Metabolic and Mental Health
Reasons to Get Enough Omega-3 Fatty Acids for the Metabolic and Cognitive Function
How to get adequate EPA and DHA to maintain metabolic, neurological, and mental health
1 — Significance of Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Health
The human body and brain need fats to survive and thrive. Some fats are more important than others.
For example, omega-3 fatty acids are essential as the body has difficulty creating them. Thus, we need to take them from food or supplements.
I emphasized the importance of healthy fats in numerous articles. My recent story, Eating 200g Fats Daily for Decades, I Didn’t Gain Weight Yet Thrived, grabbed the attention of some readers.
Some subscribers especially wanted to learn about the function and benefits of omega-3 fatty acids for their metabolic and mental health.
Inspired by their interest, I briefly introduce the function, necessity, benefits, and sources of omega-3 fatty acids in the subsequent five sections.
2- Introduction to Omega-3 Fatty Acids
The nutrition literature documented omega-3 fatty acids based on food groups. It grabbed the attention of scientists and clinicians.
The nutrition literature classified omega-3 fatty acids based on their bodily and brain functions. For example, the National Institute of Health (NIH) categorizes omega-3 fatty acids into DHA, EPA, and ALA.
Omega-3 fatty acids play different roles in the body and the brain. Our cells need them to function.
Besides the neural network in the brain, “the body needs omega-3 acids for the heart, blood vessels, lungs, immune system, and endocrine system”, as documented by NIH,
I summarize the benefits and roles of these three fatty acids in the subsequent subsections.
A— DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid)
From my reviews and experience, DHA is an essential fatty acid for brain health. It is especially critical for our eyes.
For example, as documented in this paper, “The accretion of DHA in membranes of the central nervous system is required for the optimum development of retina and brain functions.”
DHA is mainly found in animal products, especially in fish and seafood. However, the body can create a small amount by converting it from ALA, which I introduce in subsequent sections.
The foods, including DHA, might be found in the USDA National Nutrient Database PDF document.
B — EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid)
From my experience and reviews, one of the crucial functions of EPA for the body is to reduce inflammation.
I confirmed this point in my experimentation and observed the benefits of EPA for inflammation in other people in my circles. I also triangulated my findings with literature.
In addition to anti-inflammatory effects, the literature highlights the importance of EPA for cardiovascular health.
For example, this resource points out that “EPA prevents the blood from clotting easily, reduces triglyceride levels in the blood, and has effects that might reduce pain and swelling.”
Even though EPA mainly exists in animal products like meat and fish, according to Healthline, algae and seaweed also include it in a small amount.
The body also can convert a small amount of EPA to DHA when needed.
The foods, including EPA, might be found in the USDA National Nutrient Database PDF document.
C — ALA (Alpha-Linolenic Acid)
We can get ALA from both animal and plant sources. The body uses ALA to create DHA and EPA.
However, the conversion rate is low, between 10% and 20%, as documented in this paper.
The conversion rate from ALA to EPA is relatively higher than to DHA.
As specified by the paper in Nutrition Reviews:
“Alpha-linolenic acid is partially converted to EPA in humans (8–20%), while conversion rates of ALA to DHA are estimated at 0.5–9%.”
Thus, as pointed out in a paper published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition:
“Vegetarian, especially vegan, diets are relatively low in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) compared with linoleic acid (LA) and provide little, if any, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
The paper informs:
“Clinical studies suggest that tissue levels of long-chain n-3 fatty acids are depressed in vegetarians, particularly in vegans. n-3 Fatty acids have numerous physiologic benefits, including potent cardioprotective effects.”
The foods, including ALA, might be found in the USDA National Nutrient Database PDF document.
3 — My Experience with Omega-3 Fatty Acids
As mentioned in my previous stories, I used to have fatphobia in my younger years, like many people in my circles. Therefore, I kept my fat intake extremely low.
I assumed vegetables would provide me required fat intake. But unfortunately, the vegetables I consumed did not give the necessary amount of omega-3 fatty acids.
Sadly, I didn’t know the importance of omega-3 fatty acids for the body and brain. The lack of these essential acids was one of the reasons I encountered numerous ailments.
Chronic inflammation, arthritis symptoms, mild depression, and brain fog were prime examples of my health conditions due to nutritional deficiencies.
