Heart Supplement – Omega 3’s and Omega 6’s

In an earlier post , I talked about Omega 3 fatty acids that are provided by fish oil supplements. Some people have told me that they also take Omega 6 fatty acids by supplement form, but I will provide information that shows you that Omega 3’s are what is really needed.You may recall that Omega 3’s and Omega 6’s are both considered essential fatty acids.  They are unable to be produced by the body, and therefore you must get them through your diet.

There is something called linoleic acid that is found in Omega 6.  This linoleic acid is used by the body to make hormones that regulate bodily processes such as blood pressure, pulse rate, and platelet aggregation (clotting), for example.  Omega 6 is found in vegetable oils such as corn, safflower, sunflower, and soybean oils.  Getting enough Omega 6’s in your diet is very likely not an issue as a lot of the foods consumed today are made with these vegetable oils.  Unfortunately, though, linoleic acid can be converted to arachidonic acid, which can result in the formation of blood clots, and with inflammation involved in arthritis and inflammation within our blood vessels. Read The Cholesterol Lie for much more information on how inflammation is related to heart disease.

On the other hand, it is much more difficult to get the required amounts of Omega 3’s through your diet alone.  Omega 3’s include alpha-linolenic acid, DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) and EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid).  Alpha-linolenic acid is found in cold-water fish, romaine lettuce, spinach, primrose and flax seed oils.  DHA and EPA are found in cold water fish such as tuna and salmon.  Unfortunately, the body does not convert alpha-linolenic acid into DHA and EPA very well.  Part of the reason for this is because the enzyme that does this is the same enzyme that is used to convert linoleic acid into arachidonic acid.  However, because most people have way more Omega 6’s in their diet, there is more linoleic acid in their bodies, and so the linoleic acid wins and more arachidonic acid gets produced rather than DHA and EPA.  This is not beneficial for the body, because this leads to more inflammation within the body.  This is the reason that I say that you likely do not need to supplement with Omega 6’s, but that you should be supplementing with Omega 3’s instead.

It is recognized that people who live in Greenland and eat lots of fatty fish do not suffer from heart disease the way we do.  This is because the fatty fish that they eat contains Omega 3’s, which provide a protective benefit.  They have better blood pressure readings, lower cholesterol, less clots, and less atherosclerosis.

The FDA, in 2004,  also states “supportive but not conclusive research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.”

Based on all of this, you should consider a quality fish oil supplement.  I highly recommend you get this one below, as you are assured that it has been purified of mercury and you can get a FREE 30-day supply when you pay the shipping ($4.95).