Omega 3's for Weight Loss

[bouncer]

I thought I would pass this article along.



Fat Burning Tips "Live" Weekly e-zine
November 26th, 2007
In This Issue:

Sure things for fat loss, part 3: The Omega-3's

Writing a series of lessons on "sure things" for fat loss is
not as easy as you'd think. There are so many opinions about
the "right way" to eat for getting leaner, that getting all the
experts to agree on anything occurs about as often as Haley's
comet flies by.

Even the subject of dietary fat is hugely controversial. Just
mention "saturated fat is bad for you" in a nutrition forum
these days and you'll see exactly what I mean.

But when it comes to one particular type of fat, the vote is
virtually unanimous: Omega-3 fatty acids are sure things for
your health. Even better: Scientists are beginning to uncover
the important roles they play in the fat burning process as well.

Omega-3 fatty acids are labeled "essential" because your body
can't manufacture them, so you must get them from the food
you eat (much like certain amino acids, vitamins and minerals).

Omega-3 fatty acids can be obtained from plant or animal sources.

The richest animal source of omega-3 is fatty fish such as salmon,
mackerel, albacore tuna, rainbow trout, sardines or herring.

The fat in fish contains two important long-chain polyunsaturated
omega-3 fatty acids: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic
acid (DHA). These appear to be the major players responsible for
the biological activity in fish oil that produces the long list
of benefits.

The richest plant sources of omega-3 fats are flaxseeds or flaxseed
oil. Flaxseed contains alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) which your
body can convert into DHA and EPA.

The list of potential health benefits from eating these "good fats"
is so long, that if you couldn't look up the scientific references
to confirm them for yourself, you would swear I was just pulling
your leg.

Peer-reviewed research has been published on fish oil and omega-3 fats
for the treatment, management or prevention of ALL these conditions:

cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, high blood
pressure, cardiac arrhythmias, inflammatory diseases, joint pain,
arthritis, osteoporosis, kidney disease, prostate cancer, colon
cancer, breast cancer, skin cancer, crohn's disease, ulcerative
colitis, Alzheimer's, asthma, cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease, sickle cell anemia, glaucoma, lupus, multiple
sclerosis, fibromyalgia, cirrhosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue
syndrome, menstrual symptoms, psoriasis, diabetes, insulin resistance,
migraines, response to stress, bipolar disorder, depression, psychological
disorders, and metabolic syndrome.

Okay, so omega 3 fats are healthy stuff, we can all agree on that!

Here's why I also suggest that omega-3 fats should be added to the
list of "sure things for fat loss":

At least a half a dozen human studies and more than two dozen animal
studies in the last 10 years suggest that the omega-3 fatty acids
found in fish may help you burn more fat or at the very least that
they play an important role in the fat burning process, or that
a deficiency could inhibit fat burning.

Some studies found that omega 3 fats may function as fuel partitioners
and increase fat oxidation. This means that omega-3's shift glucose
toward glycogen storage and direct fatty acids away from body fat
formation and toward fatty acid oxidation.

Omega-3 fatty acids also enhance the expression of the Uncoupling
protein 3 (UCP3) gene in skeletal muscle. Scientists say that this
may indirectly increase energy expenditure by dissipating calories
as heat.

Other potential mechanisms include increased sensitivity to the
"anti starvation hormone" leptin, decreased insulin, reduced
fat cell proliferation and improved cell membrane fluidity.

It's an exciting area of research and a highly publicized one as well.

If you pay attention to the news or read any fitness or nutrition
literature, you probably already know about the benefits of omega-3
fats - it's no secret anymore.

What's shocking is the fact that most people are still deficient
in omega-3 fats, according to the latest statistics.

As with that other "super food" - vegetables - most people seem
to know that they "should" be eating more healthy fats, but they
still don't do it.

This gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it is a
real problem, when it's so easy to take advantage of the benefits
of this incredible "power nutrient."

Here are 7 tips that can accommodate both vegetarians and
fish eaters alike:

1) eat fatty fish at least twice per week and even daily
if practical and economical for you. If not, you could
supplement with fish oil (2-3 grams of combined DHA/EPA daily)

2) Omega 6 fatty acids are also essential, but most people
have an unbalanced omega 3 to omega 6 ratio. This can be
remedied by increasing the omega 3 consumption and or
reducing the omega 6 consumption (by decreasing intake of
processed foods, refined grains, and supermarket cooking
oils, with the exception of extra virgin olive oil)

3) grind up flaxseeds and sprinkle them on salads or add
them to oatmeal, protein shakes or morning cereals. Alternately,
supplement with flaxseed oil; 1 tbsp is equivalent to 3 tbsp
flaxseeds (use as a supplement; Not for cooking)

4) snack on walnuts, which contain modest amounts of omega 3 fats

5) increase your consumption of leafy greens which
contain small amounts of omega 3 fats.

6) if you eat red meat, try game meats or grass fed
beef or bison. they dont have nearly the quantity
of omega-3 as marine sources, but they are higher in
omega-3 and have a better omega-3 to omega-6 ratio
than conventionally raised and fed beef.

7) Try omega-3 fortified eggs instead of regular eggs.

