The real facts about Fish Oil Supplements Omega-3, EPA and its benefits.
Your Questions answered by Dr Alex Richardson.
Alex Richardson is internationally known for her research in the effects of food and diet on behaviour, learning and mood, and particularly for her work on omega-3 fatty acids in developmental conditions such as Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, ADHD and autism.
She is a regular speaker at international research meetings and already has more than 80 research publications in peer-reviewed journals and academic books.
Alex’s has now written a book on diet especially for parents, entitled
THEY ARE WHAT YOU FEED THEM.
Q1. What is Omega-3
Omega-3 is the name given to just one group of special dietary fats known as ‘essential fatty acids’. Within the omega-3 group, two particular fats are extremely important for our health: these are referred to simply as EPA and DHA.
Q2. Why are they called Essential Fatty Acids
Certain fats are called ‘essential’ because we need them to live, but we can’t make them from other substances. This means that we must get them from our diets – just like most vitamins. These essential fatty acids are all ‘polyunsaturated fats’ (they are liquid oils at room temperature) - unlike ‘saturated fats’ (which are solid, like butter or meat fat). Polyunsaturated fats are ‘good fats’ that have many health benefits
Q3. What about Omega-6 – are they Essential Fatty Acids too?
Yes – apart from omega-3, the only other essential fats are the omega-6 group. But we already get plenty of these in our diets (and in many cases, too much) – because they are found in all vegetable oils, dairy products, eggs and meat. The ones that are lacking from modern western diets are the omega-3 fats – found mainly in fish and seafood. There are some simpler omega-3 found in green vegetables and some nuts and seeds – but these foods don’t provide the most important omega-3, which are EPA and DHA.
Q4. What’s so special about EPA and DHA? What do they do?
These omega-3 are both crucial for the brain and nerves as well as for a healthy heart and immune system, but they each do different things.
DHA is an actual building block for brain and nerve cells. It is needed in cell membranes (the cell walls) for proper signalling - especially in the brain and in the eye (10% of the brain’s dry mass, and more than 30% of the retina of the eye should be made of DHA). A good dietary intake of DHA is therefore very important for mothers during pregnancy and in the baby’s early years.
EPA is a vital ‘functional fat’ that helps to regulate many different body and brain systems. It is used to make other substances that control your hormone balance, immune system and blood flow. This means that EPA is extremely important for good health for all age groups. Research shows that it can help to improve mood and behaviour, reduce stress, improve heart health and alleviate many inflammatory conditions like allergies and arthritis.
Q5. My 6 year old boy has attention problems and difficulties with reading and spelling. Would EPA help him - and if so, how much should I be giving him?
There are many possible causes for these kinds of difficulties, but diet can certainly be one of them. See my book for more advice on this, but there should be no harm in giving him more omega-3 (and particularly EPA) to see if this helps (Do check with your doctor first, though, in case there are any medical problems that may need attention). In our studies, supplements providing around 500 mg of EPA per day led to significant benefits in reading and spelling, as well as better attention and behaviour, in children with these kinds of difficulties.
We still need more research to find out just which children are most likely to benefit from more omega-3 in their diets, as well as the best doses to use (clinical evidence suggests that some children may need 1000mg/day to show benefits, but these are usually more severe cases). Similarly, EPA seems to be more effective than DHA for these purposes, which is why we have chosen to use high-EPA fish oils for our latest trials.
Q5 What other areas might EPA help with?
Controlled trials have now shown benefits from EPA in a wide range of conditions involving stress and/or problems with mood - including depression. Most of these studies have involved adults rather than children – but the first trial of omega-3 for depression in children (published in summer 2006) also showed benefits.
Again – more research is still needed, but the overall pattern of results is very encouraging. The doses used in these conditions usually involve at least 1000mg (1 gram) of EPA per day, and again, DHA does not seem to be as effective.
Q6. We are thinking of starting a family. Should I be taking fish oils?
This can be a very good way to ensure that you have enough of the right omega-3 in your diet (EPA and DHA), as these fatty acids are essential for building a baby’s brain and nervous system as well as for the heart and other vital organs. The alternative is to make sure that you eat plenty of fish and seafood regularly – but many people are concerned over possible contaminants like mercury, other heavy metals, PCBs and dioxins found in some fish.
For this reason, official recommendations usually warn women of child-bearing age not to eat more than two portions of oily fish per week (such as salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel, sardines etc) – whereas older boys and men are encouraged to eat up to four portions each week to get enough EPA and DHA. Fish oil supplements offer a way around this problem, as the best quality supplements are purified and refined to remove such possible contaminants.
Q7. Do you recommend Cod Liver Oils?
No – because to get the doses of EPA and DHA shown to be beneficial for behaviour, learning and mood (500mg/day or more), there would be a risk of Vitamin A toxicity. Cod liver oil is not actually a particularly rich source of omega-3, but it is a rich source of pre-formed Vitamin A, which can be toxic in excess. (This is why pregnant women are warned about eating liver and taking Vitamin A supplements). So for our purposes, cod liver oils are best avoided – although in small doses they may be a useful addition to some peoples’ diets as they contain Vitamins A and D as well as a little EPA and DHA.
Q8.Are there big differences in fish oils?
In a word – Yes, there certainly are. Before you buy any fish oil, I’d advise you to read the small print on the label, and check the following very carefully.
a. Is the oil pharmaceutical grade? (It should be for the best quality and purity)
b. Exactly how much EPA (and/or DHA) is in each capsule. Don’t be fooled by claims about how much is in the ‘recommended daily dose’ – because this can mean 6 or even 12 capsules, depending on the manufacturer.
c. What percentage of the oil is actually omega-3? (and how much is EPA and DHA?) The other way to ask this is question is: how much saturated (‘bad fats’) does it contain? Many ordinary fish oils contain only around 30% omega-3, so 70% of the oil may be undesirable saturated fats. (Newer products contain 0% saturated fat)
d. Look at the value for money Many fish oils look cheap to buy - but if you actually need to take 6 or more capsules every day to get an effective dose, then in fact they work out very expensive (let alone the inconvenience of taking so many capsules).
Q8. For some, capsules may be difficult to swallow. Do you use liquid fish oil?
In a word: No. The problem with liquid fish oil is that EPA and DHA are highly perishable – and in particular, they are quickly destroyed by light, heat and air. For this reason, I would always recommend the use of capsules (or other individually sealed portions) which keep the contents fresh. These can be broken open if necessary and added to food or drink.
Q9. What Omega-3 products do you now use in your research?
We’re currently using a very pure high EPA supplement (MorEPA) for our latest studies – although I should emphasis that our research is not funded or otherwise influenced by any companies, and nor is our choice of products. We simply choose what we consider to be the most appropriate supplement available at the time. Our target dose of 500mg/day EPA can be achieved using just one large capsule of MorEPA (or two small Mini capsules) per day. (By comparison, supplements used in previous studies required 6 or more capsules per day to achieve the same dose). These capsules are made using fish oils from the best sources and purified through a new process where no high temperatures or chemicals are used. Also all the saturated fats are removed.
Q10. Where can I get more information on your research?
Visit the website of the charity Food and Behaviour Research www.fabresearch.org.
I also deal with many of these issues (and other aspects of diet) in my book “THEY ARE WHAT YOU FEED THEM” (Harper Thorson 2006). This can be found in good book stores or by calling 045 892267 or from the website www.theyarewhatyoufeedthem.com.
All author royalties from the sale of this book go to the FAB research charity to support further research and the charity’s information services. |
