QUICK GUIDE TO OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS

You’ve heard us tout the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids for years, from their ability to boost your brainpower to their knack for protecting your ticker. But what exactly are these fats, and what’s their big lifesaving secret? Consider this your quick guide to omega-3s:  

What Are They?

Here’s a quick science primer: Omega-3 fatty acids and their cousins, omega-6s and omega-9s, are polyunsaturated fats. Two polyunsaturated fats—linoleic, an omega-6, and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3—are considered essential. “Our bodies can’t make polyunsaturated fatty acids,” says Stephen Smith, Ph.D, a professor of meat science at Texas A&M University. “We must have those in the diet for growth and normal health.” 

Two important omega-3s found in fish—eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)—are considered conditionally essential. The hitch: Your body can make them, but sometimes you don’t make enough.

 Related: Omega Fatty Acids - 7 Myths Debunked

OMEGA 3'S FROM ALGAL OIL?

Q: Are algal oil supplements a good alternative to standard omega-3 (fish oil) supplements?

A: They seem to be. Derived from various types of micro-algae, algal oil is gaining popularity among vegans and other people who want a source of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) but don’t want to get them from fish or fish-oil supplements. But it’s also gaining buzz because it’s a more sustainable alternative to deriving oil from fish (due to declines in certain fish populations) and doesn’t pose the risk of contamination with pollutants, such as PCBs, that are found to some degree in many fatty fish.

Algal oil is largely composed of DHA, along with smaller amounts of EPAand alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which the body can be convert to DHA and EPA to a limited extent. Both DHA and EPA have known heart benefits, as well as helping to reduce blood clots, arrhythmias, inflammation, high blood pressure, and triglycerides (fats in the blood), though clinical trials on supplements containing them have largely had disappointing results.

OMEGA 3 SUPPLEMENTS CAN HELP REDUCE LEVELS OF DEPRESSION

Omega-3 fatty acids, which can be found in hemp, fish, and flaxseed, yield a number of health benefits including prevention of heart disease. But recent research found that a high dose of omega-3 supplements is not only great for one's physical health but can reduce symptoms of major depression.

Published in Translational Psychiatry, the analysis featured 13 studies with 1,233 participants with depression. Researchers looked at the effects of omega-3 supplements on their symptoms as well as how eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) — acids found in fish — had an effect in different doses. The former has been known to decrease levels of the disorder, and results showed that higher doses of EPA greatly reduced symptoms, especially for patients already on antidepressants.

"Omega-3 supplements may be specifically effective in the form of EPA in depressed patients using antidepressants," said the study's lead author Dr. Roel JT Mocking, researcher at the Program For Mood Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in a released statement. "This could be a next step to personalizing the treatment for depression and other disorders."

Related: Can Probiotics Help With Treating Depression

Although the addition of omega-3 supplements isn't a definitive treatment for depression, the study supports the correlation as well as the health benefits of both EPA and DHA omega-3s overall.

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6 Things Omega 3's Can Do For Your Health And 3 Things They Can't.

Anyone who has ever burped their way through a bottle of fish oil supplements has probably wondered to herself, "Is this really worth it?!" 

While the fishy aftertaste can certainly be unpleasant, those oils (technically, omega-3 fatty acids—docosahexaenoic acid[DHA] and eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA], to be specific) are thought to have inflammation-fighting and heart-protecting benefits. So at first blush, you're likely to answer your own question with a hearty yes.