Understanding Omega-3

Today was my first show on Noosa.radio and today I spoke about understanding Omega-3 fatty acids from a nutritional perspective, science and eco perspective-

But why you may ask?

Well, because Omega-3’s are so complex, vastly effective and fascinating, from their health impacts on the heart, to weight management, to protecting your joints and treating arthritis, to beauty, brain and behaviour, it’s all here. Including the eco-friendly versions and not so environmentally friendly ones.

So, let’s dive in.

In an interview I did earlier this year with Professor Lindsay Brown, Adjunct Professor at Griffith University, he stated:

“Not many people see Omega-3 as being an essential compound. But they should.”

Why?

Well,

A study spanning 50 years has recently confirmed that people with lower blood levels of Omega-3, have more diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, mental health issues, osteoporosis, allergies, asthma, dementia, macular degeneration, cancers, and they all die younger.

Omega-3 plays a pivotal role in all these issues.  

But how you may ask?

Omega-3 fatty acids are considered long-chain poly-unsaturated fatty acids.

And there are three main types of Omega-3’s, you may have heard of them:

DHA

EPA &

ALA

They are considered long chain fatty acids because Omega-3’s are made up of chains of carbon atoms with bonds and some double bonds at different sections (if you remember your chemistry from way back.)

But why am I telling you this?

Because the chemical structure of each Omega-3 actually determines how well they’re absorbed and how they behave in the body.  

ALA: The shortest chain Omega 3 with a carbon chain of 18, is actually considered the only true essential Omega 3, as it can make the other 2 (EPA & DHA). But it is also the hardest to absorb, and this form of omega 3 comes from vegetarian sources.

Flax seeds & oil, chia seeds & oil, and green, leafy vegetables.

EPA, has a carbon chain of 20, and usually found in marine sources. It is one of the most effective on health and found in Sardines, salmon, and fried carp, roe, baked/broiled and mackerel.

DHA, The longest chain Omega 3- with 22 carbons, absorbs super well. And DHA is commonly found in:

-Fish/Marine, sardines, salmon, tuna, fish, shellfish, and some mammals,

DHA has a lot of the key health benefits particularly pertaining to heart health, lowering inflammation, mental/neurological/mood health and they think it may be because of it’s longest carbon tail.

Scientifically proven benefits of Omega-3 on health:

Heart health. Omega-3s benefit the heart and blood vessels by reducing triglycerides, lowering the risk of arrhythmias, slowing plaque buildup in arteries, and lowering blood pressure.

• Arthritis. Omega-3s help alleviate symptoms of both rheumatoid arthritis and a study in 2023 found that pain and mobility in osteo arthritis can be relieved too with Omega-3 oils.

• Brain and eye development. Research shows that omega-3 fatty acids, particularly DHA type of omega-3 are important for the development of brain and visual functions, particularly during pregnancy and in early life, which is why you commonly find it added to baby formulars, but it’s actually better for the mum to eat more of it, particularly if she can breast feed.

•  macular degeneration The DHA form of Omega-3 also helps slow the aging of eyes-

• Allergy management

• There is massive new evidence on Omega-3’s being beneficial for the gut microbiome, which I’ll talk about in an upcoming week- as the Gut Microbiome or second brain as scientists are calling it is such a massive topic, we’d need a whole show for it.  

• And there is also evidence of Omega-3 benefitting diabeties.

• Research has found that Omega-3 helps the brain, mood and mental health, childhood behavioural issues, and menopause symptoms as well as beauty.

• Disease prevention. Studies suggest that people who consume more omega-3s in general have a lower risk of developing age-related diseases and live longer, happier & healthier lives.

So what’s number 3 for me on the list of Top 3 best Omega-3 sources?

-Sardines:

-Did you know sardines have all the same health benefits, but many more, and are cheaper for you than fish oil? Plus they have less environmental impact because they are a small fish and you only need to eat them 1-2 a week to gain benefits, rather than 6 capsules each day.

-Sardines contain both EPA & DHA forms of Omega-3 & prevent and manage all inflammatory diseases, particularly those that involve the heart, joints, brain and metabolism- including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, and fatty liver disease. 

-But when we’re talking about the heart, sardines contain other cardioprotective nutrients that plain fish oils don’t. 

-Beyond Omega-3, Sardines also contain calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, taurine, arginine and other nutrients which together modulate inflammation, cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders.

-The amount of calcium in 100g of sardines is the same as in 400ml’s of milk.

-But aside from calcium, sardines are also an important source of protein, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamin D, which collectively contribute to muscle and bone metabolism (33, 34) and are similarly important for cardiovascular health.

-Sardines, as a dietary source of n-3 PUFA, have shown benefits for blood pressure.