When I included fatty fish (salmon) and seafood in my diet, I noticed a significant improvement in my metabolic and mental health.
However, I had a new fear after learning about fatty fish. Especially my favorite salmon dishes have significant heavy metals like mercury.
Fortunately, discovering activated charcoal, which traps mercury from food during digestion, solved my issue and reduced my fear.
The key benefits of adding fish and seafood to my diet were the reduction of stress, anxiety, and inflammation. In addition, during this period, my brain fog reduced, and my focus and memory improved.
In later years, since I adapted to a high-fat diet from animal sources, getting omega-3 fatty acids from food prevented deficiency.
Fortunately, all my debilitating health conditions have disappeared since I started high-fat diets.
Contrary to perceptions, animal fats like tallow or lard include less than 50% saturated and more than 50% unsaturated fats.
4 — Helpful Facts About Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Deficiency might be a problem for some of us. But the good news is that our bodies don’t need omega-3 fatty acids in large amounts.
Instead, a few grams daily might be sufficient unless we have an underlying health condition that needs to be confirmed by qualified healthcare professionals.
Interestingly, as confirmed by NIH, “experts have not yet established recommended amounts for omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA).”
However, NIH provides recommended daily allowance for ALA based on life stages, as listed in the following table.
As documented by NIH, “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends consuming no more than 5 grams of EPA and DHA combined from dietary supplements daily.”
The NIH factsheet confirms that side effects from taking omega-3 supplements are usually mild. They include an unpleasant taste in the mouth, bad breath, heartburn, nausea, stomach discomfort, diarrhea, headache, and smelly sweat.”
5 — Effects of Fish Oil on Metabolism and Weight Management
Some studies suggest that fish oil can increase metabolism. Therefore, they asserted that supplementation might contribute to weight loss.
The results of this study on older females demonstrated that “fish oil supplementation significantly increased resting metabolic rate by 14%, energy expenditure during exercise by 10%, and the rate of fat oxidation during rest by 19% and during exercise by 27%.”
The study also confirmed that:
Fish oil consumption lowered triglyceride levels by 29% and increased lean mass by 4% and functional capacity by 7%, while no changes occurred in the PL group. In conclusion, FO may be a strategy to improve age-related physical and metabolic changes in healthy older females.”
A paper in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism concluded, “Supplementation with a high dose of omega-3s for 12 weeks increased RMR in a small and variable manner in a group of healthy young men.”
Another paper published in the International Journal of Obesity concluded, "Dietary fish oil reduces body fat mass and stimulates lipid oxidation in healthy adults.”
6 — Conclusions and Takeaways
Even though we know that our bodies and brains need omega-3 fatty acids to function, the specific benefits of omega-3 fatty acids for health conditions are inconclusive.
Recent studies focus on depression, Alzheimer’s, other dementia types, cognitive function, attention disorders, age-related macular degeneration, dry eye disease, rheumatoid arthritis, cystic fibrosis, cardiovascular health, bone health, and cancer prevention.
We hope scientists can provide conclusive outcomes from their research. In the meantime, since our cells need omega-3 fatty acids for various reasons, we need to include food with these nutrients.
If our diets do not include sufficient omega-3 fatty acids, supplementation from fish, krill oil, or formalized vegetarian sources is an option.
Like any supplement, for omega-3 fatty acids too, obtaining guidance and help from qualified healthcare professionals is essential before starting them.
Excessive omega-3 fatty acids might interfere with some health conditions, such as bipolar disorder, liver disease, type II diabetes, familial adenomatous polyposis, and HIV. Thus, we must be cautious and discuss supplementation needs with our physicians.
Some studies indicate that omega-3 fatty acids might protect our telomeres, as mentioned in the attached story.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
I enjoy documenting interesting life lessons from people in my professional and social circles to pass along my perspectives and experiences.
Disclaimer: This post does not include health or professional advice. I only documented my reviews, observations, experience, and perspectives to provide information. If you have disease symptoms, please consult your healthcare professionals. Health is the responsibility of individuals.
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In addition to health topics, I also write about my independent reviews of beneficial and well-researched supplements and molecules to improve our metabolic and cognitive health. I link them below.
Boron, Urolithin, taurine, citrulline malate, biotin, lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, PQQ, NADH, TMG, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, and other nutrients that might help to improve metabolism and mental health.
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