Vegetable Source Omega-3’s
Oct 06, 2009 by Bill Rawls, M.D.
So far we have focused on essential fatty acids found in fish, but there are several types of omega-3 fatty acids and they all actually originate from plant sources. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for animal life, but cannot be made by animals. The omega-3’s found in fish, DHA and EPA, are actually sourced from algae eaten by smaller marine animals that the fish consume.
The omega-3 fatty acids are concentrated up the food chain and therefore oily fish are the best source of these essential fats. Omega-3 fatty acids found in land-based plants, chiefly from grasses and certain seeds, are different from marine omega-3 fatty acids and have different effects in the body. In days gone by we could have depended on the “food chain effect” for providing these important omega-3 fatty acids in meat sources, but livestock raised for food today no longer consume grasses. The corn and other grains they are fed contain high concentrations of another type of essential fatty acids called omega-6’s. Instead of reducing inflammation in the body, these fatty acids actually encourage inflammation. The best health solution for today includes eating a predominantly vegetarian diet, restricting meat only to “grass-fed,” and taking marine source and vegetable source omega-3 supplements—both are important.
As I mentioned, the different essential fatty acids seem to have slightly different properties. In general, the marine source omega-3’s appear to be best for reducing inflammation in the vascular system and land-based source omega-3’s seem to be best for reducing inflammation in tissues. DHA from marine sources appears to be particularly important for normal brain development and brain health. EPA from marine sources helps lower triglycerides. ALA, found in flax seed oil, has potent anti-inflammatory effects and also has anticoagulant effects (blood thinning), but has minimal effect on lowering cholesterol or blood triglycerides. GLA, found in evening primrose oil, black currant oil, and borage oil has anti-inflammatory properties, stimulates immune function and has anti-estrogen properties and anti-tumor properties. (Some sources of borage oil have been found to contain trace amounts of a liver toxin called hexane. Always look for hexane-free sources of borage oil).
I know this is all starting to sound like alphabet soup, but for optimal health, you need some of all of them. How much of each type depends on your age and health condition. Young people really benefit from having enough DHA on board and should consider a marine supplement weighted in that direction. Young women and women going through menopause gain benefit from the marine oils, but especially need GLA to moderate hormonal fluctuations. Individuals with signs of arthritis will find supplements high in GLA to be beneficial. Younger adults can generally get away with a lower dose supplement containing both marine and vegetable source oils, but individuals over fifty should consider both a full dose marine-source supplement and a full dose vegetable source supplement such as flax/evening primrose oil. For strict vegans wondering how to get those important marine source omega-3’s, there are DHA/EPA supplements made from algae.
At First Do No Harm Health Systems, you will find a complete line of high quality essential fatty acid supplements to suit every age and every purpose.
Categories: Cardiovascular Health, Everyday Supplements,
Tags(s): Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Essential Fatty Acids, Fish Oil,
Previous Comments
Kathy White- Oct 06, 2009
Dr. Rawls, your site is great! I look forward to reading more of your blog articles. Keep posting :)
