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For free friendly advice or to order over the phone with a card call: 01772 883950
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Omega 3 Fish Oil Linolenic Acid Content
What’s nutrients are in omega 3 fish oil ? And does fish oil contain linolenic acid ? Do you have any idea? These questions demonstrate how complex the fatty acid spectrum can be , and how important it is to get the right amounts of the right nutrients.
Omega 3 Fish Oil
In some ways, the term “omega 3 fish oil” is a redundancy. Fish
oil equals omega 3 oil. They are the same thing. However, omega
3 oil does not equal fish oil. Let me explain.
There are three primary omega 3 oils: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Of the three, only ALA is truly an essential fatty acid; our bodies can manufacture the other two from ALA. The rate of conversion from ALA to EPA or DHA, however, is small. Less than 10% of ALA is converted to either of the other fatty acids.
Fish oil does not contain ALA. It is a rich source of DHA and EPA. This is important because adequate amounts of DHA and EPA are necessary for neurological development and health, cognitive function, inflammatory responses and many other body processes. Even if we get adequate amounts of ALA in our diets, we may not be able to manufacture enough of the other two oils to keep our bodies functioning at top performance.
To summarize; fish oil contains DHA and EPA, but does not contain ALA.
Linolenic Acid
To make things more confusing, there are two linolenic acids: alpha-linolenic acid, and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). As mentioned above, ALA is an essential omega 3 fatty acid. GLA is an omega 6 fatty acid.
Omega 6 fatty acids are also essential nutrients, but we tend to get plenty of them in the Western diet. There are a number of omega 6 fatty acids, but the most common are linoleic (not linolenic) acid and arachadonic acid. GLA is a less common, but equally important, omega 6 fatty acid.
Research regarding the omega oils has shown that they have many important body functions. Most of the research to date has focused on EPA , so less is known about the other oils.
Some research suggests that ALA has a protective effect on cardiovascular health. Excessive ALA may, however, be contraindicated in prostate cancer and macular degeneration.
GLA is being used to treat diabetic neuropathy. It may also be helpful in treating several other conditions, especially when it is combined with EPA.
To know what the omega 3 fish oil linolenic acid content of your diet is, you would need to know how much of all of these nutrients you are getting.
As important as it is to get the right amount of the right nutrients, it is even more important to get the right balance of the nutrients. Most Western diets have too much linoleic acid relative to other omega oils. Supplementing the amount of omega 3 oils and GLA and/or decreasing the amount of other omega 6 oils produces a healthier balance. | | |
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For free friendly advice or to order over the phone with a card call: 01772 883950
Omega 3 fish oils Pure EPA is available exclusively from mind 1st.
Mind1st Information Line: 01772 883950
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