-Sardines iron content is comparable to that of meat, and there is an association between iron-deficiency anaemia and cardiovascular diseases, where iron deficient patients suffer far worse if they have heart conditions than those who are not. So, iron intake should not be neglected when managing cardiovascular patients. 

-A recent study published in the journal Clinical Nutrition, found that because of Sardines multi-nutrient benefits, in comparison, fish oils alone aren’t as effective for heart health and lowering disease, they cost more & we have to rid the sea of huge tons of valuable fish each year, just to make a capsule.

-Fish oil capsules in comparison also often lead to nausea, & fish tasting reflux.

-So sardines are one of the best Omega-3 options in number 3.

Number 2 in the Top 3 list:

-Chia seeds are high in the ALA type of Omega-3 fats, and were originally found in Southern Mexico and Guatemala.

But The Kimberley region of Australia is now one of the largest growers of chia seeds worldwide.

So, science has proven that our Western way of living is basically the cause of most of our inflammatory strife. And, what researchers found was that even whilst still eating a high fat, high sugar diet and being not only obese, but having cardiovascular and liver disease too; the introduction of chia seeds to the diet changed all of it.

Because Guess what?

Chia seeds are one of the very few effective interventions to halt inflammatory mediators and allow the release of trapped fat from the body, particularly the abdomen to be redistributed to other areas of the body and burned off as fuel through exercise and dietary changes.

This redistribution of fats is also invaluable to the elderly who tend to lose fats in the subcutaneous areas, such as the face, arms and legs. The fats here act as insulation and keep us looking younger and healthier, chia has the ability to re-supply these areas.

Science found: Not only did weight loss occur, and the benefits of looking younger but the body became once again sensitive to insulin, the heart and the liver were rebuilt to health and bone density was increased, as did lean muscle mass.

This is almost mind boggling really, that a seed could do all that.

So what makes chia so special?

It seems to be the vast amount of the omega 3 fatty acids present, predominantly ALA or alpha-linolenic acid, coupled with its high protein content and rich mineral content of calcium and phosphorus.

Interestingly, through all the testing done, chia was comparable, if not significantly superior to fish or krill oil in improving health in all the main health fields, and is cheaper and far more environmentally sustainable to boot.

So chia seeds hey; it’s like Lypo meets Botox, as they can literally move stubborn, trapped fat from around the body to be burned, and put some under the skin to make us look younger.

I’m about to talk about my number 1 top favourite Omega-3 food source.

But first, do you remember there are 3 main forms of Omega-3-fatty acids:

ALA coming from vegetarian sources, like chia, flax and some vegetables.

And DHA & EPA, both the easiest to absorb, most powerful forms of Omega-3 and both found commonly in fish and marine sources.   

But, what most people don’t know are these Omega-3’s don’t originate in fish at all. They actually come from a vegan source that the fish eat;

Which is microalgae. And Micro-alage is my top 1 Omega 3 source.

So, most of you know macro-algae= which is seaweed.

But microalgae are the more ancient, single celled, smaller version organisms, similar to seaweed, that are not only the true sources of the Omega-3’s found in fish, but they are actually also the source of all life on earth too!

Continuing on from my interview with Professor Brown, earlier this year, he stated;

"Microalgae are the oldest species on earth; they are the first species! And our earth still relies on microalgae as the major producer of not only Omega-3 but also oxygen, so that we may live.”

So microalgae are not only the main source of Omega-3 coming from within fish, microalgae are also responsible for producing over half our worlds oxygen as they grow. That’s right! That is why miroalgae are my top no. 1 food source here, because they are the beginning of the line for the omega 3’s, they’re the purest and most bioavailable source, they are vegan and we don’t need to rid the oceans of any fish in order to gain it!

And microalgae don’t just make most of our breathable oxygen as they grow, they also trap carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Pretty incredible!

So how do you get microalgae? There’s a few companies around, spirulina is one type of microalgae that’s been around for years, but is not overly high in Omega 3’s, but there are even better ones science is discovering now.

In the next few weeks I’ll be interviewing Dr. Skye Thomas-Hall from a new Australian microalgae company: SeaO2 Nanno, you can check out their website, and their particular microalgae called nano-chloropsis is extremely high in Omega-3 fats, protein, essential vitamins and minerals, and much more. The science on this new super- whole food is amazing.

Thank you for listening to the first show for Noosa.radio, come visit me at Cotton-Tree markets in Maroochydore this Sunday (17th Nov) from 7am-12md if you want to try my Daya Pet Food Co. healthy dog food treats & supplemental toppers that use sardines, chia and you guessed it- even that high Omega-3 micro-algae visit my website at www.dayapetfoodco.com.au