V- Pure- Echiomega - Omega 7 Vegetarian Omega 3 DHA EPA Buy Now 3 for 2!Problems of Plant based sources of long chain Omega 3 vegan &
vegetarianby London Nutritionist Yvonne Bishop-Weston
Docosahexaenoic acid - DHA and Eicosapentaenoic
acid EPA & Essential Fatty Acids EFAs
Problems of Conversion short chain omega 3 LNA to long chain - DHA and EPA Omega 3 essential fatty acid
The
Omega 3 benefit is now well known, with omega 3 6 9 and omega 3
supplements being shoved at us at every opportunity. Here London Nutritionist
Yvonne Bishop-Weston from Foods for Life
looks at diet options for vegetarians
and vegans and those with ethical and religious concerns
surrounding seeking vegetarian and vegan EPA and DHA alternatives to
omega 3 fish oil and fish with omega 3 fatty oil . She
investigates some of the problems that create barriers to converting
basic short chain omega 3 fatty acid to longer chain EPA and DHA that
we need for brain function, optimum pregnancy nutrition and foetal
development and general cell membrane integrity for vital organs.
For a more general overview see www.vegetarian-dha-epa.co.uk or see V- Pure Omega 3 DHA EPA - 3 for 2 offer!
Omega 3 Fatty Acid
Many factors can hinder the body’s ability to convert omega 3 fatty acid ALA/LNA EFAs to DHA and EPA. These include:
Genetic Problems. Some people may have less of the conversion enzymes needed to convert
omega 3 fatty acid EFAs to DHA and EPA. These people include those with atopic allergies (asthma,
eczema and hay fever which run in the family) and those with diabetes.
Saturated Fats and Sugar. There has been a lot of education about avoiding
saturated fat unfortunately this has resulted in the mistaken belief sugar is
good/fat is bad when the opposite is true. Many low fat products are ironically
full of sugar. Fats compete for the
conversion pathways. If you consume saturated and hydrogenated fats (often in
cheap vegetarian sausages and Burgers) you will cause a double whammy to your
body’s ability to convert good fats to DHA and EPA. (Pathways blocked and not
enough in the first place.
Supporting Vitamins *
Some people lack sufficient levels of the nutrients which aid omega 3
fatty acid conversion – zinc, magnesium, calcium, biotin and
vitamins B6, B3 and C.
There are often fewer of these nutrients in intensively grown, highly
processed
food and our modern lifestyles often lead to these nutrients being used
up more
quickly.
Balance Due
to the widespread use of sunflower oil in our diets we tend to have a much
greater intake of omega 6 to 3 fats. This imbalance can lead to the conversion enzymes getting used up
for omega 6, restricting omega 3 conversion. The ideal balance is (depending
who you talk to) around 3 to 4 parts omega 6 to one of omega 3. In the USA average intake of omega 6:3 is said to be often as
high as 16:1
Excess intake of vitamin A and copper. Excess copper and vitamin A are EFA conversion
antagonists. Excess copper levels (possibly from contraceptives or water) are
becoming more regularly seen in patients. Sadly, too many people self diagnose
rather than see a qualified nutritionist to ensure a synergistic balance of
nutrients often resulting in high levels of odd vitamins or minerals.
Freshness. Delicate polyunsaturated oils such as flax and
linseed can be damaging to health if not fresh. Omega 3 & 6 fatty acid rich seed oils need to be
cold-pressed and bought from the fridge in your health shop. They should be
bought as fresh as possible in small quantities and kept away from light and
heat to avoid them going rancid otherwise you’ll end up doing yourself more
harm than good. Never fry or roast with essential fats, have them as raw and
natural as possible
Stress. * Stress
is a total catch 22 situation for your body, you need more but can’t get it.
Not only do you eventually feel constantly tired and fatigued with energy
levels that that can leave some eighty year olds embarrassing you, but the
constant state of emergency diverts the body’s focus from digestion absorption,
and complex nutrient conversion. The
result is no matter how much flax you eat, your body could be too busy keeping
you awake, heart beating, blood flowing with eyes open and ears listening to be
bothered with converting omega 3 fatty acid ALA to DHA and EPA. It’s as much as your body can do
from keeping you from being constipated.
Drugs. * Too
much caffeine from coffee and tea and nicotine from smoking cigarettes and
even sugar can set the body into a
downward spiral of artificial stimulus that just results in an ever increasing
psychological and eventual physiological addiction. The result is just more
stress on your body and reduced chance of optimal conversion of DHA and EPA.
They can lead to higher levels of insulin in the body another potential
stumbling block for conversion.
Alcohol. Alcohol also affects our ability to convert
essential fats.
Viruses and illness. * Obviously any virus or
illness that your immune system is struggling to deal with may distract the
body’s focus from producing DHA and EPA. Usually your body would rely on stored
reserves but it you haven’t been building these up you could find yourself
paddling up the wrong river (without a decent paddle)
Constipation. If the body is constipated
there is a tendency for the re-circulating of waste. If this is happening it
could be that the liver’s ability to
Gender.
*Although there are some studies that have shown groups of women are able to
convert ALA (alpha linolenic acid) to DHA, few studies so far
have proven men’s ability to always process omega 3 fatty acid effectively. Some would
argue that men have less need for a developed brain to maintain the species,
whilst women on the other hand need to be able to optimally process omega 3 for
their far more complicated role in making and developing their baby.
Pregnancy and
Breastfeeding.* Adequate levels of omega 3 essential fatty acids are vital before conception,
during pregnancy and to ensure the most perfect start to life whilst
breastfeeding. Mothers need to produce not just enough vital DHA and EPA for
themselves and their own body but also enough for the new life and vital organs
of their baby too, particularly the brain, nervous system and eyes.
