|
Omega-3 is the name given to a family of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The parent omega-3 - alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) - is described as 'essential' as, like vitamins, it must be obtained from diet. It is polyunsaturated.
However, from the point of view of human nutrition, the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid - EPA and DHA - are considered much more valuable as these are the forms the body requires. In theory, humans are able to synthesis EPA and DHA from dietary ALA, but in practice this process is inefficient. Scientists have therefore concluded that EPA and DHA should be obtained from diet. Oil-rich fish are the richest and most readily available sources.
Iceland Health Omega-3
Omega-3 fatty acids play an important role as structural membrane lipids, particularly in nerve tissue and the retina and are precursors to eicosanoids - highly reactive substances such as prostaglandins and leukotrienes that act locally to influence a wide range of functions in cells and tissues. The omega-3 fatty acids are essential to life at every stage of life, even before birth. They are found in the membrane of every cell in the body and help to ensure that the cell membrane is ideally equipped to do it's job. They are also used in the regulation of all biological functions, including those of the cardiovascular, reproductive, immune and nervous systems.
It follows that optimum health can only be achieved when sufficient omega-3s are obtained from diet. They help maintain good health, promote brain and vision development and help protect against disease. It has been shown that an increase in the omega-3 fatty acids of marine origin can effect an improvement across a range of conditions, both physical and mental. Research is continually producing positive findings for these vital nutrients.
As the omega-3 fatty acids have powerful physiological effects, it is important that people on prescribed medicines, or who take aspirin on a regular basis, consult their doctor before taking fish oil supplements.
In recent centuries, the emphasis gradually moved away from hunting/gathering towards cultivating the land, but the greatest diet changes have occurred in the past 50 or so years. As a result of our increasing reliance on cereals, processed foods and, most significantly, vegetable oils and spreads, compounded by a decreased consumption of oily fish could create an omega-3 deficiency in our diet. Modern Western diets are therefore deficient in omega-3 fatty acids compared with the diet on which humans evolved and their genetic patterns were established.
|
