You probably know you should eat foods (read fish) rich surrounded by omega-3 fatty acids. These specialized fats alleviate--maybe even prevent--a host of condition ailments, such as Alzheimer's, arthritis, heart disease and some cancers. So it's not surprising food companies own seized a marketing opportunity and produced a plethora of omega-3-fortified foods.
But does eating omega-3-fortified foods take you off the hook, so to speak, from ingestion omega-3-rich fish? EN examines the growing trend of adding omega-3 fatty acids to foods of every ilk and evaluates whether you should bite.
The Good Old Omega-3 Days. Getting plenty omega-3s presents a uniquely modern dietary challenge. These essential fatty acids used to be relatively plentiful in the American diet. In an disappointing twist of food future, foods like milk and eggs are much lower contained by omega-3s today than they were contained by the past, contributing to today's typically low intakes. That's because cattle and chickens used to graze on rich sources of omega-3s close to grass, wild plants and seed, instead of grains next to scant omega-3s, which is what agribusiness now typically uses as livestock nurture.
Foods fortified with omega-3s should be those that have them to begin beside, says Artemis Simopoulous, M.D., president of The Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health surrounded by Washington, D.C., and author of The Omega Diet (HarperCollins, 1999). But, so far, that has not be the approach taken by food manufacturers; omega-3s are showing up in everything from pasta and cereal to margarine and peanut butter (see "Omega-3s Popping Up in Unexpected Places," below, right).
Alphabet Soup of Omega-3s. The omega-3 ancestral of fats includes docosahexaenoic sour (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which are surrounded by ready-to-use form for the body. A third omega-3, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), comes from plant foods approaching flax meal, canola grease and walnuts, but ALA must first be converted to EPA and DHA in the body previously it can work its omega-3 magic. So it's nowhere fundamental as potent as EPA and DHA.
Makers of omega-3-fortified foods that use marine sources close to fish (sporting DHA and EPA) and algae (only DHA) claim their products are more healthful because they have ready-to-use omega-3s (in contrast to the ALA from plant sources). While using fish have the advantage of providing both
DHA and EPA, getting lately DHA from algae is not necessarily substandard. DHA may have its own benefits and the body can convert some of it backwards to EPA. Recent research bear this out. A study of people next to cardiovascular disease and elevated triglycerides found that those who got DHA alone plus those who received DHA plus EPA saw their blood triglyceride level go down.
Some omega-3-fortified products use singular plant sources (canola oil, flax, soy), which provide with the sole purpose ALA. Though cheaper and easier to incorporate into foods, ALA's potency is compromised because the body must first convert ALA into EPA and then to DHA until that time it can benefit from both. This conversion process is so inefficient that it takes going on for 5,000 milligrams (five grams) of ALA to make 500 milligrams (one-half gram) of EPA/DHA--the minimum each day amount recommended.
But some conversion to EPA and DHA is better than none. Moreover, ALA may have form benefits all its own. A recent small trial found that consuming foods rich in ALA superior bone health.
The Marketing of Omega 3s. Experts recommend that we consume anywhere from 500 to 1,800 milligrams a afternoon of EPA and DHA combined, as well as 1,300 to 3,000 milligrams a year of ALA. But most Americans don't come close to the current recommendation to put away fatty fish at least twice a week, which suggests at hand may very capably be a place for omega-3-fortified foods.
But before you step shopping, be aware that adding the words "next to omega-3s" to a product label may be enticing, but it can also be misleading. Smart Balance Omega Cooking Oil, for example, sounds great, but you're not getting any more omega-3s than you would from any other brand of canola or soy grease, both of which are naturally rich sources of ALA.
Although omega-3-fortified foods can contribute small amounts to your each day totals, most don't provide nearly enough EPA and DHA to trademark up for a diet low in omega-3s. Relying on omega-3-fortified milk and liquid, for example, would require you to drink at least seven specs a day of late to get the minimum recommended intake. In reality, few fortified foods provide more than 100 milligrams of combined EPA and DHA, an amount that pales surrounded by comparison to what you can get from a three-ounce portion of fatty fish (see "Omega-3s on Land and Sea," far left).
EN's Take. Omega-3-fortifed foods are one course to boost your omega-3 intake, but they can never take the place of nature's best source of these fabulous fatty acids. Seafood is still your best bet for DHA and EPA, next to plant foods making valuable contributions of ALA.
