Omega-3s around the dinner table

I sat around a dinner table on Saturday evening with a group of folks I had not met before. Conversations moved from events of the day, movies at the box office, to health. A 20-something woman was waiting to learn if she were pregnant. An elderly man who had retired from the national parks service mentioned his arthritic pain.

Knowing the research as I do, I knew that both the younger woman and older man would benefit significantly from supplementing with omega-3 fish oil.

In regard to the young woman, we know in the science ‘world’ that a pregnant woman’s level of omega-3 at conception and during pregnancy impacts the child’s health in youth and adulthood. The baby’s growth and development (in regard to the brain, eye, nerves and immune function) are dependent on omega-3s, and the child’s risk for chronic diseases in adulthood is influenced as well. And mothers benefit from having enough omega-3 – her mood, heart and metabolism. Mom and babe need at least 400 mg of omega-3 per day, and they get more benefit from around a gram of EPA and DHA daily. Must be a purified source. I sat there, knowing that most people don’t know these new research findings.

And for the older gentleman, clinical research has shown that consuming 3 – 6 grams of EPA and DHA from fish oil measurably reduces arthritic pain in adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This has been shown in several human studies. These omega-3s complement standard medicines for rheumatoid arthritis and experts in the field recommend taking them together. Many people with joint pain get benefit from taking the right dose of the right product from omega-3s alone, if they take it long enough. It depends on one’s health history and current lifestyle.

Then, I thought to myself, if I say out loud that omega-3s from fish oil could benefit both people, the dinner guests would think that omega-3s are miraculous and/or I’m crazy; what does RA and pregnancy have in common?

Well, the truth is, omega-3 fish oil does help both of these conditions and the connection is pretty simple. It has to do with tissue (cellular) levels of omega-3s; their influence on inflammation, nerve transmission, cellular communication and basic nutrition! Omega-3s are required for normal human health and we are not getting these essential vitamins in our diet.

Because the health status of people in my life matter, I choose to mention omega-3s at dinner, and promised to follow-up the next day.