Omega-3's: Good for the Brain and Heart
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Tara Gidus, MS, RD, CSSD, LD/N
I am in my final 4 weeks of pregnancy and I have been asked many times which supplements to take while pregnant.
I take the following:
- Prenatal vitamin. I take Pharmanex Lifepak Prenatal. Contact me for more info on it.
- 1000 IU Vitamin D. I take that in addition to what is in my prenatal.
- 1000 mg Omega 3. A 3:1 ratio (or higher) of DHA:EPA is ideal.
I have written many times about the benefits of omega-3's. I feel very strongly that everyone should be on at least 1000 mg of omega-3's from DHA and EPA. The best source of DHA and EPA is fish. You can find it in algae if you are a vegetarian. ALA (found in flax, canola oil, and walnuts) is not the same, although it is still good and is considered an essential fatty acid.
A reminder of the benefits of omega-3s:
- Reduce inflammation
- Reduce triglycerides (some people take 3000 mg or more to lower TG. Check with your MD)
- Reduce blood pressure
- Protect the brain against memory loss, depression, and maybe anxiety
- May reduce joint pain associated with arthritis
But the biggest reason I am taking 1000 mg of DHA/EPA right now is the role of specifically DHA in brain development. In fact, a very interesting study in the journal Pediatrics found that children who were born to mothers who had taken a DHA supplement during pregnancy had significantly higher scores on intelligence tests than children whose mothers were not supplemented. If you want a brilliant child (who doesn't?), then taking 1000 mg (or more) of DHA+EPA is key during pregnancy and especially while breastfeeding.
Worried about fish burps? This is a big concern for everyone, but especially women who are already nauseous or having reflux problems throughout the pregnancy.
My number one pick for a "fish burp-less" (is that a proper term???) Omega-3 is VitalOils1000. I just recently discovered these and LOVE THEM! I was taking 4 pills of my other omega-3 and even though it was a very high quality fish oil, I was still occasionally getting the fish burps.
VitalOils1000:
- Enteric coated and molecularly distilled
- 1000 mg of DHA+EPA Omega 3 in ONE PILL with a 3:1 ratio of DHA:EPA
- You don't need a prescription, but it is prescription grade
- Small amounts of rosemary extract and Vitamin C to prevent rancidity and oxidation
- Individual blister pack to protect the oils and keep them fresh (no smell at all!)
- Developed by a leading cardiologist
You can also get them at www.vitalremedymd.com
VitalRemedyMD.com has other supplements like Vitamin D, Joint Formula, StatinGuard (CoQ10 plus others for people on statin lipid lowering meds), Antioxidant Balance, Daily Multiples (with 100% of calcium), and more!
Check with your doctor before starting an omega-3 supplement if you are on any blood thinning medications (Coumadin) or clotting disorders.
3 Comments:
At Tue Aug 04, 07:58:00 PM 2009,
Anonymous said…
So often I see references to the health benefits of walnuts. What about pecans? I like them better. Are they just as good for me as walnuts?
Jean
At Sat Nov 14, 07:49:00 AM 2009,
Anonymous said…
Pecans are good for you, just like all nuts are. Besides the good heart healthy unsaturated fats they have, they also contain a ton of antioxidents and flavonoids, vitamins and minerals. All nuts have different levels of all of the above, that's why variety is a good ideat. That being said, a typical american eats an average ratio of 20:1 omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids. Way back in time, it was more like 2:1. Even our grandparents grew up with a much better ratio b/c meat and dairy had much more omega 3 in it than today. This out of whack ratio leads to inflamation in the body so it's very important to increase omega 3 consumption.
Most nuts contain a lot of omega 6 efa, but walnuts, in particular, contain the most omega 3. That's why walnuts are such a good nut for us. I believe the ratio in walnuts is 4:1 which is much better than most other nuts. Almonds would be the next best for omega 3's and obviously flax is the best.
I've been taking gnc brand tripple fish oil which has 900 mg of epa and dha in every pill and no fishy burps at all. Epa and dha is the most important aspect of omega 3 for our health and as Tara said, fish oil have the most. The omega 3 in nuts and grains have to be converted in our bodies to epa and dha which isn't as efficient and abundant as eating it directly w/ fish oil.
One thing I have been looking into recently is Krill Oil. Do a google search on it...it looks pretty amazing. Krill is a crustation and the very beneficial krill species is specifically in the North Atlantic. NKO has 3 times the epa/dha in a typical fish oil capsual and is more effective in your body. The reason for that is b/c it gets absorbed into the cells much easier b/c of their molecular structure and compounds. That's also the reason there's no fishy burps...b/c it doesn't really digest in your tract; it permeates the digestive walls and cells. The other reason it's more beneficial is b/c it contains a powerful antioxidant that regular fish oil doesn't.
At Sat Nov 14, 08:31:00 AM 2009,
Anonymous said…
Tara, I'm not so sure if a 3:1 ratio or more of DHA/EPA is the most ideal. Our bodies are designed to convert roughly 5% of ingested ALA to EPA and 1-2% to DHA, for a 5:1 or 5:2 ratio. How could mother nature be wrong after 2 million years of evolution? If mother nature thought that idealy we should convert the ALA in our diets at a ratio of 5:1 of EPA to DHA...I would think that would actually be more ideal for us. Something obivously is telling our bodies we need more EPA than DHA or we wouldn't have that conversion ratio built in.
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