Why is omega-3 so important?
Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids that the body cannot produce itself and therefore have to be supplied through food. They are essential, which means that a diet without an intake of omega-3 is not compatible with our lives. Omega-3 fatty acids are important for smooth and elastic cell walls, which in turn is the prerequisite for many of our bodily functions. Omega-3 is particularly important for the cardiovascular system, brain, metabolism, pregnancy, inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and cancer.
Furthermore, omega-3 helps with a variety of diseases and their prevention:
- inflammation: rheumatism, asthma, neurodermatitis, psoriasis, intestinal inflammation, Hashimoto’s disease, etc.
- cardiovascular system: High blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, arteriosclerosis, cardiac arrhythmia, cardiac insufficiency, etc.
- Autoimmune diseases: Hashimoto’s disease, Graves’ disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis, vitiligo, celiac disease, etc.
- Cancer, chemotherapy
- Pregnancy
- Brain: dementia, depression, multiple sclerosis, migraine, AD(H)S, epilepsy, psychosis, bipolar disorder, suicide risk
- Sports: Sore muscles, blood circulation, inflammation of muscles, heart rate
- Premenstrual complaints
- Age-related macular degeneration, dry eyes
- Overweight, lipometabolic disorders, diabetes
Omega-3 is particularly important for the cardiovascular system, brain, metabolism, pregnancy, inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and cancer.
The most important omega-3 fatty acids are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). ALA is a vegetable omega-3 fatty acid, which is mainly found in linseed, chia seed and walnuts. EPA and DHA, on the other hand, belong to the marine omega-3 fatty acids, which are mainly found in marine products such as fatty fish or algae. Our body needs the fatty acids EPA and DHA. This means that the ALA fatty acid has to be converted into EPA and DHA, but this is only possible in a very small amount and therefore the required amount of EPA and DHA cannot be covered sufficiently. In practical terms, this means that the required amount of EPA and DHA can unfortunately not be adequately provided by linseed oil consumption alone. In the case of inflammations, such as neurodermatitis, psoriasis or rheumatism, the omega-3 fatty acid EPA in particular is needed to stop the inflammatory reaction.
The recommended daily requirement of omega-3 is 2,000 mg. To compensate for a deficit, i.e. in the case of a therapeutic intake, even more than 2’000 mg are needed. In order to take up 2,000 mg of omega-3 per day through the diet, one would have to eat, for example, 250 g of salmon per day. As this is difficult to implement and it is often impossible to exclude the possibility of fish being contaminated with harmful substances, it is recommended that the omega-3 requirement be met with a high-quality fish or algae oil that is purified of harmful substances and as natural as possible. It is important to ensure high quality and sufficient dosage of the omega-3 product. The most suitable product is a high-quality oil that can be integrated into the diet. Capsules often hide poor quality and rancid oil, which often causes a fishy flush. The dosage of capsules is also usually very low, and one would have to take a large number of capsules to reach 2g of omega-3 per day. Capsules containing concentrated fish oil would be easier to handle in this respect, but are not recommended from the point of view of wholefood nutrition. Because our food should be as natural as possible. Due to processing, concentrated fish oil no longer contains the natural fatty acid composition and is therefore more unnatural than pure fish oil.
In order to check the supply of omega-3 fatty acids and to detect a deficit, it is recommended to carry out a fatty acid laboratory analysis. Based on the laboratory values, the individually required amount of omega-3 can then be determined. Thus, omega-3 fatty acids make an important contribution to the prevention and therapy of many diseases.
I would be happy to advise you on omega-3 with an individual fatty acid determination and therapy with omega-3. Make an appointment online or call me and find out about the possibilities without obligation. My benefits are recognised by almost all Swiss supplementary insurance companies. I look forward to meeting you.
Read more about Omega-3 on the blog:
Back to blog overview