Choose to Swim with the Fish: Get your Omega-3 from Fish Oil and not Flax

Omega-3 essential fatty acids are a crucial part of our diet, so make sure you're getting all their potential benefits. Choose to get your Omega-3 from deepwater fish (or via supplements sourced from the same). You may hear that flax oil is also a source of Omega-3- and that's true to some extent - but it's not as complete a source as fish oil. If you're a vegetarian or vegan, you'll want to choose flax oil, otherwise you can get your Omega-3 from salmon or halibut, for example, or from supplements made from deep sea anchovies or sardines.

So what's the big deal with Omega-3 essential fatty acids, and why does it matter where they come from?

Omega-3 essential fatty acid is important for two reasons. The first is that we can't make them in our body. They are called 'essential' because we need to source them from our diet. The second reason that Omega-3 is important is due to its anti-inflammatory properties. The inflammatory and anti-inflammatory pathways occur in each cell in our body. If you think about it, this is a pretty fascinating fact. There are only two options here. The pathway tips in only two directions; along the anti-inflammatory route or the pro-inflammatory route.

Eating a diet rich in Omega-3 tips the pathway to the left, promoting the anti-inflammatory pathway. Eating a diet rich in Omega-6 (most plant oils: safflower, corn, sunflower, safflower and nuts, seeds and soybeans) tips the pathway to the right, promoting the inflammatory pathway. At the turn of the century -- the 19th century, that is -- people ate diets that were much more balanced in Omega-3 and Omega-6 sources. Today, people are eating 1:20, or in some cases 1:50, Omega-3 to Omega-6. To maintain overall health, it is a good idea to keep the dietary intake of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids in balance.

Omega-3 sourced from deep water fish (or supplements sourced from the same) is best, and here's why. It is a direct source of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) plus eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). These two fatty acids appear further down on the anti-inflammatory pathway on the left. Omega-3 is also available in flax oil, but flax oil does not contain EPA and DHA. Flax oil contains only Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA), which is an early precursor of the anti-inflammatory pathway. Less than 15% converts to EPA and less than 5% will convert to DHA. There are also many factors that inhibit the conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA. These include diets high in Omega-6, alcohol, metabolic issues including diabetes, suppressed immune systems and deficiencies of any of the vitamins that are used as co-factors along the pathway.

For these reasons, food sources high in ALA (flax seeds, flax oil and walnuts) are not good sources of Omega-3 essential fatty acids. I often see people supplementing with both fish and flax oils. This is not necessary and can have an unhealthy side effect: Oils have around 100 calories per tablespoon. An additional 100 calories per day can add up to a ten pound weight gain over a year.

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