The labels on supplement bottles are often bewildering. However when it comes to omega-3 supplements, there are two important ingredients you should be concerned about because these are the source of omega-3 health claims. Those ingredients are EPA or eicosapentaenoic acid and DHA or docosahexaenoic acid. EPA and DHA are essential fatty acids frequently referred to as EFAs. If you're considering omega-3 supplementation for health benefits, please consult with your doctor first.
Which EFA is Best?
While most omega-3 supplements contain both DHA and EPA, they've been studied in isolation as well as in combination for specific health benefits. So your supplement decision will rest in part on what type of gain you're hoping to accomplish. The ratio of DHA to EPA can be important, so look for a label specifying the amount of each EFA. Researchers reporting in the July 2009 issue of "Clinical Cardiology" found that twice as much of one as the other delivers heart health benefits. Interestingly, it didn't matter which EFA was greater, just that ratio was maintained.
Sudden Cardiac Death
The GISSI Prevention Study enrolled 11,000 Europeans who had suffered heart attacks to find out if omega-3 supplementation would help ward off second heart attacks. An interesting finding was that supplementation reduced the chances of sudden cardiac death. To calculate how much EFA is needed to achieve the benefit, researchers reporting in the November 2004 issue of "Herz" ran a study on a subset of participants. They found that a 1 g capsule containing 380 mg DHA and 460 mg EPA was enough to reduce sudden cardiac death risk by 38 percent.
Chronic Inflammation
You may have heard of the myriad of health problems associated with chronic inflammation. Researchers reporting in the January 2011 issue of the "Journal of Biological Chemistry" describe chronic inflammation as the root cause of systemic diseases ranging from psoriasis to stroke. Doctors measure inflammation levels by testing for blood chemical markers called eicosanoids and cytokines. The researchers reporting in the "Herz" journal article above found that an average of 1140 mg DHA plus 1380 mg EPA per day reduced the levels of these pro-inflammatory markers by 27 percent.
Depression
A meta-analysis is a review performed by researchers on published studies regarding a given topic. Researchers reporting in the October 2009 issue of the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition" conducted a meta-analysis on the most scientifically rigorous studies performed on the ability of omega-3s to alleviate depression symptoms. Two hundred forty-one studies were identified, but only 28 met the researchers' inclusion criteria. Upon analysis, the researchers concluded that EPA, but not DHA, was effective in reducing symptoms of depression. The most efficacious omega-3 supplements contained at least 50 percent more EPA than DHA.
References
- "Clinical Cardiology"; Omega-3 Dietary Supplements and the Risk of Cardiovascular Events: A Systematic Review; Paul Marik and Joseph Varon; July 2009
- "Herz"; Risk Stratification by the "EPA+DHA Level" and the "EPA/AA Ratio" Focus on Anti-Inflammatory and Antiarrhythmogenic Effects of Long-Chain Omega-3 Fatty Acids; Heinz Rupp et al.; November 2004
- "Journal of Biological Chemistry "; Up-regulation of Adiponectin by Resveratrol: the Essential Roles of the AKT/FOXO1 and Amp-activated Protein Kinase Signaling Pathways and DSBA-L; Anpin Wang, January 2011
- "Journal of the American College of Nutrition"; EPA but Not DHA Appears to Be Responsible for the Efficacy of Omega-3 Long Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation in Depression: Evidence from a Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials; Jamey Martins; October 2009
Member Comments