--Linda Antinoro, J.D., R.D.
Omega-3s on Land and Sea
Marine Sources * EPA + DHA
(milligrams)
Herring, Atlantic (3 ounces) 1,712
Salmon, Alaskan, Chinook (3 ounces) 1,700
Sardines, can (3 ounces) 835
Tuna, light, can in grease (3 ounces) 109
Plant Sources ALA
(milligrams)
Walnuts, 1 ounce (14 halves) 2,574
Flaxseed, ground (1 tablespoon) 1,597
Canola oil (1 tablespoon) 1,302
Soy grease (1 tablespoon) 980
Tofu, firm (1/2 cup) 733
* This is only a sampling of omega-3-rich fish, but
they are among the richest, safest and most
environmentally responsible seafood sources.
EPA=eicosapentaenoic acerbic; DHA=docosahexaenoic
acid; ALA=alpha-linolenic bitter
Source: USDA Nutrient Database, release 19, 2006.
Omega-3s Popping Up in Unexpected Places
These selected products are rank according to combined DHA/EPA
content, from most to least.
Product Serving Combined
Size DHA/EPA
(milligrams)
Egg Creations Liquid Egg 1/4 cup 260
Smart Balance Omega Plus 1 tablespoon 160
Buttery Spread
Gold Circle Farms Egg 1 150
Italica Omega-3 Olive Oil 1 tablespoon 120
Omega Farms Low-Fat Milk 8 ounces 75
Omega Farms Mild Cheddar 1 ounce 75
Cheese
Omega Farms Nonfat 1 container 75
Vanilla Yogurt
EggLand's Best Egg 1 52
Tropicana Healthy Heart Omega-3 8 ounces 50
Orange Juice
Silk Plus Omega-3 DHA Soymilk 8 ounces 32
Odwalla Vanilla Soymilk 8 ounces 32
Smart Balance Omega Cooking Oil 1 tablespoon 0
Smart Balance Omega Natural 2 tablespoons 0
Peanut Butter
Health Valley Organic 3/4 cup 0
Golden Flax Cereal
Barilla Plus Multigrain 1 cup (cooked) 0
Rotini Pasta
Product ALA
(milligrams)
Egg Creations Liquid Egg 40
Smart Balance Omega Plus 400
Buttery Spread
Gold Circle Farms Egg 75
Italica Omega-3 Olive Oil 0
Omega Farms Low-Fat Milk 0
Omega Farms Mild Cheddar 0
Cheese
Omega Farms Nonfat 0
Vanilla Yogurt
EggLand's Best Egg 48
Tropicana Healthy Heart Omega-3 0
Orange Juice
Silk Plus Omega-3 DHA Soymilk 368
Odwalla Vanilla Soymilk 298
Smart Balance Omega Cooking Oil 1,230
Smart Balance Omega Natural 1,000
Peanut Butter
Health Valley Organic 1,000
Golden Flax Cereal
Barilla Plus Multigrain 360
Rotini Pasta
Product Source of
Omega-3s
Egg Creations Liquid Egg Fish grease
Smart Balance Omega Plus Fish, soybean and
Buttery Spread canola oils
Gold Circle Farms Egg Micro-algae
Italica Omega-3 Olive Oil Hake, salmon, codfish
Omega Farms Low-Fat Milk Cod grease
Omega Farms Mild Cheddar Cod oil
Cheese
Omega Farms Nonfat Cod grease
Vanilla Yogurt
EggLand's Best Egg Sea kelp, canola oil
Tropicana Healthy Heart Omega-3 Fish grease, fish gelatin,
Orange Juice tilapia, sardine, anchovy
Silk Plus Omega-3 DHA Soymilk DHA algae oil, flax grease,
soybeans
Odwalla Vanilla Soymilk DHA algal oil, soybeans
Smart Balance Omega Cooking Oil Canola and soy oil
Smart Balance Omega Natural Flaxseed oil
Peanut Butter
Health Valley Organic Flaxseed
Golden Flax Cereal
Barilla Plus Multigrain Flaxseed
Rotini Pasta
DHA=docosahexaenoic bitter; EPA=eicosapentaenoic acid;
ALA=alpha-linolenic acerbic
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