Fish Oil EPA and DHA

Fish oil EPA and DHA are in the omega-3 category of essential fatty acids (EFA.) Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) seems to be beneficial in treating mental conditions. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) appears to help many illnesses and imbalances and this may be why there is so much discussion about omega-3 deficiency today. DHA is prominent in the brain, sperm and retina, while researchers are notably looking at DHA and depression, hearth disease and Alzheimer's.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)

There is a lot of talk about omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids, along with their active constituents. Get ready for a lot of acronyms, as these scientific names are long. I hope to simplify and summarize what EFAs are what how they help to keep the body in balance.

Fish oil EPA and DHA is extracted from fatty, cold water fish

Our bodies are unable to produce essential fatty acids and therefore we must consume them in our diet. There are often 3 EFAs mentioned, but actually only omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are essential to maintain many bodily processes like immune function, hormone regulation and inflammation. The omega-9 fatty acid is made in the body.

At this point, I'm assuming that you've read through the 3 links above and are comfortable in your understanding of essential fatty acids (EFAs) now. The reason that we see a great deal of writing on this topic is due to the extreme imbalance in the modern diet. Modern diets consist of a 1:10 or even a 1:30 omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, hence the epidemic of inflammatory conditions, heart disease, auto-immune disorders and mental imbalances. According to scientists we should be aiming for at least a 1:4 ratio. This can be achieved by consuming fish oil EPA and DHA supplements.

How Do We Attain a 1:4
Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio?

The key to attaining a healthy balance is of course increasing omega-3 fatty acid consumption (fish oil EPA and DHA) and reducing omega-6 fatty acid consumption (unhealthy vegetable oils). I have some basic guidelines for creating this balance in your diet using concentrated fish oil EPA and DHA, as well as other ALA and GLA foods and oils.

1. Take a pharmaceutical grade concentrated fish oil supplement daily. Dr. Stoll recommends a minimum of 1000 mg of combined EPA and DHA daily for dietary maintainence. This recommendation is for the general population, who don't have apparent omega-3 fatty acid deficiency issues. With couples trying to conceive, I recommend taking 2000 mg of combined EPA and DHA daily to boost the stores in the body.
2. Make sure to purchase your fish oil from a reputable company that guarantees no heavy metal residue or oxidation (meaning, it's fresh.) Most fish oils are flavored with essential oil and taste fine. Also, taking the fish oil EPA and DHA supplement straight is always more cost effective and generally fresher.
3. Of course, if you have access fresh, clean fish, I recommend a few servings of fish a week. Eating fish lower on the food chain helps to insure lower mercury rates. There are always list on the internet with updates on fish with low mercury levels.
4. Consume meat, poultry, eggs, milk and cheese from free range animals that have grazed, not consumed grains. Animals eating grain is completely unnatural and unhealthy practice. Free rane animal products will still have omege-6 fatty acids, but the ratio to omega-3 fatty acids will be better. Also, the taste is amazing and you'll never go back to that unnatural grain fed product.
5. Make your own trail mixes with raw, organic walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds. I like adding one dried fruit to my mix for flavor, like cranberries, cherries, raisons or apples.
6. If you're TTC, I recommend taking evening primrose from Day 1 of your menstrual cycle through ovulation to help with the production of cervical mucus, menstrual cramps and PMS. Evening primrose oil, like borage oil and blackcurrant oil is high in GLA, a beneficial omega-6 fatty acid.
7. Stop using cheap, vegetables oils like corn, safflower or soy oil. Corn and safflower are about 70% omega-6 and all of these oils are processed with solvents. The best oil to cook with is coconut oil or palm oil, both of which have many health benefits and don't burn over high heat. Olive oil is also healthy in dressings or drizzled over hot foods.

On the island of Crete, Artemis Simopoulos, the author of The Paleolithic Diet writes that the traditional diet on Crete and of our ancestors was one with a 1:1 or at most 1:2 ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids. EFAs literally control our bodies with a myriad of complex biological processes, negative feedback loops and competing cascades of chemical reactions.

Does changing the ratio of major essential nutrients in our bodies by a factor of 10 or 30 really affect our health?

In my opinion, an answer of, "no" borders on the same denial as questioning the relevance of global warming. Of course, this major EFA imbalance (lack of fish oil EPA and DHA supplementation) has negative ramifications on our health, and most likely on our ability to reproduce. I believe that this core imbalance in the diet, along with environmental toxins, the reliance on pharmaceutical drugs, the overuse of chemical birth control, the predominance of xenoestrogens, and the consumption of fast food, junk food and processed foods are responsible in large part for the epidemic of infertility that we see today.