Five signs you’re probably deficient in omega-3 fats
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So, what’s the deal with Omega-3 Fats?
If you are a living, breathing, adult human being, you’ve probably heard about omega-3 fats at some point in your life—and that’s because these fats are essential for optimal health. And I’m not talking essential like you could benefit from eating enough of them…
No… your brain, hormones, cells, and tissues need omega-3 fats to carry out their normal everyday functions. When we don’t get enough omega-3s in our diet, it can wreak havoc on our brain, cellular, skin, and hormonal health.
The worst part is we’re so used to feeling like crap and dealing with chronic fatigue, joint pain, brain fog, depression, anxiety, hormonal imbalances, acne, and other skin challenges that it’s not even a thought in our mind that it could be due to something like a nutrient deficiency.
Because your body can’t make omega-3s on its own, you have to get them from your diet, and unfortunately, most people aren’t getting enough or taking an omega-3 supplement.
Where Can You Get Omega-3s in Your Diet?
The primary food sources of omega-3 fats are small, cold-water fatty fish. Salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, and herring contain long-chain omega-3 fats: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are the active forms of omega-3s that your body can absorb and put to use in your brain and body.
The dietary guidelines recommend that we get 250mg of combined EPA and DHA per week to meet the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of omega-3 fats to prevent deficiency. An easier way to think about that is eating two 3.5-ounce servings of any of the fatty fish mentioned above.
Why are we so Deficient in Omega-3 Fats?
Let’s face it, most people aren’t eating fatty fish on a weekly basis. The majority of people are getting their omega-3 fats from alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the plant-based form found in vegetable seed oils, leafy green vegetables, chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, and walnuts.
But ALA comes with limitations. For starters, ALA needs to be converted into EPA and DHA by a series of enzymes to actually be used by the body. Unfortunately, we’re not very efficient at this process at a less than 15% conversion rate. 😢
What contributes to this low conversion rate? Well, besides genetics, age, and gender, a high intake of omega-6 is a huge contributor, and fortunately, it's the one we have the most control over.
There is a bunch of hullabaloo out there on social media and in the blogosphere about omega-6 fats. Yes, they are highly inflammatory. Yes, we are getting way too much of them in our diet; and yes, they can absolutely contribute to our risk of skin cancer, colon cancer, type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, and a whole host of chronic diseases.
But, like omega-3 fats, omega-6 fats are essential—meaning our cells, tissues, and organs need them to function properly, and we have to get them from dietary sources. But herein lies the problem: it's waaaay easier to get omega-6 fats from our diet than it is to get omega-3s.
In fact, the average American consumes twenty times the amount of omega-6s in their diets than they do omega-3s!
Why are we consuming so many omega-6 fats?
Because omega-6 fats are in pretty much EVERYTHING! Well, not everything, but in a lot of the things the average person consumes (*cough* *cough* processed foods, fast food, fried foods *cough*).
Omega-6 fats are ubiquitous in our modern-day food supply. If you’re eating anything fried or in a bag or a box (think hard: pretzels, crackers, chips, cookies, tortillas, ready-made meals), or eating out frequently, I can guarantee that you’re overdoing it on omega-6s. Why? Because they creep into our packaged foods (even seemingly “healthy” food brands) in the form of vegetable seed oils.
The next time you pick up a box of food in your pantry or the grocery store, I challenge you to run through the list and see if any of the following are included on the ingredients label”
Soybean oil
Canola oil
Sunflower oil
Rapeseed oil
Cottonseed oil
Corn oil
Safflower oil.
I’m not exaggerating here, guys. These oils are in almost every packaged food—and because processed foods make up about 60% of the average American’s diet, most of us are overdoing it on omega-6 BIG TIME.
In fact, when we look back at how our ancestor’s used to eat, their omega-3 to omega-6 ratio was about 1 to 4; nowadays, we are tipping towards a ratio of 1 to 20 or higher!
Alright, so what does this have to do with ALA?
Well, in order for ALA (the plant-based omega-3) to be converted into EPA and DHA, they have to go through a series of enzymatic conversions.
