NutritionEd:

In the News is going to be a regular feature on my blog this year. Posts under this heading will shed some light on various food-related information, advice, and discoveries which are currently hot topics in the world of Nutrition. I got the idea for this feature after my last trip back home to Alberta. Every time I’m there a good friend of mine asks me, “What’s Hot” in my field right now. Unfortunately, my answers are usually rather insipid because, although there are so many topics I find interesting, I tend not to get caught up in the hype of nutrition in the media. I also have a penchant for comparisons and drawing on recent personal experience when confronted with situations such as this. When Hayden posed the question to me again this Christmas my immediate impulse was to discuss Crohn’s Disease; which was something I had learned a lot about in my final Stage at school. To be honest, I think he and his fiancé should be thankful I refrained from this gastrointestinal topic and instead commented on good old Sodium and Fiber instead; after all we WERE eating at the time!
So, in an effort to transcend beyond the realm of default topics like sodium (which frankly has been a “hot” topic for years), In the News will feature more insightful and controversial issues. For my first post I wanted to write about something which has been gaining popularity in media over the last few years; Omega 3 Fatty Acids.

All Omegas are not created equal

Without trying to sound like a broken record, the food industry is replete with savvy marketing and catchy phrases all designed to garner sales. I’m not sure what I find more frustrating, products that tout miracle effects based on limited research or products that take legitimate science and tweak it to their own ends. The latter is something I see more and more of with Omega 3 fatty acids. There is no question that omega 3s are good for you and hold impressive anti-inflammatory properties. This includes a myriad of health concerns such as heart health, cognitive development, cancer and even rheumatoid arthritis. However, certain mitigating factors (as usual) cloud the issue of omega 3s and, as a result, many consumers have difficulty making informed food purchases.

To compound matters, people are often unaware of the questions they should be asking to avoid falling prey to media and advertising hype. Consider these 3 questions before making your next purchase of an omega 3-containing product:

1. “How bioavailable is it?” (ie: how much does the body absorb)
2. “What is the recommended daily intake?”and
3. “What is Omega 3 anyway?”

Answering these questions before you venture down the store isle can help isolate the truly useless omega products from the truly beneficial. Unfortunately, a consumer usually needs to do a little bit of leg work to arm themselves with the answers. Hopefully by reading this I can save you some of that effort. Note that the following is regarding foods which have been enriched with omega 3; as opposed to foods which contain it naturally, such as Salmon.

Bioavailability

Perhaps this isn’t the best word to use when describing the absorption of omega 3 in your gut however the point is the same. Certain factors affect the degree to which omega 3 in foods can be absorbed and utilized by the body. For example, take flax seeds. Products which extol the virtues of this seed often frustrate me because consumers need to know something very important; flax seeds contribute virtually no omega 3 in the diet! Indeed, only ground flax seeds allow access to the omegas inside. Our body is simply unable to digest whole seeds. About the only benefit you get from eating whole seeds is some fiber-like activity; which can actually irritate some people’s bowels. So make sure you check the ingredient label for whether the flax is ground or not.

Recommended intake

At this time the DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) for omega 3 is given only in terms of what we call “AI” or “Adequate Intake”, meaning at this level of intake you are likely covering all your body’s needs. The AI for omega 3 is currently set at 1.6g/d for men and 1.1g/d for women… which doesn’t sound like a lot does it? Unfortunately, most omega-containing foods, like omega 3 eggs or Omega 3 orange juice, contain a quantitatively insignificant amount of omega 3, therefore meeting your daily requirement can be challenging. Further, and here’s the real catch, the type of omega 3 provided is often the type least useful to us; which leads me to the next and most important question.

What IS omega 3 fatty acid?

Or should I say, what ARE omega 3 fatty acids! How many of you thought that omega 3 fatty acid was only one type of molecule? I imagine quite a few of you. In fact, there are numerous types of omega 3s out there and the most useful ones are often the hardest to find! The 3 most commonly seen omega 3s are alpha-linolenic (ALA), eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) fatty acids. The most important of these 3 is DHA, followed by EPA and lastly ALA. The variable utility of these fatty acids is due to some rather complex (but interesting) biochemistry. Basically, ALA can be converted into EPA and DHA by the body. Which is great except this process is both very slow and very inefficient and so a direct dietary source of DHA and EPA are more appropriate.

Further, there are currently no dietary recommendations for the amount of DHA and EPA one needs in the diet to promote health though it wouldn’t be amiss if you strived for an average of ~300mg each per day.

So in conclusion, if you want to take a proactive approach to your health through diet it is important to know that DHA and EPA omega 3 fatty acids are the ones you should look for. And I sure hope you like fish, because it is simply the best source around and is far cheaper than popping pills!