Should We Rely on Foods Containing Omega 3 Fatty Acids Or Take Supplements?
Author: Nicos Stylianou If you are looking for a list of the foods containing omega 3 fatty acids that we eat every day, then you might be disappointed, especially if you compare it with a respective list of omega 6 acids.
Numerous studies and sources of information point to the fact that our diet, especially the diet in the western world, is deficient in omega 3 fatty acids.
In their effort to explain why certain diseases are more common in certain parts of the world than others, scientists have studied the dietary habits of people in numerous countries.
Ratio of omega 6/omega 3
What they have discovered is very interesting: It seems that the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids is directly linked to the rates of diseases such as coronary heart disease, cancer, inflammatory diseases etc.
In other words, people whose diet includes much less foods containing omega 3 fatty acids than omega 6, are more prone to exhibit serious diseases.
What scientists say, is that a long time ago people used to balance their diet, eating foods rich in both omega 3 and omega 6. The sad truth now, however, is dietary habits have changed.
To put it in numbers, while the ratio of omega 6/omega 3 used to be 1/1, now the western diet has a ratio ranging from 15/1 - 16.7/1. The Indian diet is even worse, climbing up between 38/1 to 50/1 in urban areas.
In contrast, people who have diets rich in fatty acids like Eskimos, exhibit very low rates of serious diseases, especially cardiovascular.
Foods containing omega 3 acids
So, having said all the above, what should we do in order to increase our daily intake of omega 3 fatty acids and so reduce the omega 6/omega 3 ratio?
The first, most obvious option, is to rely on our daily diet. Foods containing omega 3 fatty acids can be classified into animal and plant sources.
From plant sources like walnuts, flaxseed oil, soybean and canola oil we can obtain the omega 3 acid called alphalinolenic acid (ALA).
The problem with this acid, however, is that it cannot readily be converted by our body into the two other important essential fatty acids that we need: Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
Therefore, our diet definitely has to include animal sources as well which will supply us with these two very important nutrients. And the major animal source is fatty fish and fish oil.
Excellent sources of fatty fish include herring, salmon, mackerel, tuna and hoki, a fish found off the southern coast of New Zealand.
Foods or supplements?
Unfortunately, however, there is a fundamental problem with fish consumption: As you probably know, most of the oceans around the world are polluted, some to a greater and others to a lesser extent.
Inevitably, fish that swim in these waters are contaminated as well. Traces of heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium etc.) and other pollutants such as PCBs and dioxins have been found in fish that were caught.
Therefore, you are faced with the other option: Rather that rely on foods containing omega 3 acids, obtain these important nutrients from fish oil supplements.
However, exercise caution: Not all supplements are the same. Look specifically for fish oil that is rich in omega 3 (especially DHA) and has undergone molecular distillation.
This means that it has been processed so that all harmful contaminants have been removed.
About the Author:Nicos Stylianou is a long time researcher and an expert on healthy nutrition. To become better educated about the wonderful health properties of omega 3 fish oil and see what products he recommends and why, visit his website now at: http://www.your-nutrition-guide.com/omega-3-fish-oil.html
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/supplements-and-vitamins-articles/should-we-rely-on-foods-containing-omega-3-fatty-acids-or-take-supplements-949832.html