Even The Flax Council of Canada
admit conversion of ALA to DHA is very hit and miss. On their website
they reported;
“The fact that omega 3 fatty acid ALA
conversion to EPA, DPA, and DHA is affected by gender, smoking, and diet suggests
that people differ in their metabolic capacity for ALA
conversion. Clearly, ALA
conversion is more complex than was originally thought. Studies are
needed to determine the diet and lifestyle patterns that enhance ALA
conversion to the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.
Efficiency of Conversion of ALA. Conversion of ALA
to EPA in humans reportedly ranges from as low as 0.2%. The amount of ALA
converted to DHA in humans remains controversial, with some studies
showing small amounts converted to DHA,10,11 and other
studies showing virtually no conversion to DHA”.7,12,13
V- Pure- Echiomega - Omega 7 Vegetarian Omega 3 DHA EPA Buy Now 3 for 2!
Long-chain n-3 PUFA: plant v. marine
sources.
Williams
CM, Burdge
G.
Hihj Sinclair Unit Human Nutrition, School of Food
Biosciences, University of Reading, UK
Increasing recognition of the importance of
the long-chain n-3 PUFA, EPA and DHA, to cardiovascular health, and in the case
of DHA to normal neurological development in the fetus and the newborn, has
focused greater attention on the dietary supply of these fatty acids. The reason
for low intakes of EPA and DHA in most developed countries (0.1-0.5 g/d) is the
low consumption of oily fish, the richest dietary source of these fatty acids.
An important question is whether dietary intake of the precursor n-3 fatty acid,
alpha-linolenic acid (alphaLNA), can provide sufficient amounts of tissue EPA
and DHA by conversion through the n-3 PUFA elongation-desaturation pathway.
alphaLNA is present in marked amounts in plant sources, including green leafy
vegetables and commonly-consumed oils such as rape-seed and soyabean oils, so
that increased intake of this fatty acid would be easier to achieve than via
increased fish consumption. However, alphaLNA-feeding studies and stable-isotope
studies using alphaLNA, which have addressed the question of bioconversion of
alphaLNA to EPA and DHA, have concluded that in adult men conversion to EPA is
limited (approximately 8%) and conversion to DHA is extremely low (<0.1%). In
women fractional conversion to DHA appears to be greater (9%), which may partly
be a result of a lower rate of utilisation of alphaLNA for beta-oxidation in
women. However, up-regulation of the conversion of EPA to DHA has also been
suggested, as a result of the actions of oestrogen on Delta6-desaturase, and may
be of particular importance in maintaining adequate provision of DHA in
pregnancy. The effect of oestrogen on DHA concentration in pregnant and
lactating women awaits confirmation.
PMID: 16441943 - Proc Nutr
Soc. 2006 Feb;65(1):42-50.
Docosahexaenoic acid is selectively enriched
in plasma phospholipids during pregnancy in Trinidadian women--results of a
pilot study.
Burdge
GC, Sherman
RC, Ali
Z, Wootton
SA, Jackson
AA.
Institute of Human Nutrition, Biomedical Sciences Building,
University of Southampton, Bassett Crescent East, Southampton, SO16 7PX, UK.
The fetal demand for docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
has to be satisfied by the mother. We determined the fatty acids in maternal
plasma non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), triacylglycerol (TAG) and
phosphatidylcholine (PC), in a cross-sectional study of non-pregnant (n = 10),
pregnant (n = 19), and postpartum (n = 9) women. There were lipid
class-dependent differences in plasma polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)
concentrations between groups. During pregnancy, DHA was most highly enriched in
PC, about 230%, with more modest enrichment for linoleic acid (LA) and
arachidonic acid (AA), and no enrichment of alpha-linolenic acid (alpha-LNA).
There was relative enrichment of LA, AA and alpha-LNA in TAG, but not of DHA.
There was no specific enrichment of any PUFA in the NEFA pool. These data accord
with the suggestion that the enrichment of alpha-LNA in TAG and of DHA in
phospholipids reflects hepatic regulation of n-3 PUFA metabolism which
potentially enhances the delivery of DHA to the placenta.
PMID: 16438916 Reprod Nutr
Dev. 2006 Jan-Feb;46(1):63-7.
- Conversion of alpha-linolenic acid to
longer-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in human adults.
Burdge
GC, Calder
PC.
Institute of Human Nutrition, University of Southampton,
Southampton, UK. G.C.Burdge@soton.ac.uk
The principal biological role of
alpha-linolenic acid (alphaLNA; 18:3n-3) appears to be as a precursor for the
synthesis of longer chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Increasing
alpha LNA intake for a period of weeks to months results in an increase in the
proportion of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n-3) in plasma lipids, in
erythrocytes, leukocytes, platelets and in breast milk but there is no increase
in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3), which may even decline in some pools at
high alphaLNA intakes. Stable isotope tracer studies indicate that conversion of
alpha LNA to EPA occurs but is limited in men and that further transformation to
DHA is very low. The fractional conversion of alphaLNA to the longer chain n-3
PUFA is greater in women which may be due to a regulatory effect of oestrogen. A
lower proportion of alphaLNA is used for beta-oxidation in women compared with
men. Overall, alphaLNA appears to be a limited source of longer chain n-3 PUFA
in humans. Thus, adequate intakes of preformed long chain n-3 PUFA, in
particular DHA, may be important for maintaining optimal tissue function.
Capacity to up-regulate alphaLNA conversion in women may be important for
meeting the demands of the fetus and neonate for DHA.
Publication Types:
PMID:
16188209 Reprod Nutr
Dev. 2005 Sep-Oct;45(5):581-97
For more about problems with converting DHA and EPA from vegan and
vegetarian sources of omega 3 LNA see here
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