What are Omega-3 fatty acids

You must be hearing about Omega -6 or more specifically Omega- 3 fatty acid. Nowadays, most of the food/FMCG companies are putting Omega-6 in every thing cereals, butter, juices etc.. People are also consuming Omega supplements. So what are the health benefits of Omega- 6 & Omega-3 & why it is important?

Omega-6 & Omega-3 are essential fatty acids which are required so that our body functions properly. We get a lot of Omega-6 since a lot of food items already have Omega-6 however sources of Omega-3 are quite limited. Lot of companies claim that their food products have Omega-3 but you still do not get the required quantity.

There are 3 types of Omega-3- DHA(docosahexaenoic acid ), EPA(eicosapentaenoic acid) & ALA(alpha-linolenic acid). DHA & EPA are found in certain fish & fish oils & ALA are found in nuts & plants oils . ALA are converted into DHA & EPA in the body. However not all ALA are converted. Therefore, people should focus on including all 3 Omega-3 in their diet. DHA levels are high in eyes, brain & sperm cells. EPA helps in reducing inflammation. People should try to add more Omega-3 to their diet when they are pregnant & lactating. It is advised that pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding & children should include more low mercury fish in their diet.

Some of recommended food intake rich in Omega-3 (DHA & EPA) include:

1. Salmon
2. Wild Trout fish
3. Herring fish
4. Sardines Fish
5. Tuna

For pregnant women, Wild Salmon & trout are safest to consume with high amount of Omega-3

For Omega-3(ALA), your diet should include:

1. Walnuts
2. Soyabean/Soyabean oil
3. Flaxseed/Flaxseed oil
4. Canola Oil.

There are a lot of Omega-3 supplement options available in the market. It is recommended that you should consider getting ~ 1000 mg of fish oil & DHA & EPA as primary sources. You should not consume more than 1 to 3 tablets on a daily basis.

So what are the health benefits of Omega-3?

• Keeps your heart healthy and strong.
• Lowers cholesterol and level of fats circulating in the blood.
• Helps with joint pain and osteoporosis
• Also helps in preventing from inflammatory-centered diseases like asthma and irritable bowel disease.
• Helps with depression