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Omega 3’s and Health Kevin Thomas, RD POMH Food and Nutrition Services
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Outline Why are Omega-3 fatty acids unique? Sources of Omega-3 Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio Benefits of Omega-3’s Prevention & Treatment Recommended Intake of Omega-3 Fitting Omega-3’s into one’s healthy lifestyle
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Fats, Fats, and more Fats In US, 26g of sat. fat per day In US, less than 2.5g per day
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What are Omega-3 fatty acids? Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) with a double bond (C=C) at the third carbon atom from the end of the carbon chain.
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Sources of Omega-3
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Omega-3 to Omega-6 Ratio Omega-3 fatty acids (primarily EPA and DHA) are less potent induces of inflammation, blood vessel constriction (tightening), and coagulation (blood clots) than Omega-6 fatty acids This is not to say that Omega-6’s are all bad but just remember that Omega-3 and Omega-6 complete for absorption.
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Current State of Fat Consumption Why is the ratio so unbalanced? Consider… The Western diet’s most common source of omega-6 is linoleic acid, found in corn oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, poultry, and some nuts and seeds. Dr. Joseph Hibbeln at the National Institutes of Health estimates that soybeans, usually in the form of oil, account for an astonishing 10% of our total calories in the United States.
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Current State of Fat Consumption No standard recommendation on the ratio omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acid; however, a ratio of 2:1 to 4:1 may be best. and some health educators advocate even lower ratios. The typical American diet tends to contain 14:1 to 25:1 ratio!
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Omega-3 versus other “fats” The human body and it’s tissues are made up mostly of saturated and mono-unsaturated fats whereas the amount of Omega-3’s needed are normally quite small. As such, humans normally do not have an omega-3 fatty acid deficiency Tube fed patients Research on omega-3 deficient rats revealed significant impairments in learning and memory
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What are Omega-3 fatty acids? The three types of omega-3 fatty acids Alpha-linolenic acid(ALA) (found in plant oils, nuts, and seeds) ALA consumption ranges from approximately 1.3- 2.0 g/day or approximately 0.6% of total energy intake Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA-found in marine oils) Average U.S. consumption is 0.04g/day Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA-found in marine oils) Average U.S. consumption is 0.07g/day It’s commonly estimated that 5% to 10% of ALA is converted to EPA, but less than 2% to 5% of it is converted to DHA. So, if one does not consume any fish its quite likely they have very little intake of Omega-3’s.
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Where are Omega-3’s Stored Red blood cells White blood cells Atherosclerotic plagues Heart tissues Retina of the eye. Inadequate amounts of DHA leads to permanent abnormalities in eye function Brain. Concentrations of Omega 3’s found primarily in the brain’s gray matter. Depletion of DHA can impact neurotransmitters of the brain.
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Disease, Past and Present
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Clinical Trial of Omega-3’s Number of Trials Cardiovascular disease and stroke2340 Omega 3 fatty acids (potential health benefits) 534 Omega 3 fatty acids and risk factors links to CVD: CVD or stroke 110 Metabolic syndrome 16 Diabetes or obesity 12 Inflammation 97 Dyslipidemia 55 Hypertension 10 Total 290
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Benefits of Omega-3
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Heart Health and Fish Consumption Evidence is accumulating that increasing intake of Omega-3, through fish consumption can: Decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease Decrease the risk of blood clots that can lead to sudden cardiac death Decrease triglycerides Slows the growth of atherosclerotic plaque Improve vascular endothelial function (blood vessels keep blood flowing) Lower blood pressure slightly Decrease inflammation
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Disease Prevention and Omega-3 Visual and neurological development 200mg of DHA per day for pregnant mothers (found in fish) In the US, baby formula contains 8-17mg of DHA per 100 calories (5 ounces) 3 rd trimester of pregnancy and first 6 months of postnatal life are critical periods for DHA build up in the brain and retina. Studies (12 trials with 1,902 infants) found no effect of Omega-3 supplements on infant cognition at one year of age, but… Studies (19 trials, 1,949 infants) found a beneficial effect of Omega-3 supplementation with regards to visual acuity
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Disease Prevention & Fish Intake 2012 meta-analysis of 17 studies with 315,812 participants and an average follow up of 15.9 years showed: Low (1 serving/week) or moderate fish consumption (2-4 servings/week) had a significant beneficial effect on the prevention of CHD mortality. 16% -21% lower risk of fatal CHD
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Heart Disease Treatment Omega-3 found in fish (7-14oz/week) Decreased total mortality 29% Supplemental Omega-3 (fish oil pills) The largest randomized controlled trial of supplemental omega-3 showed 45% lower risk of sudden death that those who didn’t take supplements. 20% lower risk of death from all causes Took only 4 months to see a significant decrease in sudden death and decease in total mortality.
