Get to Know: Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Thanks to my job as a health writer, I’m up on the latest medical research, including trials on omega-3 fatty acids. So when my doctor suggested I started taking a supplement to go along with my PRP therapy, I agreed.

Research on omega-3’s affect on joint pain is slim. In a 2006 study, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center gave 250 participants 1,200 mg of omega-3 per day and asked them to rate their pain. By the end of the trial, more than half had quit the anti-inflammatories they had been taking, and 88 percent were satisfied enough with their joint pain improvement to continue with the meds. Still, when it comes to joint pain, omega-3 is better studied in rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic autoimmune disease that causes debilitating inflammation in the hands, knees, feet, and ankles.

Despite the lack of solid scientific evidence pointing to its joint-lubricating powers, I’ve been popping four fish oil pills (1,000 mg of omega-3 fatty acids) daily. The case for omega-3 is building and getting stronger. Research suggests it can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes, lowers triglycerides—and important factor in heart health—lowers blood pressure, reduces LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, fights depression, and reduces the risk for colon and breast cancers.

Fatty fish like salmon, halibut, and tuna are especially rich in omega-3s. (I use this fact to justify the occasional 6-inch tuna sub from Subway, by the way.) Other food sources include walnuts, flaxseeds, and canola oil. I get my plant omega-3s from ground flaxseeds that I sprinkle in my morning oatmeal. Tip: Skip whole flaxseeds; they’ll travel straight through you without doing much good. Stick with ground.

Here are a few other things you should know about omega-3 fatty acids:

1. There are three types of omega-3 fatty acids: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic (DHA). The latter two are found in fish and easily absorbed and used by the body. But ALA, the type of omega-3 in nuts, nut oils, and flaxseeds, must first be converted to DHA and EPA—so it’s a less potent form.

2. Fish burps are a myth if you down your pills with dinner.

3. Just because a supplement contains 1,000 mg of fish oil doesn’t mean it has 1,000 mg of omega-3s. The ones I take have 690 mg in two capsules. I take four a day to hit 1,000 mg.

4. The thought of drinking a few teaspoons of fish oil makes my mouth water in a bad way. The brand I use (Nordic Naturals’ softgels) has a lemon flavor that masks all that fishiness.