The Omega Buzz | Nature'sNutritionist's Blog

So you've heard the buzz about the importance of Omega 3s, and you've heard the emphasis about its proportions to Omega 6s being important. But why do they really matter?

It boils down to this: omega are essential fatty acids (EFAs), meaning that humans must acquire them from the diet because our bodies do not produce them. Omega 6s work by increasing inflammation in the body. Despite the buzz about the perilous nature of inflammation, it is actually a critical function in healthy immunity, blood clotting, and cellular reproduction. You need some level of inflammation. But we get into trouble because our modern diets promote ridiculous amounts of inflammation, which can lead to insulting conditions on our bodies. The goal is to achieve balance.

This is where our friend Omega-3 enters the center stage. This EFA downplays everything Omega-6 does. In a natural environment, we would probably enjoy a near-perfect balance among these EFAs, and might take it for granted that they matter or even exist. But thanks to government food subsidies of corn and soy, and cheap food manufacturing, our EFA intake has a serious tip in its scales. Soybean oil is so common in processed foods that the average American is estimated to receive a whopping 10-20% of its calories from soy oil alone.

So, why should you care? This EFA imbalance may be a major contributor to asthma, heart disease, many types of cancer, obesity, arthritis, ADHD, Alzheimer's disease, dyslexia, dementia, depression, post-partum depression, and violence.  Joseph Hibbeln, M.D., a psychiatrist at the National Institutes of Health, advocates bringing these fats into balance to reduce these conditions. He cited a study showing that after omega-3 fish oils and vitamins were added to British prisoners' diets, the violence in the prison dropped by 37 percent. While the average Japanese consumes 145 pounds of seafood yearly, Japan is arguably the happiest and most peaceful developed country. In contrast, the average American consumes about 40 pounds of fish, and while we are more prosperous and enjoy more open land than Japanese, we are more depressed and unsatisfied with our lives.

While supplementing may seem like the obvious answer, examine your options before running out for the next bottle of fish oil that you can find. Not only is supplementing with fish oil taxing on the environment, fish oil supplements are not FDA regulated and may end up costing you a lot of money without giving you the benefits you are seeking. It is possible that these supplements may even contain more Omega 6 fats than Omega 3s, as explained in my last post. Plus, if you are watching the oils you consume, eat fewer processed foods, and consume more of the omega-3 food items, you should have no problem improving your omega 3:omega 6 ratio.

Photo credit: http://whatscookingamerica.net/