There has been an increased awareness of Omega-3 fats in the past few years. Media has been buzzing with multiple articles on Omega-3 fats, supplements and fortified foods. In this article, I have tried to summarize my understanding of this fat group.
Disclaimer: I'm not a medical professional. Do your due diligence before making any changes to your diet.
Omega-3 fats belong to the family of polyunsaturated fats (PUFA).
They are an integral part of cell membranes throughout the body and affect the function of the cell receptors in these membranes. According to this source, Omega-3 fats lower blood pressure and heart rate, improve blood vessel function, and, at higher doses, lower triglycerides and may ease inflammation, which plays a role in the development of atherosclerosis.
The three main omega-3 fatty acids are
- short-chain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)
- long-chain eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
- long-chain docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
ALAs are essential fats i.e. our body cannot make them from scratch and so we need to consume through foods or supplements. The RDA (Required Dietary Allowance) of ALA is as below:
I looked into IFCT-2017 (Indian Food Composition Tables) and prepared this list of food sources rich in ALA, along with their respective values.
Our body can convert ALA into EPA and DHA. This conversion happens in the liver. Research on Omega-3 fats is still ongoing and I couldn't find any conclusive proof on the conversion of ALA into EPA and DHA, as to how much of it gets converted. There are multiple factors that influence the ability of our body to convert ALA into EPA and DHA.
- The higher the Omega-6 fats consumption is or the higher the ratio of Omega-6 : Omega-3, the lower the conversion is. Omega-6 is found mainly in refined vegetable oils, which is extensively used in fried foods and processed foods. The acceptable ratio of Omega-6 : Omega-3 is between 2:1 and 4:1
- Including foods rich in nutrients such as pyridoxine (Vitamin B6), biotin, magnesium and zinc help convert the parent omega-3 ALA into EPA and DHA
Fishes are a good source of EPA and DHA but they may contain mercury, heavy metals, PCBs, dioxins and other contaminants, thanks to severe degradation of the quality of our water sources.
The recommendation for vegetarians and vegans is to include algae-based EPA and DHA supplements. But my point of concern is the quality of these supplements, not to forget the high costs.
Being a vegetarian, I'm not planning to consume fish oil supplements. I don't plan to buy algae-based ones either. I plan to ensure my Omega-6 intake isn't too high. Using the above list of ALA-rich foods sources as a reference, I'll make sure my intake of ALA is good enough, and my body will take care of the conversion as per my need. This is my point of view.
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