By now you have probably heard of omega-3s. Commonly found in fish oil these essential fats are a type of polyunsaturated fatty acid, and cannot be made by our bodies. Unless you are incorporating several servings of fatty cold water fish in your diet each week, or are supplementing all ready; you probably aren’t getting enough omega-3s. The amount of omega-3s consumed should be close to a 1 to 1 when compared to Omega-6 fatty acids. The traditional American diet is heavy on Omega-6s and light on 3s and is closer to a 20:1 ratio or worse!
Omega-3 supplementation has been shown to help with the treatment and prevention of chronic inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and even psychiatric conditions.1 And that is only the tip of the iceberg on what omega-3 supplementation can do.
Supplement with at least 1000 mg of EPA, DHA, and ALA omega-3s for adults. The vast majority of that should be EPA and DHA, and if you are all ready diagnosed with cardiovascular disease the American Heart Association recommends an even higher dosage.
1. Wall R, Ross RP, Fitzgerald GF, Stanton C. “Fatty acids from fish: the anti-inflammatory potential of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.” Nutr Rev. 2010 May;68(5):280-9.