Omega-3 fatty acids quiet inflammation and are important for heart health. Here are some key facts you should know. (For more information on Omega 3 benefits, check out our module on dietary fats.)
Best to eat a minimum of 2 servings of fish per week.
Choose wild-caught when possible, so that you can reduce your exposure to toxins. Omega-3 content varies widely among fish: salmon is rich in Omega-3s while tilapia has extremely little.
If more Omega-3s are needed, over-the-counter fish oil supplements are often used. But dosing of fish oil can be confusing.
The active ingredients of fish oil are EPA and DHA, However, the amount of fish oil listed on the FRONT label of the supplement bottle (usually 1,000 mg) is the total oil in the capsule, only a small fraction of which may be EPA and DHA—perhaps as little as 25%.
Look at the nutrition facts on the BACK of the bottle and check the EPA and DHA per pill, and take enough of the pills to add up to the prescribed dose.
For example, if your healthcare provider prescribes 1,000 mg of fish oil, what is usually intended is 1,000 mg total of EPA and DHA. Generally, cheaper fish oils are less concentrated in EPA and DHA.
For vegetarians, flax, chia seeds, and walnuts are good sources.
However, plant omega-3s are not as efficiently used by the body as fish oil because they require an added chemical conversion to the active EPA and DHA.
Krill oil from shrimp-like animals is lower in EPA and DHA than fish oil but is absorbed a bit better.
Downsides are much higher cost and lack of studies using krill oil to reduce attacks.
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