Beneficial Fats & Heart Health

A recent analysis of 19 studies confirms that regular consumption of fish and other omega-3 rich foods, including certain plant-based sources, may lower your risk of a fatal heart attack (myocardial infarction) by about 10%. Factors such as; age, sex, ethnicity, diabetes and use of aspirin or cholesterol-lowering drugs, were all factored into this analysis.

One large study in Italy, found that heart attack survivors who took 1 gram of omega-3 fats each day for three years, had a 50% reduced chance of sudden cardiac death.

Marine Animal- versus Plant-Based Omega-3s:

Omega-3 fats can be obtained from both marine animal and plant sources, but contrary to popular belief, they are simply NOT interchangeable.

People who avoid animal foods believe they can consume plant-based omega-3 ALA to meet their needs. But this isn't true and the science doesn't support this hypothesis.

Marine animal based omega-3s EPA/DHA are essential polyunsaturated fats your body needs for a variety of functions, including digestion, muscle activity, blood clotting, visual acuity, memory, learning, basic cell division and function of cell receptors.

Omega-3s EPA/DHA are considered "essential" fats, since your body cannot make them. You therefore have to obtain these fats from your diet.

Plant based omega-3 ALA is quite common in the diet and therefore there is no real need to supplement them.

Plant-based omega-3s have 18 carbons, but marine-based omega-3s have between 20 and 22.

All omega 3s have their first double-bond in the third position. That is why they are called "omega-3s".

There is a distinction between where long-chain and short-chain omega-3s come from.

EPA and DHA are long-chain fatty acids (marine animal sources) and ALA is a short-chain fatty acid (plant sources). The difference in the length of the carbon chain makes all the difference.

Your body can convert a small amount of the ALA that is found in plants to the DHA that is found in marine sources, but this conversion is typically found to be less than 1%. This is an insufficient amount to have any significant benefit.

Marine Animal-Based omega-3s:

1. Sources: Fatty fish (such as salmon, anchovies, sardines and herring), fish and krill oils.

2. Primary omega-3 content: DHA: a long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) consisting of 22 carbons, and EPA: a long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid consisting of 20 carbons.

3. Long-chain fatty acids EPA and DHA are more readily available to your body.

4. Your body also seems to have a significant capacity to synthesize another omega-3 fat, docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), most likely by elongating EPA.

5. Biological effects: DHA and EPA are structural elements with many biological effects, most notably anti-inflammatory activity and communication within the cell and between cells.

6. More than 90% of the omega-3 fats found in brain tissue are DHA. All other omega-3 fats are found only in trace amounts, including ALA, regardless of how much ALA you consume.

Plant-Based Omega-3s:

1. Sources: Certain plants, such as flaxseed, flaxseed oil, chia seeds, nuts (especially walnuts) and leafy greens.

2. Primary omega-3 content: ALA is a short-chain fatty acid consisting of 18 carbons; it's conversion to long-chain fatty acids is very poor, around 1 to 3 percent.

3. ALA is a precursor to EPA and DHA. However, enzymes are required to elongate and de-saturate the shorter 18 carbon ALA into long-chained omega-3. In most people, this doesn't work very well and hence the conversion rate is very small.

4. Typically, less than 1% of ALA is converted to EPA/DHA. Some studies have found the conversion rate to be as low as 0.1 to 0.5 percent. Your conversion is also dependent on having adequate levels of other vitamins and minerals.

5. Biological effects: Source of energy (fat).

Read More