Are the Health Benefits Associated with Omega 3 EPA Real?

It can be confusing. All the abundant promotional literature, general-interest articles, or even the scientific studies with what appears to be contradictory evidence regarding the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. This post will attempt to make some sense of these claims as far as the importance of omega-3 EPA as a dietary component or supplement goes.

The omega-3 fatty acids are considered essential nutrients because the body cannot manufacture these substances on its own. Thus, omega-3s must be consumed in the diet or taken as a dietary supplement.

The highest concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids are found in cold water fish and sea food, particularly krill. Krill are small shrimp-like crustaceans. Certain plant sources such as walnuts and evening primrose do provide omega-3 essentialfatty acids (EFAs). However, they provide a type known as ALA, not EPA.

Fish that provide these fatty acids commonly include salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel, and sardines. Of the chemical “families” that comprise omega-3 fatty acids as a group, the subgroup “omega-3 EPA” appears to be more effective in health promotion than ALA provided by plant sources.

Medical conditions that have been reported to show a positive response to increased amounts of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet include:

Cardiovascular Disease

It has long been known that there is a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease in cultures that include regular servings of fish in their diets when compared to groups that have lower fish consumptions.

Although there were some early attempts to dismiss these differences based on ethnic and social factors, subsequent research has demonstrated that omega-3 fatty acids can play a role in heart and vascular health by increasing the amount of LDL (aka “good cholesterol”) in the bloodstream.

Central Nervous System Disorders

The primary unit of the central nervous system is the nerve cell, or neuron, and many diseases arise from damage to the neuron’s cell wall. Since omega-3 fatty acids are essential to the maintenance of normal cell wall function, it is felt that the omega-3s could play a role in slowing the appearance of symptoms in a number of diseases.

These include diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Multiple Sclerosis. Although still quite preliminary, recent research seems to at least partially support this belief (see Sinn et al: Nutrients, February 2010, pp. 128-170). Mounting evidence appears to support this.

To Believe or Not to Believe

As mentioned above, there has been often-contradictory evidence put forth in support of omega-3 fatty acids along with an equal number of studies refuting such claims. As an explanation for such inconsistency, it has been suggested that earlier studies relied on preparations of omega-3 which contained relatively smaller amounts of omega-3 EPA in proportion to total omega-3 content.

Later studies, which relied primarily on omega-3 EPA (as well as DHA), have consistently produced more favorable results in a number of conditions (see Riediger et al: Journal American Dietetic Association, April 2009, pp. 668-679).

In summary, the available scientific evidence supports the health maintenance properties of omega-3 fatty acids in both the daily diet and in the form of dietary supplements. Based on the available data, supplements containing higher amounts of omega-3 EPA seem to be more effective for purposes of promoting overall health.