The Truth About Fat, Omega-3, EFA & DHA

The Truth About Fat

Fats are broken down into 3 categories:

• Saturated fats
• Mono-unsaturated fats
• Poly-unsaturated fats (this includes Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids [EFAs])

Let’s discuss: Poly-Unsaturated Fats, Fatty Acids, and Essential Fatty Acids

The key roles that fat plays in your body are in the breakdown for their fatty acids and in energy.

Fatty acids are vital to your health and well being. Fatty acids are the acids that are produced when fat is broken down. Your body uses fatty acids to perform key functions in your body which involve the brain, eyes, heart, lungs, nerves, skin, hair, digestion, and hormones.

Your body also burns fat for energy. The extra energy that is not burned or used in your body is stored in adipose tissue. Adipose then protects and cushions the organs in your body. The “fat” that many people dislike on their bodies (in the form of love handles, big thighs, or flabby bellies) is not fat per se, it’s adipose tissue.

The human body can produce all but 2 of the fatty acids it needs. These 2 fatty acids are linoleic acid (LA acid), which is the “parent” fatty acid to the Omega 6 family) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA acid) which is the “parent” fatty acid in the Omega 3 family.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) - When the word “essential” is used in a nutrition context, it refers to something the body cannot make on its own and must find from outside sources – i.e., your diet.

Foods High in Omega 3 include:

• Flax seeds
• Cold water fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel
• Sardines

Foods High in Omega 6 include:

• Sunflower seeds
• Vegetable oils such as corn, sunflower, sesame, soybean, safflower
• Margarine
• Pumpkin seeds

And there are Essential Fatty Acid Supplements in pill form to supplement your diet.

Omega-3 EFA & DHA Supplements

What are my options for Omega-3 EFA & DHA Supplements?

While there are many options for Omega 3 supplements available on the market, either online or at your local vitamin retailer, there is currently only one prescription option called Lovaza.

Lovaza is a prescription Omega 3 Supplement. Here are the benefits:

• It blends highly purified EFAs and DHAs – the most active natural components/ingredients in Omega-3s found primarily in fish and shellfish.
• They are the only FDA-approved Omega-3 supplement
• They are developed through a 5-step process that helps remove toxins and fats so it creates a very pure and concentrated Omega-3 supplement and medicine – which reduces your need to worry about mercury, environmental toxins, cholesterol and saturated fat.
• They have been proven to lower very high triglyceride levels in adults in as little as 8 weeks.

Ask your doctor about prescription Lovaza and whether it’s right for you.