OMEGA 3's -THE FATS OF LIFE

In many quarters 'fats' is a four-letter word. The popular perception of fats is that they not only make you fat, they increase your risk of a number of health problems such as heart disease, stroke and some cancers.

But not all fats are bad fats. The good ones include the fats in the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) family, and these are known as 'essential fats', or more properly 'essential fatty acids' (EFAs). This is because, like vitamins, they are vital to health and cannot be made by the human body - they must be obtained from diet. Unfortunately, as a result of changes in British eating habits, levels of some of these valuable EFAs are unhealthily low, while in too many people levels of the bad, saturated fats are too high.

DIETARY PUFAs
There are two types of EFA important to human health - the omega-6 type and the omega-3 type. The names arise from their chemical structure. Although they are similar, the two types are distinct. Since one type cannot be converted into the other, both must be present in the diet in a proper balance, for good health. Since their discovery the PUFAs have been the focus of global scientific research. Evidence has confirmed the importance of PUFAs, both to health and to life itself.

While the amount of omega-6 that we eat has risen, omega-3 levels have fallen. Ideally, intake of omega-6s should be no more than four or five times more than omega-3s. Today in Britain it is seven or eight times more, while in some countries, such as the USA and Australia, it can be ten or twelve times more. This imbalance is gradually being recognised as a major contributor to health problems.

OMEGA-3 PUFAs
The omega-3 family of polyunsaturated fatty acids can be further divided into two groups: short chain and long chain. Short chain ALA (alpha linolenic acid) can be obtained from plant foods, nuts and seeds whereas long chain EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) are found almost uniquely in foods of marine origin.

It is long-chain omega-3s, EPA and DHA, found in oil-rich fish, fish oils and cod liver oil that the body needs.

Although it should be possible for the body to convert ALA into EPA and DHA, the conversation process can be inefficient leading to serious doubts that vegetarian omega-3 sources can make a sufficient contribution to amounts required for health.

OMEGA 3 - ESSENTIAL, PROTECTIVE AND THERAPEUTIC
Recognition of the importance of the omega-3s was a major nutritional break-through that has since generated a great number of international scientific research programmes. Results have clearly shown that not only do they have an essential role in brain development in the unborn and newborn and are vital to the healthy maintenance and function of the body - they can also help protect long-term good health and prevent, or even treat, a number of complaints and diseases.