The Simple Secrets to Better Health
June 2007,
What are Omega 3's?

Omega 3's are polyunsaturated fatty acids that help your body manage inflammation. Read on to learn more about them and why they are vitally important to your health.

More and more we see Omega 3 fatty acids being added to food products. Eggs are but one example. So what are they really, and why are they important for both your dental and overall health? Let's start with an overview.

Foods can be categorized into three broad groups; carbohydrates, proteins or fats. It is important that our diet have some of each category. Omega 3's are in the fat category. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature, like fat on meats or animal fat sources. Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and are recognized as oils, like olive and safflower oils. These are vegatable sources. Omega 3's are in the unsaturated category.

A fat or oil is made up of many building blocks known as fatty acids which are linked together. If there are no double bonds or ones that can easily be broken, the fat is known as saturated. If there is one double bond in the whole chain, the oil is called monounsaturated or "one unsaturated bond". Olive oil is an example and it tends to be very stable because there is only one "breakable" bond. If there are two or more double or breakable bonds, this oil is known as polyunsaturated or "many unsaturated bonds". Both Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids. Almost every fat is comprised of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and is named or categorized by the one that makes up the largest portion.

Butter would be a good example. It is solid at room temperature so it is called a saturated fat. But  let the temperature rise slightly and you can watch it melt to an oil showing its mono and polyunsaturated characteristics. Butter is about 2/3 saturated and 1/3 unsaturated.

One of the most important purposes of fats in the body is to make hormones. These are very potent messengers in our body and control many of our subconscious actions. We have growth hormones, sex hormones, stress hormones and hormones to turn inflammation both on and off. Polyunsaturated Omega 3 fatty acids are used to make hormones that reduce or control inflammation. As you know, inflammation is our body's natural defense, so we can't be without it. People with "Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome" or AIDS suffer without this important defense. Controlled inflammation is necessary for optimum resistance to disease. When inflammation goes beyond controlled and into the uncontrolled level, we develop inflammatory diseases like cardiovascular diseae, diabetes, periodontal disease, arthritis, and some cancers. Read about them in the second chapter of the Simple Secrets to Better Health. 

Here is what you need to remember. Omega 3 fatty acids are the building blocks to the hormones that control inflammation. Omega 6 fatty acids make the hormones that cause inflammation. We need them in a ratio of "two parts Omega 6" to "one part Omega 3" for optimum health. I remember this by thinking we need six parts Omega 6 to three parts Omega 3. That's 2:1, right!

Now the problem. Our diet is loaded with omega 6 fatty acids. Safflower, sunflower, peanut and corn oils can have up to a 20:1 ratio, not 2:1! No wonder we are seeing inflammatory diseases rampant as we age. Omega 6's are pumping out inflammatory hormones and we have very little Omega 3 hormones to control them. When we resort to drugs like ibuprofen and celebrex to control the inflammation, they actually reduce the inflammation potential of the body or they reduce our immune system's power. This isn't good either. Omega 3's hormones, on the other hand, allow inflammation to take place, but not to get out of control! Big difference, wouldn't you agree?

Your best food sources of omega 3 fatty acids are fish oils, but don't overdo the fish because of heavy metal contamination. I take a high quality Omega 3 supplement twice a day to balance my ratio and help control inflammation. It's made from Krill oil from Antarctica. Krill is a mainstay of the whale's diet. Pacific salmon are known to be good Omega 3 sources but they don't manufacture it, they concentrate omega 3's from the krill they eat. At the same time, they concentrate dioxin, mercury, etc. so krill is the best option. You get all of the omega 3's but without the contaminants.

Start to balance your ratio today by both reducing Omega 6 fatty acids and increasing omega 3 fatty acids. Aches, pains,  more rapid aging, periodontal disease and other inflammtory diseases are the penalties you will pay for not doing it. I do it and I would recommend you do too.

Click the link for information on my Omega 3 preference,

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