The body uses these fatty acids to construct cellular membranes- from Harvard.edu-

Omega-3 Fatty Acids: An Essential Contribution

The human body can make most of the types of fats it needs from other fats or carbohydrates. That isn’t the case for omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (also called omega-3 fats and n-3 fats). These are essential fats—the body can’t make them from scratch but must get them from food. Foods high in omega-3 include certain fish and seafood, some vegetable oils, nuts (especially walnuts), flax seeds, and leafy vegetables.

What makes omega-3 fats special? They are needed to build cell membranes throughout the body and affect the function of the cell receptors in these membranes. They also provide the starting point for making hormones that regulate blood clotting, contraction and relaxation of artery walls, and inflammation. In addition, they can bind to receptors in cells that regulate genetic function. Due to these effects, omega-3 fats can help prevent heart disease and stroke, may help control lupus, eczema, and rheumatoid arthritis, and may play protective roles in cancer and other conditions. [1]

Types of Omega-3s

There are two main types of omega-3 fats that have essential roles in human health:

• EPA and DHA: Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) come mainly from cold-water fish, so they are sometimes called marine omega-3s. Salmon, mackerel, tuna, herring, and sardines contain high amounts of EPA/DHA. EPA and DHA can be made from another omega-3 fat called alpha-linoleic acid (ALA), so they are more accurately termed “conditionally essential” fats. But because the conversion from ALA to EPA/DHA may not be sufficiently efficient, EPA/DHA are best obtained directly from food sources.
• ALA: Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the most common omega-3 fatty acid in most Western diets, is found in plant oils (especially canola, soybean, flax), nuts (especially walnuts), chia and flax seeds, leafy vegetables, and some animal fats, especially from grass-fed animals. ALA is a true essential fat because it cannot be made by the body, and is needed for normal human growth and development. It can be converted into EPA and DHA, but the conversion rate is limited so we are still uncertain whether ALA alone can provide optimal intakes of omega-3 fatty acids. [1]

Omega-3 Fats and Health

The strongest evidence for a beneficial effect of omega-3 fats has to do with heart disease. These fats appear to help the heart beat at a steady clip and not veer into a dangerous or potentially fatal erratic rhythm. [2] Such arrhythmias cause most of the 500,000-plus cardiac deaths that occur each year in the United States. Omega-3 fats also lower blood pressure and heart rate, and improve blood vessel function. At higher doses, they lower triglycerides and may ease inflammation, which plays a role in the development of atherosclerosis. [2]

Given the wide-ranging importance of marine omega-3 fatty acids, it is important to eat fish or other seafood 1-2 times a week, particularly fatty (dark meat) fish that is richer in EPA and DHA. [3] This is especially important for women who are pregnant or hoping to become pregnant and nursing mothers. From the third trimester until the second year of life, a developing child needs a steady supply of DHA to form the brain and other parts of the nervous system as DHA is the most abundant fatty acid in the brain. Many women shy away from eating fish because of concerns that mercury and other possible contaminants might harm their babies, [4] yet the evidence for harm from lack of omega-3 fats is far more consistent, and a balance of benefit vs. risk is easily obtained by limiting intake of the types of fish higher in mercury. (To learn more about the controversy over contaminants in fatty fish, read Fish: Friend or Foe.)

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Should we worry about ratios?

This is where we have lots of controversy- and it makes much more sense to actually avoid the controversy- and the facts point at both directions. Which is true?

Man-Made industrial seed oils should be avoided- especially in cooking.

There is significant proof in the research about trans-fats, and it took the US (almost forever) to “remove” them from our food supply.

The truth? These items are still in our food chain- because they are allowed there- as long as they have .49 grams or less per serving- The food can be deemed “Zero Trans-Fats”.

This is marketing deception allowed by the FDA- and a problem. I looked at a “Zero Trans-Fat” Muffin- it was a 3 ounce commercially baked product. I was showing a friend of mine how to read the package to determine how many carbs were in the muffin. He said “It’s not too bad- 27 grams of carbs and 3 grams of fiber”.

Immediately- I explained to him that he needs to read the fine print- “how many servings are in the muffin?”

He said- it’s a muffin- “who would eat half of this? I would eat two of these with a cup of coffee for breakfast”.

3.5 servings per muffin.

Considering the adult- like my friend- would eat (2) of them with a sugared up cup of coffee- as a quick convenient store breakfast- That means 7 servings.

When we look at this- from the trans fats point of view- .49 grams per serving multiplied times (7).

.5 x 7 = 3.5 grams of trans-fats (or more, because they are allowed 20% error for “large batch mixing”. Legally could have about 4.2 grams of trans-fats.

