and sharks are a concern due to high mercury levels and are best avoided. Yet, people often forego the great health benefits of EPA and DHA due to small amounts of mercury in tuna, but Bill Harris, PhD in human nutrition and a leading expert on omega-3 fatty acids says this shouldn’t be a concern. The benefits far outweigh the downsides.
Pasture-raised eggs can also be a good source of omega-3s, mainly DHA, albeit in much smaller quantities than seafood (around 25-100mg per egg). Still, if you eat an egg a day, over a week you might get an amount of omega-3 equivalent to a single fish meal.
Some types of seaweed are not only high in EPA and DHA but also have a low omega-6 to omega-3 ratio (a good thing). Lastly, small amounts of omega-3s are found in beef, pork, and poultry.
Supplements
If you are supplementing with omega-3s, The Dietary Guidelines recommend at least 250 mg of combined DHA/EPA per day, but that is far from enough according to all leading experts in this topic.
Studies have shown no adverse effects on high doses of both EPA and DHA, up to 5g a day, says Bill Harris. Dr Rhonda Patrick even suggests taking 4g of omega-3s (of combined DHA and EPA) a day just for general health, but 2 grams is a good threshold.
Omega-3s are extremely prone to oxidation and sadly many supplements might come oxidised due to poor sourcing, handling and packaging of these vulnerable molecules. Always keep your fish oil in the fridge.
Try to source the best quality, which will often come at a higher price, but it is an investment worth making. The better quality omega-3s come in a triglyceride form (a backbone of glycerol with three fatty acids attached, either DHA or EPA).
Lower-quality supplements would be in ethyl ester form, which are cheaper to produce but aren’t as bioavailable. They aren’t necessarily bad for you, but if you don’t take them with the food you won’t absorb much at all warns Dr Rhonda Patrick. Sadly, the information on how the supplements were produced is usually not stated on the packaging and you have to dig through the company’s website or call them to find out.
Check out this website of an independent testing lab for an IFOS (International Fish Oil Standards) certificate of various brands. You can find the testing results and see how much EPA and DHA are actually present as it is never exactly the same as the label on the bottle. They also measure for oxidation (look for TOTOX - total oxidation number - of under 10, ideally under 6) and for contaminants such as PCBs, dioxins, mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic.
Krill oil supplements have DHA in phospholipid form (compared to the triglyceride form of fish oil) and for this reason, are better absorbed but are really low dose and it is hard to hit the 2g per day threshold. Additionally, they are notoriously rancid and it is incredibly hard to find a good quality product.
Testing your omega-3 levels
Measuring your omega-3 levels regularly is really important, especially keeping an eye on the omega-3 vs omega-6 ratio. Measuring the omega-3 index is much preferred over the usual plasma phospholipid test that you normally get from your GP. Omega-3 index tests for the ratio of omega-3s in your red blood cells (RBCs). The RBC turnover every 120 days, so it is a long-term marker of omega-3 status, rather than just a snap of the momentary situation.
A low omega-3 index of 4% has been shown to reduce life expectancy for 5 years compared to people with an index of 8%. Incredibly, smokers who had high levels of the omega-3 index had the same life expectancy as people with a low index.
Conclusion
It is not enough to simply consume more omega-3-rich foods or supplements, you also have to reduce the intake of highly inflammatory processed grains, grain-fed meat and foods loaded with vegetable oils, especially canola and sunflower oil. Read more on vegetable oils in our article here.
However, regularly ingesting adequate amounts of good quality omega-3 fatty acids is one of the most powerful tools you can use to reduce inflammation and improve the way you think, feel and the way you age.
Resources:
Dr Bill Harris on The Drive podcast