Again, we are already pretty bad at this conversion process, but to make matters worse, linoleic acid (that’s the science-y name for the omega-6 fats in vegetable seed oils) steals the enzymes from ALA and uses them to convert itself into arachidonic acid, a pro-inflammatory molecule.
Santos HO, Price JC, Bueno AA. Beyond Fish Oil Supplementation: The Effects of Alternative Plant Sources of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids upon Lipid Indexes and Cardiometabolic Biomarkers—An Overview. Nutrients. 2020; 12(10):3159. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12103159
Arachidonic acid is also high in factory-farmed meat and dairy products that are fed grains, corn, and soy. Now, these aren’t as much of a problem as vegetable seed oils, but if you’re eating conventionally-raised chicken and pork as the bulk of the protein in your diet, it can contribute to this omega-3 to omega-6 imbalance.
Contrarily, grass-fed beef, dairy, and pasture-raised chicken, eggs, and pork contain greater omega-3s because these animals are eating their species-appropriate diet of grass, insects, and grubs that increase the omega-3 content of their meat.
The take-home message here is that not getting enough of the bioavailable EPA and DHA from fatty fish and grass-fed, pasture-raised meats and dairy results in a further imbalanced omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, chronic inflammation, and increased risk for a myriad of chronic diseases.
Five symptoms of omega-3 deficiency
You have dry skin. Omega-3 fats make up our cell membranes and are involved in keeping the skin barrier strong and locking in moisture. Not enough omega-3s and getting too many omega-6 results in a weakened skin barrier, dryness, and skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema.
You have brain fog. Your brain is 60 percent fat; half of that fat comes from the omega-3, DHA. When we’re deficient in omega-3 fats, our brain isn’t able to function optimally, and our clarity, sharpness, and ability to recall information are negatively impacted.
Your hair is falling out. Omega-3 fats help maintain hair's density, strength, and texture by providing essential proteins and nutrients to the hair follicle. Not having enough could result in hair thinning or hair loss.
You’re tired all the time. Your omega-3 levels directly impact physical activity and performance by upregulating mitochondrial genes that are associated with energy metabolism. If you’re chronically fatigued, that could be a sign that you are omega-3 deficient.
You have depression or anxiety. Like I said above, your brain is made from omega-3 fats, and depression, anxiety, and mood swings are tell-tale signs that you’re deficient. And because omega-3s, specifically EPA, are intimately involved in mood regulation and combatting inflammation in the brain, not getting enough can create neuroinflammation, which is a root cause of depression and anxiety.
So, what can you do to prevent omega-3 deficiency?
Well, your best bet is to take a food-first approach and eat at least two servings of fatty fish per week. That’s the easiest way to guarantee you're getting at least the minimum amount to prevent deficiency. Again, that’s your salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, and anchovies. Rainbow trout and cod are other sources but don’t contain as much EPA and DHA as the others. You want to avoid the bigger fish, like tuna, swordfish, and king mackerel, because they contain high levels of mercury.
As far as your diet goes, the second thing you can do is cut back on omega-6 fats. That means intentionally reading ingredient labels and ditching food products that contain any of the vegetable oils listed above. I’m less concerned about the omega-6s in animal products (we need some way or another protein, ya’ll), but if you’re also looking to reduce your omega-6 intake, opt for pasture-raised and grass-fed options.
Supplement Options for Everyone
If you’re vegan, vegetarian, or not a fish fan, you must take an omega-3 supplement. There’s just no way around it! Your brain and body need those omega-3 fats, and we have to make sure we’re nourishing them with the correct bioavailable sources.
Krill oil is great for vegetarians, and algae oil is an awesome (and the only) option for vegans. Just make sure you’re purchasing these supplements from reputable companies.
Bulletproof Omega Krill Complex is sustainably sourced and has optimal doses of EPA and DHA.
Performance Lab Omega-3 is the highest quality vegan EPA and DHA omega-3 I’ve seen. Its algae are sustainably harvested, and it doesn’t contain any gums, vegetable oils, or preservatives.
Carlson Cod Liver Oil is a great option as a liquid-based omega-3 if you have a hard time swallowing pills or are sensitive to the natural flavors, they tend to put in fish oil supplements to mask the taste.
Nordic Naturals are a great high-quality, high-potency brand for fish oil capsules.