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Diabetes Treatment & Fish Intake Heart disease is the leading cause of death for people with diabetes A meta-analysis of 23 randomized controlled trials found that omega-3 fatty acid supplements Lower triglycerides Lowered VLDL No changes in total cholesterol, HDL, fasting glucose, fasting insulin
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Inflammatory Treatment & Fish Intake Rheumatoid arthritis – 2012 meta- analysis involving 10 controlled trials: High dose supplementation (2.7g/day omega-3) spares the need for anti- inflammatory medications and may reduce joint pain and swelling in some RA patients. Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis - Omega- 3’s not supported by the current evidence Asthma – No significant effects on clinical outcomes measures
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Depression Treatment & Omega-3 Data from ecologic studies across different countries suggest an inverse association between seafood consumption and national rates of major depression and bipolar disorders According to WebMD, “some researchers have found that cultures that eat foods with high levels of omega-3s have lower levels of depression. Fish oil also seems to boost the effects of antidepressants and may help the depressive symptoms of bipolar disorder.
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Lipid Profile Changes and Omega-3’s Higher doses of omega-3 fatty acids can lower elevated serum triglyceride levels 3 to 5 g/d of fish oil can reduce triglyceride levels by 30% to 50%, minimizing the risk of both coronary heart disease and acute pancreatitis. LOVAZA is a combination of ethyl esters of omega 3 fatty acids, principally EPA and DHA. Each one-gram capsule of Lovaza contains 465 mg of EPA and 375 mg of DHA.
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Summary of Omega-3’s and Heart Disease Increasing fish consumption to at least 2 servings of oily fish per week has been associated with sufficient reductions in fatal heart attacks and sudden cardiac death as well as showing potential benefits with reducing inflammation. This amount would provide about 400- 500mg/day of EPA+DHA.
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Recommendations American heart association and American Diabetes Association Eat fish (particularly fatty fish) at least two times (two servings) a week. Each serving is 3.5 ounce cooked, or about ¾ cup of flaked fish. Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, lake trout, sardines and albacore tuna are high in omega-3 fatty acids. Institute of Medicine did not establish a tolerable upper intake level (UL) for omega-3 fatty acids, caution was advised with the use of supplemental EPA and DHA, especially in those who are at increased risk of excessive bleeding.
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Omega 3 Supplements GNC Triple Strength Krill Oil 1000 GNC Triple Strength Fish Oil 1240 Vitamin World Omega-3 Red Krill Oil 1500mg Triple Strength Omega-3 Fish Oil ***Prices can vary from as little as.25 to $1.00/day*** Enteric coated is best
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More Fish or more Fish Oil Pills? Fish is not the same as fish oil. Research tends to be more positive on fish versus fish oil (pills) In one study comparing the effects of fish and fish oil, researchers found that levels of DHA after 6 weeks of salmon consumption were nine times higher than after fish (pills) oil administration. Fish oil pill’s composition (amount of DHA/EPA) can be much higher than fish, however, those levels mean very little unless we consider how well they’re absorbed. Actual fish is absorbed much better. Also, omega-3’s are better absorbed with a meal that contains fat.
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FACT: The benefits of Omega-3’s depends upon many factors
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Any questions?
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Cited Sources (found in slide notes) 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acidhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid 2.http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/040114p20.shtml 3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10852422http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10852422 4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3494243/ 5. http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/diet.fitness/09/22/kd.gupta.colu mn/ http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/diet.fitness/09/22/kd.gupta.colu mn/ 6. http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/your-omega-3-family- shopping-listhttp://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/your-omega-3-family- shopping-list 7. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Hea lthyDietGoals/Fish-and-Omega-3-Fatty- Acids_UCM_303248_Article.jsp#.VruTpPkrLcs http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Hea lthyDietGoals/Fish-and-Omega-3-Fatty- Acids_UCM_303248_Article.jsp#.VruTpPkrLcs 8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24342605http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24342605 9. http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/other-nutrients/essential-fatty- acidshttp://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/other-nutrients/essential-fatty- acids
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