Download Omega-3 EPA/DHA: The most pressing

Wellness Foods Europe Omega oils
Omega-3
EPA/DHA: The
most pressing
nutritional
deficiency?
by Lori Covert, Vice President,
Marketing & Communications,
Ocean Nutrition Canada
When it comes to nutritional deficiencies in
the industrialized world, it’s the traditional
vitamins and minerals that get the most
press. Women of child-bearing age are urged
to consume adequate folic acid to prevent
major birth defects, known as neural tube
defects (NTDs). Women of all ages are constantly reminded to get plenty of calcium to
build strong bones and prevent osteoporosis.
And, increasingly, the alarm is being sounded
for those living in northerly latitudes to increase their intake of vitamin D, an essential
nutrient that may play a role in preventing
certain types of cancers and is estimated to
be deficient in more than 40 % of American
adults.1 However, one deficiency may be even
more widespread in its prevalence and more
devastating in its consequences: Marine-derived Omega-3 fatty acids.
The many benefits of Omega-3 EPA/DHA >
Omega-3 fatty acids are categorized as essential fatty acids (EFAs), meaning they are es20 | Wellness Foods Europe – April/May 2009
sential for health, but cannot be produced by
the body. Therefore, they must be supplied
through the diet.
The marine-derived Omega-3 fatty acids,
eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are well-known for their
heart-healthy benefits, including lowering
triglycerides and blood pressure, regulating
heartbeat, reducing the risk of sudden cardiac death, slowing the build-up of atherosclerotic plaque, decreasing inflammation, and
reducing the risk of stroke. However, Omega-3 EPA /DHA also have documented benefits for:
– Cognitive function, including Alzheimer’s
disease, dementia, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and behavioural problems;
– Mental health, including bipolar disorder,
borderline personality disorder, depression, and schizophrenia;
– Inflammatory and auto-immune diseases,
including asthma, certain cancers, type 1
diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetic neuropathy, certain bowel diseases,
multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis;
– Pregnancy and breastfeeding, including
brain development, healthy birth weight,
immunity, IQ and visual acuity; and,
– General well-being, including weight loss
and improved body composition.
The prevalence of Omega-3 deficiency > Unfortunately, most people do not eat diets providing adequate amounts of Omega-3 EPA/
DHA, which occur in oily fish. Using samples
from the landmark Framingham Heart Study
and several other populations, Dr. Edward
Siguel, in oral testimony given at the second
meeting of the U.S. 2005 Dietary Guidelines
Advisory Committee, reported that 70 %
of Americans are deficient in Omega-3 fatty acids.2 According to the Weston A. Price
Foundation, in comments presented to the
2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, 20% of Americans have blood levels of
Omega-3 so low they cannot be detected.3
Vegetarians and children, who avoid fish
for different reasons, are particularly at risk
of Omega-3 deficiency. In fact, a recent trial
found a large majority of Canadian children
are deficient in Omega-3 EPA/DHA. While
the U.S.-based Institute of Medicine recommends children ingest a very moderate 90 mg
of Omega-3 EPA/DHA per day, the median
daily consumption of Omega-3 EPA/DHA
among a sample group of Canadian four
to eight-year-olds was only 31.5 mg, meaning 78 % of the children did not receive adequate amounts of EPA and DHA in their diets.4 Using a more liberal suggested intake of
351 mg of Omega-3 EPA/DHA per day – the
amount recommended by the American Dietitian Association and the Dietitians of Canada – the percentage of Canadian children deficient in Omega-3 EPA/DHA jumps to 90 %.
American children fare little better; the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services
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Wellness Foods Europe Omega oils
Compared to hunter-gatherer societies, industrialized nations consume far less fish,
seafood, and wild game, and far more vegetable oils and grains, thereby disrupting the
delicate Omega-6/Omega-3 balance. In fact,
the U.S.-based Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health, headed by Dr. Artemis Simopoulos, found that while humans evolved
eating a balanced diet containing a 1:1 ratio
of Omega-6 to Omega-3, the average ratio
of these two fats in the Western diet is now
between 15:1 – 16.7:1, leading to chronic
inflammatory disease.5,6,7 In fact, 10 % of
the total calories in the American diet come
from vegetable oils which are high in Omega-6.
indicates the average consumption of Omega-3 EPA/DHA for American children four
to eight years of age is 50 mg/day, noted the
researchers.
