Omega 3 Benefits, Dosage, Deficiency and Sources

What is Omega 3 ?

Omega 3 is a fatty acid which can be found in various food items.These food items can be fish, flaxseed and also in the dietary supplements of fish oil.There are mainly omega 3 fatty acids.They are listed below:

1.ALPHA LINOLENIC ACID.

2.EICOSA PENTAENOIC ACID.

3.DOCASA HEXAENOIC ACID.

Alpha Linolenic Acid(ALA) can be seen mainly in some of the plant oils such as the oil from flaxseed, soybean and canola oils. Eicosa Pentadienoic Acid(EPA) and Docasa Hexanoic Acid(DHA) are the omega fatty acids which can be seen in sea foods.Such as fish and other e.t.c.Alpha Lenolenic Acid(ALA) is one of the important omega fatty acids which the body can’t produce by itself.  We have to provide them for our body by consuming foods with Alpha Linolenic Acid plant oils or drinking beverages which are in high amount of Alpha Linolenic Acid omega 3 fatty acids.

Though our body cant produce Alpha Linolenic Acid, but it have the capability to convert the Alpha Linolenic Acid (which is produced in our body after the consumption of foods) to Eicosa Pentadienoic Acid and thereby to Docasa Hexanoic Acid. But these covert ion process only provides small amount of Eicosa Pentaecosa Acid and Docasa Hexanoic Acid to our body. So, in order to increase the quantity of omega in our body, we should must eat foods with high amount of Alpha Linolenic Acid, Eicosa Pentadienoic Acid and Docasa Hexanoic Acid.

BENEFITS OF OMEGA 3 TO OUR BODY

Omega 3 is the most essential elements of our membranes, which are surrounded to each and every cell of our body. Retina in the eye, brain and spinal cells are mostly consisted with high amount of Docasa Hexanoic Acid. And most of the functions of our body parts such as heart, lungs,blood vessels, immune system and endocrine system (which is also known as the network of hormone production glands) are consisted with the high calories energy provided through omega.

Benefits of Omega 3

Omega 3 fatty acids are very important to our body. They have various powerful health benefits that will build up our body and brain too. Some of the few nutrients have been said as omega fatty acids. Following are some of the benefits of omega’s consumption to our body;

• Omega 3 can fight depression and anxiety, which is the major problem in the current generation of people.
• It is beneficial to improve our eye health.
• Omega 3 plays the main role in pregnant women to promote brain health.
• It helps in the reduction of the symptoms of metabolic syndrome.
• Omega 3 is beneficial to reduce the symptoms of ADHD(Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) in children.
• It can defend against inflammation.
• Omega 3 can defend and fight Auto-Immune Diseases.
• It is beneficial in the improvement of mental disorders.
• Omega 3 can also fight with age-related mental decline and Alzheimer’s diseases which are caused mainly in old ages.
• Sometimes it is also helpful in preventing cancer.
• Asthma caused in children can be reduced by Omegas.
• Fat in our liver can be reduced by Omegas.

DOSAGE OF OMEGA 3

There is no perfect recommended dosage of Omega 3 fatty acids to our body. But for, Alpha-Linolenic Acid, Yes, some medical experts have provided the dosage of Alpha-Linolenic Acid that our body needs daily depending on our age and gender.

• A child after birth and till 12 months need 0.5 grams of Alpha-Linolenic Acid in their body.
• Children from the age of 1 year till 3 years need 0.7 grams of Alpha-Linolenic Acid in their body.
• Children from the age group 4 to 8 years needed 0.9 grams of Alpha-Linolenic Acid in their body.
• While analyzing the gender group, it is recommended that the boys from the age group of 9-13 years require 1.2 grams of Alpha-Linolenic Acid in their body. While girls from the age group of 9-13 years required 1.0 grams of Alpha-Linolenic Acid.
• Teen boys from the age group of 14-18 years need 1.6 grams of Alpha-Linolenic Acid. While teen girls from the same age groups require 1.1 grams of Alpha-Linolenic Acid in their body.
• Men above the age group of 18 years required 1.6 grams of Alpha-Linolenic Acid. And the women above the age group of 18 years required 1.1 grams of Alpha-Linolenic Acid in their body.
• Pregnant women require a higher amount of Alpha-Linolenic Acid in their body, which is 1.4 grams.

The deficiency or insufficiency of Omega 3

• The lack of Omega 3 in our body can cause various problems like
• Poor Skin health – this is one of the first visible problem due to insufficiency of Omega 3 in our body.
• Depression – People with depression generally show lower level of Omega 3 in reports. Omega 3 is an essential component of brain.
• Dryness in eyes – Omega 3 helps in production of tears and maintaining moisture in eye.
• Stiffness or joint pain – Omega 3 helps in gaining strength. Lack of it in body can cause joint pain.
• Bad Hair and scalp – Change in hair texture, hair density and poor scalp and hair health is caused by not having enough omega 3.

Rich sources of Omega 3

A type of fatty acid that the body can’t produce by itself is omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are very important for our survival. Our body consumes omega-3 fatty acids through the foods that we consume in our daily life which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. One of the best food items which contain a high quantity of omega-3 is fish. An increase in the amount of omega-3 will also help to improve cardiovascular health in our body. The oil that is extracted from the tissues of fish is called fish oils. Herring, tuna, mackerel, and anchovies are some of the fishes which provide a high amount of fish oils through their extraction.

Cod liver oil is those fish oils that are produced from the liver part of fish. Omega-3 in the fishes provides lots of health benefits to our body, thus the world health organization (WHO) has recommended eating fishes at least twice a week. Omega-3 content in the fish also helps to protect our body from causing several diseases. Some of us don’t like to eat fish, such people can consume fish oils which provide the same benefits as fish. Fish oils contain 30% of omega-3 fatty acids and other parts are deposited with other kinds of fats. Rather than omega-3 fatty acids, fish oil also contains vitamin A and vitamin D.

This information proves that the omega-3 is high in fishes and fish oils rather than omega-3 contained in plants. Plants contain a high amount of Alpha-Linolenic Acid while the fish contains high amounts of Ecosa Pentatonic Acid and Docasa Hexaenoic Acid.

Other foods that contain Omega 3 are :

• Nuts and seeds (walnuts, flaxseeds, hempseeds)
• Plant oils like flaxseed oil, canola oil, soyabean oil
• Eggs
• Spinach, brussel sprouts
• Dairy products from grass fed animals.

Hence these are the benefits of omega 3 and what happens when you have insufficient amount of Omega 3 in your body. So, it is definitely an essential nutrient for our body which supports brain health and many other things in our body. Always eat a balanced diet or take supplements for omega 3 as prescribed by your doctor.