Over the past 2 decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the scientific study and public interest in omega-3 fatty acids and the positive impact they may have on our health. These special omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to possess anti-inflammatory, anti-arrhythmic, and anti-thrombotic properties.Omega 3’s can be helpful for conditions such as arthritis by reducing stiffness, inflammation, and joint pain.  They can also help support a healthy cardiovascular system by thinning the blood, dilating blood vessels, and supporting healthy blood pressure.  

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Omega 3 and Omega 6 Fatty Acids: Balancing the Good Fats

Essential Fatty Acid Basics

Omega 3 fatty acids are considered “essential” because they cannot be manufactured within the body.  Therefore, they must be obtained from food sources, such as fish, plant, and nut oils.  We need them for our bodies to work normally. Because essential fatty acids (ALA, DHA, EPA) are not made in the body or are inefficiently converted from ALA to EPA and DHA, we need to get them from food.

Symptoms of omega 3 fatty acid deficiency includes:

• Extreme tiredness
• Poor memory
• Dry skin
• Heart problems
• Mood swings
• Depression
• Poor circulation

Omega-3s have a number of reported health benefits. They can help reduce inflammation throughout the body — in the blood vessels, the joints, and elsewhere. Omega-3 supplements (EPA/DHA) also seem to thin the blood and aid cell function.

There are several types of omega-3 fatty acids. However, the two most crucial ones EPA and DHA — are primarily found in certain fish. Plants like flax contain ALA, an omega-3 fatty acid that is partially converted into DHA and EPA in the body.  Experts say that DHA and EPA — from fish and fish oil — have better established health benefits than ALA. DHA and EPA are found togetheronly in fatty fish and algae; while flaxseed and plant sources of omega-3s provide ALA — a precursor to EPA and DHA, and a source of energy.

Additionally, EPA and DHA are the building blocks for hormones that control immune function, blood clotting, and cell growth.  Furthermore, extensive research has shown that omega 3 fatty acids help reduce risk factors associated with chronic diseases, such as arthritis and heart disease.

Source:  WebMD

Omega 3’s and Cardiovascular Health

Evidence is steadily accumulating indicating that omega 3 fatty acids found in fish help decrease the risk of coronary heart disease.  In fact, the Nurses’ health study and the Physician’s health study are two large, long-term observational studies that have been published regarding dietary intake omega-3-fatty acids and the risk of heart disease and sudden cardiac death:

Nurses’ Health Study -  This study began in 1976.   More than 80,000 female nurses completed life style and diet questionnaires.  Then, they were monitored for 16 years for the development of coronary heart disease. Omega-3 fatty acid consumption was calculated from the questionnaires. The results of the study showed that compared to women who rarely ate fish (less than one fish meal per month), women who ate fish once a week had a 29% lower risk of developing coronary heart disease. Those who ate fish five times a week had a 34% reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease and a 45% reduction in the risk of death from heart disease (usually sudden cardiac death). 1

Physicians Health Study – The Physician’s health study began in 1982 when more than 20,000 healthy male physicians were followed for 11 years. Life style, coronary risk factors and diet data were collected at entry, and life style and diet data were collected via questionnaires at 12 months and 18 months. The results of the study showed that men who consumed one or more fish meals per week had a 50% lower risk of developing sudden cardiac death than men who rarely ate fish (less than one fish meal per month). 2

According to WebMD, “Omega-3 fatty acids appear to lower the overall risk of death from heart disease.  Fish oil may reduce arrhythmias, and people who take omega-3 supplements after a heart attack cut their risk of having another heart attack.  Eating fish once or twice a week seems to significantly lower the risk of stroke.”

Omega 3’s and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmunedisease, characterized by inflammation of the synovial lining of the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis may also affect other organs of the body, including the skin, eyes, lungs and heart.

Omega 3’s have been shown to help reduce inflammation in the body, thereby, offering relief to those who suffer from inflammatory joint conditions. 

The majority of clinical studies that have investigated the use of omega-3 fatty acid supplements for inflammatory joint conditions have focused primarily on rheumatoid arthritis. These studies have concluded that omega-3 fatty acid supplements help reduce tenderness in joints, decrease morning stiffness, and allow for a reduction in the amount of medication needed for people with rheumatoid arthritis.  Additionally, laboratory studies suggest that diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids may benefit people with other inflammatory disorders, such as osteoarthritis. 3, 4

The Physician’s Desk Reference for Nutritional Supplements suggests that a “daily ingestion of at least 3 grams of EPA and DHA mixtures of a period of 12 weeks or longer has been found to reduce the number of tender joints and amount of morning stiffness in subjects with rheumatoid arthritis.  Those with rheumatoid arthritis consuming these supplements have been report to lower or discontinue use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs.”

Further Reading

Diet, atherosclerosis, and fish oil.

N-3 fatty acids from fish oil. Effects on plasma lipoproteins and hypertriglyceridemic patients.

Low levels of cellular omega-3 increase the risk of ventricular fibrillation during the acute ischaemic phase of a myocardial infarction.

Omega-3 fatty acids in rheumatoid arthritis: an overview.

A meta-analysis of the analgesic effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation for inflammatory joint pain.

Validation of a meta-analysis: the effects of fish oil in rheumatoid arthritis.

References

1.  JAMA vol 287. No.14, p 1815. “Fish and omega-3-fatty acid intake and risk of coronary heart disease in women”.

2.  JAMA 1998, vol 279, p23. The title of the article is “Fish consumption and risk of sudden cardiac death”.

3.  MacLean CH, Mojica WA, Morton SC, et al. Effects of omega-3 fatty acids on lipids and glycemic control in type II diabetes and the metabolic syndrome and on inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, renal disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, and osteoporosis. Evid Rep Technol Assess (Summ). 2004(89):1-4. 

4. Goldberg RJ, Katz J. A meta-analysis of the analgesic effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation for inflammatory joint pain. Pain. 2007;129(1-2):210-223.