The Omega-6/Omega-3 imbalance > Clearly, we aren’t consuming enough Omega-3.
And, that begs the question: How did we
get so deficient? Part of the answer is that we
simply don’t eat as much oily fish – the only
dietary source of Omega-3 EPA/DHA – as
we used to. However, there is a more insidious, underlying factor to the current lack:
Our Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acid ratio is
dangerously out of balance.
Both Omega-6 and Omega-3 play a role
in human biochemistry and physiology.
Omega-6 – found in vegetable oils, nuts,
seeds, and grains – gives rise to substances that promote inflammation, encourage
blood clotting, and narrow the blood vessels. Omega-3, on the other hand – found
as alpha-­linolenic acid (ALA) in green leafy
vegetables, seaweed, and flaxseed oil, and as
EPA/DHA in oily fish – gives rise to substances that reduce inflammation, prevent blood
from clotting, and relax the blood vessels. It
is the balance between the two that is key to
physical and mental health.
22 | Wellness Foods Europe – April/May 2009
How much is enough? > Omega-3 deficiency
doesn’t get as much attention as traditional nutrient deficiencies because no individual
country has set a recommended daily intake
(RDI). However, many health organizations
have set recommended adequate dietary intakes for Omega-3, such as the U.S.-based
National Institutes of Health, which recommends 650 mg EPA/DHA per day.
The International Society for the Study
of Fatty Acids and Lipids advocates 500 mg
per day of EPA/DHA for adults. However,
higher levels may be indicated in specific
disease states, The American Heart Association, for example, recommends one gram
EPA/DHA daily for coronary heart disease
or cardiovascular disease patients and two
to four grams EPA/DHA daily for patients
who need to lower triglycerides. Trials on
patients with depression and schizophrenia
generally noted improvements at dosages of
one to two grams of EPA daily when EPA
was taken alone, and at dosages of 4.4 to 6.2
grams of EPA plus 2.2 to 3.4 grams of DHA
when both fatty acids were taken together.
However, Omega-3 dosage is not a onesize-fits-all formula. Because Omega-6 and
Omega-3 compete for the same enzymes to
make a host of regulatory substances, the
requirements for Omega-3 EPA/DHA are
profoundly influenced by a person’s dietary
choices: The higher the Omega-6 consumption, the higher the need for Omega-3. A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition illustrates this point.
Taking into account the background diet in
different countries, researchers calculated the
amount of Omega-3 needed daily to achieve
the same tissue concentrations of EPA/DHA
typical of the Japanese, who consume large
amounts of Omega-3 and have some of the
lowest rates of cardiovascular disease mortality and major depression. While people of
the Philippines only need to supplement with
278 mg/day to complement the average diet,
those living in the United Kingdom require
1600 mg/day, and Americans, with their high
consumption of Omega-6 from processed
foods, require 3667 mg/day.
The flax oil myth > Many consumers are under the impression they can get the benefits of
Omega-3 EPA/DHA by taking flaxseed oil or
other vegetarian sources of Omega-3. While,
the body can convert the alpha linolenic acid
(ALA) in flaxseed oil into the types of Omega-3 the body uses – EPA and DHA – the conversion is extremely inefficient. Complicating
the matter, the conversion is further blocked
by diet and lifestyle factors, including satu­
rated fat hydrogenated fat and trans fatty
acid intake; a lack of co-factors such as zinc,
magnesium, manganese, and vitamins A, B3,
B6, and C; and the presence of stress hormones and viral infections. As a result, some
research shows only 0.3 % of ALA is actually converted to EPA and less than 0.1 % to
DHA.9 In fact, based on its analysis of the
current body of Omega-3 research, the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids
and Lipids issued a statement that “conversion of ALA to EPA is very low, and to DHA
is even less – essentially negligible. These very
low conversion rates mean that ALA cannot
meet the body’s need for DHA.”10
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Wellness Foods Europe Omega oils
New technology makes fish oil go unnoticed
in fortified foods > According to a 2008 report published by the Natural Marketing Institute, more American consumers believe
they are deficient in Omega-3 fatty acids
than any other nutrient.11 But due to concerns about contamination, many consumers
are hesitant to increase their fish intake. And,
some simply don’t have the time or inclination to prepare fresh fish meals twice a week.
