Originally published February 21 2006
Professor reviews the nutrition of omega-3 fatty acids
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Debra Palmer Keenan, a nutrition professor at Rutgers University, looks at the nutritional data surrounding the three types of omega-3 fatty acids and examines the many health claims attributed to them.
Health claims on food are proliferating, and today we look at the reported benefits of omega-3 fatty acids.
Omega-3s are found in breast milk and have been shown to be important in brain and eye development, said Jay Whelan, a professor of nutrition and an omega-3 researcher at the University of Tennessee.
Omega-3 fatty acid, a kind of polyunsaturated fat, comes in three types: EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and ALA (alpha linolenic acid).
"If you get ALA from walnuts, flaxseed or canola oil, it can be beneficial because it gets converted to DHA and EPA, but that's only if ALA is already lacking in your diet, which it probably isn't," Whelan said.
Omega-3s significantly reduce the risk for sudden death caused by cardiac arrhythmias and decrease all-cause mortality in patients with known coronary heart disease.
Last year, the FDA allowed the following claim to be placed on certain foods: "Supportive but not conclusive research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
Omega-3s, specifically DHA and EPA, are being examined for other health benefits, such as treating rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's (because of anti-inflammatory properties); treating depression and other psychological disorders (because they may boost serotonin and dopamine, decreasing depression and violent behavior); reducing the risk of diabetes, insulin resistance in people with diabetes, psoriasis and other skin conditions; helping osteoporosis (because they may enhance bone density); and fighting cancer (because they may inhibit cancer cells in the breast, prostate and colon).
Soybeans and soybean oil, canola oil, walnuts and flaxseed and their oils are rich sources of ALA.
Fatty fish, such as salmon and tuna, and fish oil are rich sources of EPA and DHA.
For a complete list of omega-3s and where to find them, check out: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=hstat1a.table.38454.
Some research has shown positive outcomes for omega-3 fish supplements over a placebo.
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