ALL OMEGA 3′S ARE NOT EQUAL
Modern man, in his quest for easy living, has changed the type of food that he eats. Today, we eat the seeds of grasses, such as wheat and corn, which are easy to grow and harvest; and we ignore the seeds of trees and bushes which require more work.
Our bodies and our genes are made for the seeds of trees and bushes, and when we ignore these seeds, unpleasant events happen. Depression and high blood pressure are two of the more common complaints that pop up when the necessary oils contained in the seeds of bushes and trees are missing.
These oils are called ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS. The group of fatty acids which contain the most important ones for our body, are called the OMEGA 3 fatty acids.
REQUIRED FATTY ACIDS
Fatty acids that are required by the body, but cannot be made in sufficient quantity by the body from other substrates, therefore must be obtained from food and are called essential fatty acids. In the body, essential fatty acids are primarily used to produce hormone-like substances that regulate a wide range of functions, including blood pressure, blood clotting, blood lipid levels, the immune response, and the inflammation response to injury infection.
NEW EVIDENCE
Our bodies are finely attuned to the exact molecules contained in the fatty acids.
We have discovered that the OMEGA 3 fatty acids are not equal. There are two fatty acids in this group which are associated with depression amongst humans: EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).
At one time, both of these fatty acids were considered equal in their power to relieve depression–especially amongst pregnant women.
EXCERPT FROM LARGE STUDY
December 8, 2010 (Miami Beach, Florida) – Not all omega-3 fatty acids are equal when it comes to their antidepressant effects, according to a meta-analysis presented at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology 49th Annual Meeting.
In fact, only c – and not docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) – is associated with mood improvement in patients with depression, concluded lead study author John M. Davis, MD, research professor at the University of Illinois in Chicago.
The meta-analysis of 15 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies clarifies which type of omega-3 fatty acid is effective for depression and why previous findings on the antidepressant effects of omega-3 fatty acids have been contradictory, said Dr. Davis at a press conference.
Omega-3 fatty acids are not synthesized by the body and therefore must be consumed in food (primarily fish and nuts) or supplements. In food, EPA and DHA are found together in a 1:1 ratio, but supplements can contain either fatty acid or a combination of both, he said.
The study concluded that an EPA-predominant formulation is necessary for the full therapeutic antidepressant action, whereas the DHA-predominant formulation has little antidepressant efficacy.
“Modern diets may predispose individuals to omega-3 deficiency because changes in farming have resulted in a dietary increase in omega-6 fatty acids, which compete with omega-3 fatty acids in the body”, said Dr. Davis.
SUMMARY
Our bodies, like our minds, are highly sophisticated machines. Just eating Omega 3 fatty acids is not enough.
Omega 3 is a group, not a specific fatty acid. EPA and not DHA is the oil that is required to relieve depression. One can simplify the problem by EATING FISH OIL AND NUTS! Eating oil from grass seeds such as corn is definitely wrong. Nuts grow on trees and fish swim in the streams.
It takes more energy to get these oils, but if you want to be healthy and happy, you have to work for it.
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