Omega-3-fortified foods: fish out of water or healthful addition to diet?

Environmental Nutrition, July, 2007  by Linda Antinoro

You probably know you should eat foods (read fish) rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These specialized fats alleviate–maybe even prevent–a host of health ailments, such as Alzheimer’s, arthritis, heart disease and some cancers. So it’s not surprising food companies have seized a marketing opportunity and produced a plethora of omega-3-fortified foods.

But does eating omega-3-fortified foods get you off the hook, so to speak, from eating 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 enough omega-3s presents a uniquely modern dietary challenge. These essential fatty acids used to be quite plentiful in the American diet. In an unfortunate twist of food fate, foods like milk and eggs are much lower in omega-3s today than they were in the past, contributing to today’s typically low intakes. That’s because cattle and chickens used to graze on rich sources of omega-3s like grass, wild plants and seeds, instead of grains with scant omega-3s, which is what agribusiness now typically uses as livestock feed.

Foods fortified with omega-3s should be those that had them to begin with, says Artemis Simopoulous, M.D., president of The Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health in Washington, D.C., and author of The Omega Diet (HarperCollins, 1999). But, so far, that has not been 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 family of fats includes docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which are in ready-to-use form for the body. A third omega-3, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), comes from plant foods like flax meal, canola oil and walnuts, but ALA must first be converted to EPA and DHA in the body before it can work its omega-3 magic. So it’s nowhere near as potent as EPA and DHA.

Makers of omega-3-fortified foods that use marine sources like 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 has the advantage of providing both

DHA and EPA, getting just 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 bears this out. A study of people with cardiovascular disease and elevated triglycerides found that those who got DHA alone plus those who received DHA plus EPA saw their blood triglyceride levels go down.Some omega-3-fortified products use only plant sources (canola oil, flax, soy), which provide only 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 before it can benefit from both. This conversion process is so inefficient that it takes about 5,000 milligrams (five grams) of

ALA to make 500 milligrams (one-half gram) of EPA/DHA–the minimum daily amount recommended.

But some conversion to EPA and DHA is better than none. Moreover,

ALA may have health benefits all its own. A recent small trial found that consuming foods rich in

ALA improved bone health.

The Marketing of Omega 3s. Experts recommend that we consume anywhere from 500 to 1,800 milligrams a day of EPA and DHA combined, as well as 1,300 to 3,000 milligrams a day of ALA. But most Americans don’t come close to the current recommendation to eat fatty fish at least twice a week, which suggests there may very well be a place for omega-3-fortified foods.

But before you go shopping, be aware that adding the words “with 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 oil, both of which are naturally rich sources of ALA.

Although omega-3-fortified foods can contribute small amounts to your daily totals, most don’t provide nearly enough EPA and DHA to make up for a diet low in omega-3s. Relying on omega-3-fortified milk and juice, for example, would require you to drink at least seven glasses a day just to get the minimum recommended intake. In fact, few fortified foods provide more than 100 milligrams of combined EPA and DHA, an amount that pales in 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 way 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, with plant foods making valuable contributions of ALA.

–Linda Antinoro, J.D., R.D.

About The Author:Linda Antinoro, L.D.N., R.D., J.D.
Linda Antinoro has been associated with EN as a writer since 1990 and as a contributing editor since 2001. She is the author or co-author of numerous articles in medical journals and currently practices as a senior nutritionist at the Nutrition Consultation Service at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in

Boston.

Find more articles written Linda Antinoro at http://findarticles.com/For additional articles about Vitamin acticles and information visit http://mayamantao.com

Posted on February 16th, 2008 by admin
Filed under: Nutritional Supplements