> Holistic Healing > Functional Foods/Nutraceuticals > M-R > omega-3 (linolenic acids)

Recent landmark studies have highlighted the important way in which long-chain omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils protect against cell membrane dysfunction and disease.

In contrast with short-chain omega-3 fatty acid (alpha-linolenic acid) found in flax seed oil, these studies suggest that long-chain omega-3s such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA) from fish oils may be more easily absorbed. Evidence suggests that many people, particularly many men, have difficulty converting alpha-linolenic acid to EPA and DHA.

A further advantage of fish oil sources is that long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, but not alpha-linolenic acid, are also transformed into regulatory compounds known as prostaglandins, which carry out many important tasks in the body. Prostaglandins regulate inflammation, pain, and swelling; they play a role in maintaining blood pressure; and they regulate heart, digestive, and kidney function. Prostaglandins also participate in the response to allergies, help control transmission of signals along the nerves, and help regulate the production of steroids and other hormones. Through their effects on prostaglandins and related compounds, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids can mediate many physiological processes, making them useful in virtually every disease state as well.

New Developments

New "pharmaceutical grade" fish-oil products are a highly concentrated form of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids free from lipid peroxides, heavy metals, environmental contaminants, and other harmful compounds. They are so superior to earlier fish oil products that they are literally revolutionizing nutritional medicine.

However, a fish-oil product may not be pharmaceutical grade just because it says so on the label. Since there is no official criterion for the term, companies can make the claim without fear of repercussion. At your health food store, ask for a fish oil product that possesses the following characteristics:

• manufactured in a certified GMP facility approved for pharmaceutical products
• manufactured according to pharmaceutical standards that include quality control steps to ensure the product is free from lipid peroxides, heavy metals, environmental contaminants, and other harmful compounds
• at least a 60 per cent concentration of the most active long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA)
  omega-3 fatty acids and arachidonic acid at a ratio greater than 50 to 1
• natural vitamin E as a preservative.

The Solution

Using a pharmaceutical-grade fish-oil supplement is the perfect solution to people wanting the health benefits of fish oils without the mercury and other contaminants found in fish. Further to results of the Diet and Reinfarction Trial (DART) published in the Lancet in 1989, it is estimated that the use of fish oil supplements may reduce overall cardiovascular mortality by as much as 45 percent. This effect is not related to a change in blood cholesterol levels. The favourable effect is seen very rapidly, usually by three months into the study.

My Recommendations

For general health, take 400 mg of EPA and 200 mg of DHA daily, best taken at the beginning of the meal. For therapeutic indications, the dosages may be tripled but only under the direction of your naturopath or family physician.

Michael T. Murray, ND, is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading authorities on natural medicine. He is a graduate, faculty member, and serves on the Board of Regents of Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington. An author of over 20 books, Dr. Murray is also director of product development and education for Natural Factors Nutritional Products.

Source: alive #256, February 2004