Nutrition Guide: Essential Fatty Acids ???

 Many questions have been coming up regarding essential fatty acids.  What are they?  Should I take them?  What form is the best for me?  etc…  Well I will break it down for you as simply and effectively as possible and hopefully clear the air regarding this issue.
 
First of all let’s discuss what essential fatty acids are.  Essential fatty acids are called essential because the human body cannot manufacture them but needs them for many important functions. Therefore, essential fatty acids must be obtained from our diet.  The essential fatty acids we are concerned with here are omega-3 and omega-6.
 
What are “Omega-3″ and “Omega-6″ fatty acids?

Omega-3 and omega-6 are essential fatty acids used to make hormones that control the functioning of tissues throughout our bodies. The omega-6 fats tend to have pro-inflammatory effects, while the omega-3s tend to have non-inflammatory effects. We need to have a balanced intake of omega-6s and omega-3s for optimal health. The omega-6 fatty acids are found in most common vegetable oils and products from livestock animals raised on grain.  Omega-3 fatty acids are found in flaxseed oil, wild ocean fish, wild game, products from livestock raised on green vegetation, and fish oil. Most people consume too much omega-6 fats and not enough omega-3s. Therefore, we need to decrease the intake of omega-6 sources and increase the intake of omega-3 sources.
 
As a matter of fact, Human beings evolved on a diet with a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty acids if approximately 1/1.  Believe it or not, Western diets (or what I like to call SAD or standard American diet) the ratio is 15/1 to 20/1!  A lower ratio of omega-6/omega-3 is favorable in reducing the risk of many of the chronic diseases that are prevalent in Western societies.
 
Studies show that reducing the levels of omega-6 and increasing the levels of omega-3 fatty acids:
Is antiinflammatory
Is cardioprotective
Reduces the risk for heart disease
Reduces the prevalence for non-insulin diabetes mellitus
Is beneficial for patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Is beneficial for patients with asthma
Reduces colorectal cancer risk
Reduces breast cancer risk
Reduces the incidence of osteoporosis by helping adolescents establish a better bone mineral base early in life and in preserving skeletal integrity in old age (p.s. keep you and your kids off all forms of soda - that is the biggest bone de-mineralizer on the planet!!!)
Reduces depressive illness
Reduces the incidence of dry eye syndrome
Reduces age related macular degeneration
The key here is the anti-inflammatory effect as this is the basis for most dis-ease processes we encounter.  It sounds like if we practiced this anti-inflammatory nutritional protocol that we could throw out many if not all of our toxic prescription drugs…and in fact this is the case as I have personally seen in my practice patients getting off high blood pressure meds, osteoporosis meds, and anti-depressants when combining an anti-inflammatory diet with increased exercise and regular chiropractic visits.  Of course there is no panacea to health and true wellness comes from a lifestyle containing all of these and others.

 For those of you who think you are doomed to disease because of your genes, think again.  Leading research shows that genetic factors determine susceptibility to disease but environmental factors  determine which genetically susceptible individuals will be affected.  Guess what?…Nutrition is a very important environmental factor!  Remember what causes dis-ease?  Traumas, toxins and auto suggestion.  Poor nutrition falls into the toxin category.  Auto suggestion is worth mentioning here because your mental and emotional connection to diseases that run in your family - cancer, diabetes, etc. - increase your susceptibility to them.
 
Fish or Flax???
 
Here we need to get a little technical.  There are three omega-3s we need to talk about.  Eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA) are the two omega-3s that have the best effects on human biochemistry and are contained in higher amounts in fish oil.  Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) found in some nuts and their oils, leafy green vegetables, and some vegetable oils, are converted to EPA and DHA in our bodies.  However, as we age this conversion process is shown to be insufficient for what our needs are.
 
Of course adding food sources to your diet that contain these essential fatty acids is always recommended.  Many patients tell me “I eat salmon all the time”.  Well that is great if it is wild salmon.  The problem is… most eat fish purchased from grocery stores like Von’s and Albertson’s and, unless specifically identified, are farm raised.  These will not supply you with the omegas that you need.   You see, fish need to feed on algae to produce omega fatty acids and farm raised fish don’t have that opportunity.  Wild salmon (or any other wild caught fish) have plenty of algae to feed on.  The problem is that burning of vast amounts of coal to produce electricity for our planet has poluted our waterways and oceans with mercury and PCB’s.  These of course are found in the fish that inhabit those waters.  Now, I love a good piece of fish.  But to ensure I am getting my omega 3s I supplement with fish oil.
 
Having said this, I believe a high quality, toxin free fish oil is the best supplement for omega-3s.  I personally take cod liver oil because it has the most favorable ratio.  The brand I use is Barleans and it can be found at Whole Foods Market.  If you are a reader of Dr. Joe Mercola, he makes a strong argument for a krill oil supplement that he sells.  When consuming fish oil supplements, you need to be cautious if you are allergic to fish.  Flax oil is a good non fish source of ALA.