This gap between knowledge and action can
be solved with fish oil-fortified foods.
Ocean Nutrition Canada (ONC) is the
world’s largest supplier of Omega-3 EPA and
DHA ingredients from fish oil. Its pure, highquality MEG-3® Omega-3 EPA/DHA is available as MEG-3® fish oil concentrates for dietary supplements, and as MEG-3® powder
for functional foods. After seven years of intensive research, the company developed its
patented Powder-loc™ microencapsulation
technology, which uses a double-shell protection system to “lock” the fishy taste out of
food. Powder-loc™ makes it possible to add
fish oil to foods ranging from pizza to peanut
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most pressing nutritional deficiency.
References >
1
Allen, Scott. “Vitamin D deficiency tied to
host of dangers.” The Boston Globe. Dec. 30,
2004. http://www.boston.com/news/globe/
health_science/articles/2004/12/30/vitamin_
d_deficiency_tied_to_host_of_dangers/
2
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dietary
Guidelines Advisory Committee Meeting.
Meeting Summary. Jan. 28, 2004:34. http://
www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/
dgac012004minutes.pdf
3
Fallon, Sally, et al. “Comments on the Report of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.” Weston A. Price Foundation.
Sept. 27, 2004. http://www.westonaprice.
org/federalupdate/testimony/comments_dietaryguidelinesrep.pdf
24 | Wellness Foods Europe – April/May 2009
Madden S, et al. “Direct diet quantification indicates low intakes of (n-3) fatty acids in children 4 to 8 years old.” J Nutr. Mar
2009;139:528-532.
5
Simopoulos, et al. Omega-3 fatty acids in inflammation and autoimmune diseases. J Am
Coll Nutr. 2002;21(6):495-50.
6
Simopoulos, et al. Evolutionary aspects of
diet, the omega-6/omega-3 ratio and genetic
variation: nutritional implications for chronic diseases. Biomed Pharmacother. 2006;
60(9):502-7.
7
Simopoulos, et al. Omega-6/Omega-3 essential fatty acid ratio: The scientific evidence.
World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics.
2003; 92.
8
Hibbeln J. “Healthy intakes of n-3 and n6 fatty acids: estimations considering worldwide diversity.” Amer J Clin Nutr. 2006
Jun;83(6 Suppl):1483S-1493S.
9
Hussein, et al. Long-chain conversion of
[13C] linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid
in response to marked changes in their dietary intake in men. J Lipid Res. 2005
Feb;46(2):269-80.
10
Starling, Shane. “ALA-DHA conversion
negligible, say fatty acid experts.” NutraIngredients.com. March 25, 2009. http://www.
nutraingredients-usa.com/On-your-radar/
Omega-3/ALA-DHA-conversion-negligiblesay-fatty-acids-experts
11
Moloughney, Sean. “EFAs at a Crossroads.” Nutraceuticals World. Sept., 2008.
http://www.nutraceuticalsworld.com/articles/2008/09/efas-at-a-crossroads
4
The Author:
Lori Covert, Vice President,
Marketing & Communications,
Ocean Nutrition Canada Limited
101 Research Drive
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Canada B2Y 4T6
Phone: +1 902 480 3200
Fax: +1 902 480 3199
E-mail: [email protected]
www.ocean-nutrition.com