I have known and taken the essential fatty acids supplements of omega-3 oils for some years now. When I was in my local pharmacy getting some more essential fatty acids supplements I was interested in trying to see the difference between the different suppliers of omega-3 oils supplements. I knew it was important to have more DHA than EPA and that a fish oil source of omega-3 oils, compared to something like flax seed oil, tends to be the best. However, I recently read4 about getting omega-3 essential fatty acid oils not only from oily fish but from the stuff whales eat, krill. So I thought I’d write a little bit about the different sources of omega-3 oils and why you may look to supplement with omega-3 essential fatty acids to improve your health.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids Fish Oil Sources
The traditional Eskimo diet of eating lots of oily fish and marine fats seems to have given them some protection from dying young from the typical western civilised lifestyle diseases like heart disease. A traditional Eskimo would eat whale or seal skin with the fat in the diet. So this prompted researchers to look further into the what was in their diet that helped their health.
Omega-3 fatty acids seemed to be the answer. Whale fat contains omega-3 fatty acids that can help protect against vascular disease. Omega-3 oils are an essential fatty acid and can act like aspirin causing blood to be thinner. It has been said Eskimos are prone to nosebleeds¹. So it is important to know omega-3 oils help thin blood, which if you are on medicated blood thinners would thin your blood even more and you should be cautious.
I’m not an Eskimo so I don’t have access to whale and seal in my diet but I wouldn’t also cause they are under threat from over killing. So where else can you get Omega-3 essential fatty acids. Again, I have always taking cod liver oil supplements or eaten mackerel, tuna, sardines etc… However, the stuff whales eat Krill could be the answer. Only 1% of krill is supposedly used for human consumption4 so we aren’t over farming krill populations unlike or fish quotas. So maybe ask your local health food store or pharmacy if they have a Krill omega-3 essential fatty acids oil. So far I have found solal®, an anti-ageing company, to have a Krill omega-3 oil supplement.
DHA vs EPA
DHA stands for docosahexaenoic acid and EPA stands for eicosapentaenoic acid. They are the omega-3 oils. DHA & EPA are apart of the unsaturated fatty acids family and are polyunsaturated. The Durham study2 advocates using more EPA than DHA, however, my biochemistry lecturer at chiropractic college was always a fan of more DHA than EPA. EPA is made from DHA anyway. So when I look for my essential fatty acids supplement I like to see lots of DHA.
There is currently no recommended daily allowances (RDA’s) for omega-3 oils. So be cautious to not to take handfuls of supplements thinking more is better. However, like what I mentioned in the vitamin D and chronic lower back pain article, taking supplements can be toxic for your body but eating lots of fish like Eskimos doesn’t give you a toxic omega-3 oil problem. So if you are worried how much omega essential fatty acid oils to take maybe look at getting omega-3 oils from eating fish and not buying supplements instead.
Reading:
- “The Inuit Paradox – How can people who gorge on fat and rarely see a vegetable be healthier than we are?” Discovery Magazine October 2004 issue by Patricia Gadsby
- Alexandra J. Richardson and Paul Montgomery The Oxford-Durham Study: A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Dietary Supplementation With Fatty Acids in Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder Pediatrics 2005 115: 1360-1366.
- “Essential fatty acids and eicosanoids” from The Third International Congress on Essential Fatty Acids and Eicosanoids, Adelaide, Australia, March, 1-5, 1992 By Andrew Sinclair, Robert Gibson, American Oil Chemists’ Society
- Do you Know Why Krill is your Best and Most Sustainable Source of Omega-3 Fat? by Dr Joe Mercola