Is omega-3 the key to a healthier life?

Taking omega-3

According to new research, omega-3 fatty acids are the way to a healthier life as they promote heart health and reduce pain in people with rheumatoid arthritis. But also, omega-3 reportedly may help to treat autism, bipolar disorder, depression, Alzheimer's disease,ADHD and prostate cancer. According to the research, each and every person would benefit from more omega-3 in their diets to stay healthy.

"There's very strong, medical-nutrition, literature-based evidence in humans suggesting that the average American would probably have a healthier life, a lower risk of dying from heart disease and improved brain function by consuming more fish, more supplements or more functional foods with DHA and EPA," says nutritional scientist Bruce Holub, of the University of Guelph in Ontario and executive director of the DHA/EPA Omega-3 Institute there, to The LA Times.

Various types of omega-3

What you might not realise is there are various omega-3 fatty acids. The term refers to a family of compounds that are naturally abundant in fish, seafood and algae, and it's their chemical variety that may hold the key to improving our health.

Omega-3 fatty acids are long chains of carbon atoms that bond to each other in different ways to produce molecules with various functions. Of the five forms that we consume, the three that matter most to human health are alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

There is increasing evidence which suggests that each type of omega-3 plays a different role in keeping us healthy. The benefits of the omega-3 will depend on the amount, the stage of life you're in and specific medical conditions. Such complexity is something that guidelines, at least in the US, don't yet reflect.

Researchers are still trying to clarify the details, but some health experts are already pushing for clearer recommendations which will help people benefit from omega-3s without wasting money on varieties which are useless to them.

The health effects

Interest in fish-based omega-3s started in the 1970s, when scientists observed that Inuit people of Greenland ate tons of fatty fish but had extremely low rates of heart disease, since then, interest has started to grow

Scientists have yet to work out many of the details about how omega-3s work to benefit our health, but inflammation is probably one clue, at least for some conditions. It would explain why two of the types which are of benefit to human health,DHA and EPA, are on the top of more traditional medicines can reduce morning stiffness and joint pain in arthritis patients and can help reduce the amount of pain medication people need to take.

Brain-based disorders are another area of interest. Some studies have found lower blood levels of omega-3s in adults with Alzheimer's and kids withADHD than in comparable groups without those problems.

In a recent survey of more than 6000 people who already take supplements, 74 percent took fish oil or other types of omega-3 supplements last year, making them more popular than multivitamins, foundConsumerLab.com, an independent health-products testing company.

And in 2009, sales of products enriched with omega-3s, omega-6s and omega-9s jumped by 42 percent compared with 2008, according to market research firm Nielsen.

Looking ahead

To date, however, most Americans don't appear to be getting nearly enough omega-3s.

Americans consume fish an average of only once every 10 days, and 50 percent don't consume fish over a seven-day period. Supplements, meanwhile, are not a universal dietary staple. As a result, the average intake ofDHA and EPA in the US is an eighth of what people normally get in Japan and a quarter of what many experts now think we need.

Food labels aren't especially helpful. The packaging on a box of granola bars or loaf of bread might tout omega-3s even though they contain a form that doesn't do much in the body or their concentrations of nutrients might be too small to make a difference.

And even when detailed information is available, it's not always clear how much a given individual should get.

Jodie Humphries

Jodie Humphries graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA Hons in Creative Writing in 2008. She has worked for GDS Publishing for the digital group since July 2009. She has previous experience with writing for the web, running her own website since April 2007.

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