See how easy it is to get more omega-3?

With all the health benefits stacked on top of the potential
fat loss benefits, you simply can't go wrong by making this
one change to your diet program - it's a sure thing!

[Russ_s]

I do love fish, both to eat and to keep at home. Thanks for the post.... my weight is coming off 1-2 lbs a week but as of this morning I've got 9lbs to left lose by the end of the year, 180-personal goal. Gonna have to add this to the diet and see what happens.

I see GNC has bottles pretty cheap. The article doesn't say how much is healthy for one day? are GNC capsules a good days worth? Does anyone know if there are side effects of "Fish Oil" capsules?

Thanks for the read... just another thing I need to look up.

[JarheadRI]

Bouncer- What do you use? Do you use Udo's Oil? Seems like everyone here does. I have been doing Flax but also see where that can actually build up too much Omega 6. Thanks!

[tooncesthecat]

Found this article. Rep to Bouncer for the heads-up!



Omega-3 and omega-6 are types of essential fatty acids – meaning we cannot make them on our own and have to obtain them from our diet. Both are polyunsaturated fatty acids that differ from each other in their chemical structure. In modern diets, there are few sources of omega-3 fatty acids, mainly the fat of cold water fish such as salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, black cod, and bluefish. There are two critical omega-3 fatty acids, (eicosapentaenoic acid, called EPA and docosahexaenoic or DHA), that the body needs. Vegetarian sources, such as walnuts and flaxseeds contain a precursor omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid called ALA) that the body must convert to EPA and DHA. EPA and DHA are the building blocks for hormones that control immune function, blood clotting, and cell growth as well as components of cell membranes.

By contrast, sources of omega-6 fatty acids are numerous in modern diets. They are found in seeds and nuts, and the oils extracted from them. Refined vegetable oils, such as soy oil, are used in most of the snack foods, cookies, crackers, and sweets in the American diet as well as in fast food. Soybean oil alone is now so ubiquitous in fast foods and processed foods that an astounding 20 percent of the calories in the American diet are estimated to come from this single source.

The body also constructs hormones from omega 6 fatty acids. In general, hormones derived from the two classes of essential fatty acids have opposite effects. Those from omega-6 fatty acids tend to increase inflammation (an important component of the immune response), blood clotting, and cell proliferation, while those from omega-3 fatty acids decrease those functions. Both families of hormones must be in balance to maintain optimum health.
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Many nutrition experts believe that before we relied so heavily on processed foods, humans consumed omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in roughly equal amounts. But to our great detriment, most North Americans and Europeans now get far too much of the omega-6s and not enough of the omega-3s. This dietary imbalance may explain the rise of such diseases as asthma, coronary heart disease, many forms of cancer, autoimmunity and neurodegenerative diseases, all of which are believed to stem from inflammation in the body. The imbalance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may also contribute to obesity, depression, dyslexia, hyperactivity and even a tendency toward violence. Bringing the fats into proper proportion may actually relieve those conditions, according to Joseph Hibbeln, M.D., a psychiatrist at the National Institutes of Health, and perhaps the world's leading authority on the relationship between fat consumption and mental health. At the 2006 Nutrition and Health Conference sponsored by the University of Arizona's College of Medicine and Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. Hibbeln cited a study showing that violence in a British prison dropped by 37 percent after omega-3 oils and vitamins were added to the prisoners' diets.

If you follow my Anti-Inflammatory Diet, you should get a healthy ratio of these fatty acids. In general, however, you can cut down on omega-6 levels by reducing consumption of processed and fast foods and polyunsaturated vegetable oils (corn, sunflower, safflower, soy, and cottonseed, for example). At home, use extra virgin olive oil for cooking and in salad dressings. Eat more oily fish or take fish oil supplements, walnuts, flax seeds, and omega-3 fortified eggs. Your body and mind will thank you.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

[pliny_2001]

Toonces got it right - most places just say "take fish oil" (or omega-3), and don't go into it any deeper, when the real issue is trying to attain a more natural ratio b/w your omega 3's and 6's.

I've completely bought into this particular supplement, and have no idea how to tell if it is or isn't working (is there even a good indicator of body inflammation?). But I agree whole-heartedly w/ the science, and the MD sources that I like have been recommending it for a fairly long time. FWIW, I take both a borage oil supp. from something like "Nature's Path" and a salmon supp. from Vital Choice (also where I get canned salmon and tuna - it's a low-mercury source).

Can't speak as to it's efficacy as a weight-loss supplement, though I do feel it's essential for your diet, and perhaps impossible to get too much of (w/in reason). There's been too much low-fat or low-carb diet nonsense going around for too long, it's good to see the discussion moving back to good fats and good carbs.

No real downsides, other than some of the sources are pretty dodgy - farmed fish doesn't have the same health benefits that wild fish does, though that's what's generally used -- it's just too much cheaper, and so readily available. And if it just says "fish oil," it rarely will be salmon/tuna/mackeral - they'll just use whatever's been brought up. It's a topic worth doing your research on.

[bouncer]

I use the nordic naturals omega 3's, and fortunately I live in the Seattle area. Salmon is pretty easy to get here as well as a lot of other good fish. I even use salmon for breakfast.