Nobody is checking these products.

And people believe a “corn muffin” is healthier than other “bad” baked goods like cookies or breads.

The deception is a misconception.

And we are becoming fatter and sicker with every bite.

We have deviated from the “natural” diet of a human being- which, for millennia, has been nearly 1 omega 3 to 1 omega 6 fatty acid consumed.

Some of us eat nearly 60-1, and this leads to an imbalance of pro-inflammatory fatty acids to anti-inflammatory fatty acids- and leaves us at a deficit for omega 3 cellular building blocks. Add in the “hidden” trans-fats- and we have the disaster of fatty-fat and inferior quality cellular membranes.

Simplified- “You are what you eat- and you are what you eat is made of”.

We do not think about- or even know how our food products are created. We ignore the fact that there are 3500 chemicals added to our food- and accept them as being ok. The term the FDA gives these items? GRAS, generally regarded as safe. Isn’t it time we create a new term?

Actually Regarded As Safe?

Recently I gave up diet soda. I gave up zero sugar soda.

And I did so for one reason.

The path of least resistance.

I used to refer to Coke Zero as “liquid crack”. I was addicted to it, as I was addicted to regular coke for decades. While these “diet” versions of soda had limited or little effect on blood sugar- my broken and damaged body had to contend with purging itself of all of these chemicals to get the water I needed out of the product.

So, I drink more water- more decaf black coffee, more iced green and black tea- and an bottle of zero sugar electrolyte drink (which is dubious, at best, for healthy electrolyte replenishment). the zero sugar drink is allowing me to transition away from the liquid crack- and the tea gives me some caffeine- because I was getting headaches from withdrawal symptoms.

Getting rid of the soda may seem to have nothing to do with Omega’s- and the connection is weak- but the concept of giving my body the path of least resistance to make itself healthy- is the single most important concept in finding fitness on a cellular level.

Getting rid of the chemicals in the soda- means that my body does not have to filter, chelate, breakdown, and discard them. The public water, which I do not drink, is used in every soda fountain in the world. Who know what is in the cans and bottles, and who knows what leaches out of the cans and bottles into what we drink?

Either way- losing the chemicals creates a path of lesser resistance. my body no longer has to contend with these things- it can focus on handling other business. And the lessening of the caffeine intake has increased my ability to get more sleep.

The Omega 3 to omega 6 ratio- getting that closer to normal- will allow my body to create stronger and better cells- and by getting it from fish- not supplements- I am ensured to get healthy protein, and amazing fats- to build all kinds of cells.

I do not take supplements of fish oil- the oils they use have been found to be contaminated- include unnatural stuff- and also go rancid (become oxidized) and this defeats the purpose of taking the pills.

Once harvested, the oil is often sent to China for extraction and distillation, before coming back to North America or Europe to be packaged. At each step, the oil must be handled quickly and at low temperatures.

“To prevent oxidation, you have to focus on it from the beginning when the fish is caught, because when the oil is oxidised you can’t restore it back to freshness,” said ​​Bo Martinsen, an omega-3 specialist and co-founder of the fish oil company Omega3 Innovations.

Whether rancid fish oil is harmful remains unclear. So far, sporadic studies have shown that highly oxidised fish oil capsules can have a negative impact on cholesterol levels. When tested in high doses in animals, the oils were shown to have toxic effects.

“It certainly tells us that oxidation changes the way these oils work,” Albert said. “The fact that we know from animals that the effects change when it’s oxidised would mean that a reasonable human consumer would want to avoid oxidised oils – but they can’t do that themselves.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/17/revealed-many-common-omega-3-fish-oil-supplements-are-rancid

They say that there is limited studies on what oxidized (rancid) oils do to the body. And that is simply not true.

We could discuss oxidation and oxidative stress- and go down the academic path of science to prove how we most certainly do not want to eat rancid oils- and we can also look at the fact that we should likely be consuming little, if any, oil at all.

Yes- vegetable oils- in the article snippet above are proved to cause these disease in animals- what are we, besides thinking animals?

There is little study on the consumption rancid fish oil supplements- but the point here is not the TYPE of oil- but the oxidation. click the link for the article about rancid fish oil supplements- and realize that these products are not going to help you much- and very likely may cause more “resistance” for your body to deal with.

Of course we will revisit the topic again- one could write entire books debating the merits of one study versus another and sift out the truth about Omega ratios.

It is far better to look at nature- how we never had heart disease and prediabetes in the common man for millenia- and the last hundred years or so, the disease have flourished. It is all about what we consume.

Let’s look at Diet Soda for a moment.