The ultimate test with any supplement or dietary protocol is as follows: Does the change make sense both from a scientific standpoint and more important, does it make sense at the dinner table. Therefore, based upon the consumption of Omega-3 fats, obviously the focus of these latest blogs, does consuming Omega-3 fats impart such a health benefit that we should all consider taking them?
Numerous alternative approaches to diet have espoused the magic of Omega-3’s. Mainstream medicine has found them efficacious in one setting: Preventing sudden cardiac death. Many, many other associations are being studied. If one simple supplement or diet management technique appears to be a panacea for all that ails us, Omega-3’s have apparently become a candidate.
There are really only three Omega-3’s to keep in mind:
1. Linolenic Acid: 18 carbons: 3 double bonds: found in flaxseed oil, walnut oil, canola oil and as a supplement.
2. Eicosapentanoic Acid: (EPA) 20 carbons: 5 double bonds: found in seafood, and as a supplement
3. Docosahexanoic Acid: (DHA) 22 carbons: 6 double bonds: found in seafood, and as a supplement
The question naturally arising from an examination of the above fatty acids is: Can the α-linolenic acid in the above foods, namely, flaxseed oil or walnut oil, be elongated and have two more double bonds added to make EPA and eventually DHA? Biochemically, the human body has the enzymes and machinery to do just that. A bigger question and one without a solid answer is: How much of consumed α-linolenic is converted to DHA and EPA? Is α-linolenic acid totally, partially or never converted to DHA and EPA? Can anyone take α-linolenic acid and not have to put up with fish oil and still achieve the same result in terms of a decrease in the risk of sudden cardiac death?
The short answer and reiterating yesterday’s blog is: It appears to depend on your gender. Women apparently convert a greater percentage of α-linolenic acid to the larger DHA and EPA than men do. Speculation has it that a woman’s hormonal environment favors that conversion and a man’s doesn’t. Why do we care so much about the conversion of α-linolenic acid to DHA and EPA? Stay tuned.
Numerous alternative approaches to diet have espoused the magic of Omega-3’s. Mainstream medicine has found them efficacious in one setting: Preventing sudden cardiac death. Many, many other associations are being studied. If one simple supplement or diet management technique appears to be a panacea for all that ails us, Omega-3’s have apparently become a candidate.
There are really only three Omega-3’s to keep in mind:
1. Linolenic Acid: 18 carbons: 3 double bonds: found in flaxseed oil, walnut oil, canola oil and as a supplement.
2. Eicosapentanoic Acid: (EPA) 20 carbons: 5 double bonds: found in seafood, and as a supplement
3. Docosahexanoic Acid: (DHA) 22 carbons: 6 double bonds: found in seafood, and as a supplement
The question naturally arising from an examination of the above fatty acids is: Can the α-linolenic acid in the above foods, namely, flaxseed oil or walnut oil, be elongated and have two more double bonds added to make EPA and eventually DHA? Biochemically, the human body has the enzymes and machinery to do just that. A bigger question and one without a solid answer is: How much of consumed α-linolenic is converted to DHA and EPA? Is α-linolenic acid totally, partially or never converted to DHA and EPA? Can anyone take α-linolenic acid and not have to put up with fish oil and still achieve the same result in terms of a decrease in the risk of sudden cardiac death?
The short answer and reiterating yesterday’s blog is: It appears to depend on your gender. Women apparently convert a greater percentage of α-linolenic acid to the larger DHA and EPA than men do. Speculation has it that a woman’s hormonal environment favors that conversion and a man’s doesn’t. Why do we care so much about the conversion of α-linolenic acid to DHA and EPA? Stay tuned.
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