(Pig + Algae gene = good source of omega-3 fatty acids?)
Read on…
When I was little, I remember my mother used to make us kids take cod liver oil. I also remember the taste was totally disgusting. Either I’d have to take it all at once and want to throw up, or, the teaspoon of it would ruin a full glass of orange juice. It was the bane of my childhood. Now, I’m realizing how smart it was. In fact, until the 70s, that was standard practice for pediatricians to recommend it. I don’t know why they don’t do that any more.
Omega-3 fatty acids are incredibly important for fertility and health, and, some studies show, it can even work better than Prozac for depression. The sad thing is, most people are low on omega-3s as our diet no longer has a lot of things that have Omega-3s in them–flax is about the only vegetable source of this nutrient.
I find it odd that a primary care physician I talked to cautioned me against taking omega-3s or any supplements at all. He just said “you don’t need it.” And he made me sound like some dumb sucker. Well, if you read my earlier post, I successfully lowered some of my inflammation markers and also helped normalize what had been debilitating menses just with fish oil and some other supplements.
And then, now the whole rage is this genetically modified pig, crossed with algae so that it’ll make its own omega-3s and suddenly omega 3s are soooooo important to our health (and the companies’ wealth).
(Here’s a link, in case you’ve not seen this story that has even been on the Daily Show: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12034633/)
Why algae? Because that’s what FISH eat, and they convert it naturally to omega-3s (fun fact: farm raised fish are so lazy they don’t produce omega-3s). Pigs are do not produce omega-3 because it’s not NATURAL. I also don’t understand why we have to insist BACON has to have Omega 3s in it when you can eat flax oil. Again, better not mess with Mother Nature–think about it: there may be other stuff in the algae gene that we haven’t thought of. Perhaps eating this bacon will make you smell like an old aquarium…
In any event, here’s an article on why omega-3s are particularly important. It’s little technical, but basically gives good reasons for why basically all women (and men) should take some form of fish oil. The problem with the article is that they tell you to make sure to get uncontaminated fish oils but don’t tell you how. Next column, I’ll look into fish oil brands that are actually tested and/or distilled for things like heavy metals and PCBs. Stay tuned!
Women and omega-3 Fatty acids.
Saldeen P, Saldeen T
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Malmo University Hospital, University of Lund, Sweden.
Omega-3 fatty acids (omega-3 FA) are constituents of the membranes of all cells in the body and are precursors of locally produced hormones, eicosanoids, which are important in the prevention and treatment of various diseases, especially in women. Omega-3 FA are of interest in some of the most common conditions affecting women. One mechanism underlying dysmenorrhea is a disturbed balance between antiinflammatory, vasodilator eicosanoids derived from omega-3 FA and proinflammatory, vasoconstrictor eicosanoids derived from omega-6 FA. Increased intake of omega-3 FA can reverse the symptoms in this condition by decreasing the amount of omega-6 FA in cell membranes. An increased prostacyclin/thromboxane ratio induced by omega-3 FA can facilitate pregnancy in women with infertility problems by increasing uterine blood flow.
Supplementation with omega-3 FA during pregnancy lowers the risk of premature birth and can increase the length of pregnancy and birth weight by altering the balance of eicosanoids involved in labor and promote fetal growth by improving placental blood flow. Intake of omega-3 FA during pregnancy and breast feeding may facilitate the child’s brain development. There is also some evidence that supplementation with omega-3 FA might help to prevent preeclampsia, postpartum depression, menopausal problems, postmenopausal osteoporosis, and breast cancer. Furthermore, because elevated triglyceride levels are associated with cardiovascular disease, especially in women; and because omega-3 FA have powerful effects on triglycerides, women in particular gain from an increased intake of these fatty acids. This is especially important in women receiving hormone therapy, which can increase triglyceride levels. The quality of the omega-3 FA preparation is important. It should have an appropriate antioxidant content not to induce lipid peroxidation, and its content of dioxin and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) should be well below the established safe limit.
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