by Greig Rightford, Strategy & Development, HealthFit Collective.
Omega-3 fatty acids are talked about so much in our field of health and fitness, but to what extent can omega 3 fatty acids actually work? These days it can be hugely confusing when it comes to what is good and what isn't - sometimes it's all a bit much, right?
Well, sort of.
As experts in the movement/health/wellbeing sectors we’ve been on this ride for a long time. So long, in fact, that we’re starting to see experts agree on a few things. This article is based on what many of the experts do agree on when it comes to seeing if an omega-3 supplement is a good choice for you?
Fish oil contains both docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). These essential fatty acids are essential for many parts of the human body. There is some speculation that it's even beneficial for ADHD, Autism, Atopic diseases and some cancers. When reviewing the research however, it's inconclusive, lacks large trial numbers or has only been studied with healthy mice. So let’s rule those all out for now and get straight into what we KNOW it helps us with.
Cardiovascular benefit?
There are huge claims that state that DHA and EPA helps reduce cardiovascular disease and in some areas this is true. It does not decrease the risk of heart attacks, however there is some research that suggests a lowering of blood pressure, a lowered heart rate and good improvement in circulation. These days hypertension (high blood pressure) is common, so not a bad idea to supplement if this is common in your family, or perhaps if you’re someone who has recently quit smoking.
Does it lower inflammation in the body?
Next is inflammation (correlated with ‘pain’ as it's associated with inflammation). As movement specialists and in some ways, health coaches. We have, for a long time, recommended marine PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids) as a great way to lower inflammation and the American College of Rheumatology agrees with this approach.
So when it comes to symptoms such as "joint swelling and pain, duration of morning stiffness, global assessments of pain and disease activity" you should be grabbing for your RDA (recommended daily amount) of fish oils.
So many of our clients have a severity of osteoarthritis that gets worse with more inflammation, sometimes caused by some poor lifestyle choices. Some younger clients are causing pain and inflammation through higher training/impact loads. Choosing to eat or supplement Omega 3’s is a smart choice for these people. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) claims that omega-3 supplements containing EPA and DHA are safe if doses don’t exceed 3,000 mg per day. We recommend to many of the people and athletes we work with to supplement 1,000 mg-2,000 mg per day. Take note children can supplement but with even smaller doses - I give my son Leo around 283 mg - 500 mg per day before school.
Cognitive Aging, Brain & Visual Functions
Interestingly, a large percentage of the mammalian brain is made up of DHA. So when we’re able to consume this in our diet we keep the grey matter in our brains healthy by supporting a broad range of cell membrane properties. Anthropological research also indicates a time toward the last ice age where it is thought that intake of omega 3 fatty acids in seafood over millennia was responsible for accelerating the development of our prefrontal cortex - the logical portion of our brains.
There are huge claims that omega-3 fatty acids have a positive effect on mechanisms of dementia but the research is inconclusive. There is, however, evidence that there is a positive effect on people with mild cognitive problems.
What benefits are there for our mental health?
Mental health, or the lack thereof, seems to be becoming more and more prevalent in today’s world or at the very least, we are recognising the fact there is a big problem and we’re reporting unwell people more often. Regardless, I have felt that omega-3 fatty acids have improved my mood and seen this replicated in others around me - granted placebo is most likely present here too.
It needs to be stated firstly that there is difficulty in interpreting the research for reasons such as: inconsistent participant recall, varying dietary intakes and publication bias.
There is however, evidence that omega-3 fatty acids are related to helping with depression symptoms in large meta-analyses when compared to placebo. Mice have also shown changes in brain chemistry when placed under stress and given omega-3’s combined with polyphenols.
The findings resulted in the development of international guidelines using omega 3’s in the treatment of depression. This link has been attributed to the fact that when we synthesise the products of omega-3 this helps to regulate inflammation such as prostaglandin E3 which has been linked to depression. This has been further supported with meta-analyses and in in vivo studies.
So omega-3 fatty acids are not a god-given silver bullet to health but the research does point to using up to 3,000 mg on a daily basis for adults and this can have definite benefits for inflammation, blood pressure, cognitive function and even mental health. We always want to lower chronic inflammation as it's so often a precursor to malfunction systemically in our bodies.
I’ve definitely felt the benefits of consistent intake of omega-3 fatty acids alongside a healthy diet and regular exercise, so if you’re thinking of supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids then add them into a healthy lifestyle but it shouldn't be an antidote to unhealthy choices.
References
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Forbes SC, Holroyd-Leduc JM, Poulin MJ, Hogan DB (December 2015). "Effect of Nutrients, Dietary Supplements and Vitamins on Cognition: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials". Canadian Geriatrics Journal. 18 (4): 231–45. doi:10.5770/cgj.18.189. PMC 4696451. PMID 26740832.
Miles EA, Calder PC (June 2012). "Influence of marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on immune function and a systematic review of their effects on clinical outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis". The British Journal of Nutrition. 107 Suppl 2 (S2): S171-84. doi:10.1017/S0007114512001560. PMID 22591891
Montgomery P, Richardson AJ (April 2008). "Omega-3 fatty acids for bipolar disorder". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2): CD005169. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD005169.pub2. PMID 18425912.
Perica MM, Delas I (August 2011). "Essential fatty acids and psychiatric disorders". Nutrition in Clinical Practice. 26 (4): 409–25. doi:10.1177/0884533611411306. PMID 21775637.
Ruxton CH, Calder PC, Reed SC, Simpson MJ (June 2005). "The impact of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on human health". Nutrition Research Reviews. 18 (1): 113–29. doi:10.1079/nrr200497. PMID 19079899.
Sanhueza C, Ryan L, Foxcroft DR (February 2013). "Diet and the risk of unipolar depression in adults: systematic review of cohort studies". Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. 26 (1): 56–70. doi:10.1111/j.1365-277X.2012.01283.x. PMID 23078460.