United Barbell

What's this Omega3 buzz all about? This is a topic that could easily cover several blogs, but here is the information you need to know to get started.

First, you should know that there are two different kinds of essential fatty acids that the body needs but cannot produce on its own - Omega3s and Omega6s. Ideally, a person should have a balance of these acids in their diet of 1:1 or 2:1 of their Omega3 to Omega6 intake. Omega6s are found in foods like corn, soybeans, safflower, and sunflower oil. Omega3s on the other hand cannot be directly digested because the parent molecule is found in the food of our food: phytoplankton, grass, and algae. When digested by animals that eat these greens (especially fish), a percentage of that parent molecule is converted into EPAs and DHAs(Omega3s).

Why Should You Supplement?

The bottom line is we have a deficiency. Our modern diet has most of our food highly processed and our meat grain fed instead of grass fed. The result is a highly imbalanced ratio of Omega3 to Omega6.

Why Fish Oil is King: The Benefits

It is pretty amazing when you look at all the benefits of taking Omega-3s and having a balanced fatty acid ratio. It can help with the battle against cancer, diabetes, inflammation, depression, autoimmune disease, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and others. It can help with building and maintaining muscle and recovery (both are key for us CrossFitters) as well as assist healthy aging, disease prevention, healthy reproduction, child development, cognitive function, mental balance, and more. As far as your health is concerned, studies show it is liquid gold. If want to see the science of the many benefits of taking fish oil, check out this site.

Liquid Vs. Pills

Although you might not like the idea of liquid, it is easier to get more EPAs/DHAs down per dose in liquid rather than capsules. Liquid doesn't tend to taste fishy, so if you don't want to have to swallow a lot of pills, give liquid a shot. Either way, some recommended are Barleans, Carlsons, Nordic Naturals and Green Pastures. I like Carlsons in a liquid form (lemon flavor) best, whereas Yimbo favors the Green Pastures oil. Whole9 recommends OmegaMaine.

How Much is Enough?

Once you have picked a brand and purchased it, you can use the information on the label to calculate how much you need to take a day using Whole 9's fish oil calculator. You'll need to enter your body weight, the EPAs and DHAs per serving, the serving size, as well as your "fish oil factor" (a number relating to different health statuses as they describe). Dosage is not a blanket number, but instead correlates to your current diet and lifestyle. Note that if the number is high that this is not a permanent number. As the Whole9 site will tell you, "you can’t fish oil your way out of poor dietary choices, lack of sleep, over-training or any combination of the above." If your recommended intake is high, you should work up to the dosage, but additionally look into making some changes to your diet and lifestyle and reassess after a few months and your body adjusts.

The Vegan/Vegetarian & Pregnant or Breastfeeding Alternative

For those of you out there who are vegetarian, vegan, or who are concerned with issues of overfishing, algae oil is the best alternative. It's more expensive than fish oil, but as the demand grows, hopefully the cost will drop. Algae oil contains only DHAs, which (as discussed in Robb Wolf's Book "The Paleo Solution") is the main essential fatty acid "needed by growing brains, be they fetal or toddler" (pg. 279) and a DHA heavy oil is better for Women who are pregnant and young mommies out there. For those who don't fit into the momma category, "DHA converts to EPA in our bodies, so this supplement is truly a good option" (pg. 279)