Acides gras. Deux mots qui peuvent faire peur. Ce serait méconnaître la famille des oméga-3, ces acides gras polyinsaturés, indispensables dans tous les sens du terme. Le corps est incapable d’en produire directement, d’où leur statut d’« essentiels ». Car oui, ce gras, c’est la vie.
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Omega-3 and benefits
No other nutrient has been more scrutinized, analyzed and peeled than omega-3s. No less than 33,800 scientific studies provide us with information on these good fats, which have many benefits: protection of the cardiovascular, cognitive, ocular and even immune systems and many others. These are very precious virtues that would make them almost the alpha and omega of a healthy diet... as long as you choose your omega-3's. Whoever says omega-3 mainly means ALA, EPA, and DHA. Let us be specific: ALA, as an alpha-linolenic acid, comes mainly from the plant world, in the form of nuts, rapeseed oil and other oilseeds. Instead, we should prefer EPA, or eicosapentaenoic acid, as well as DHA, which is called docosahexaenoic acid, directly from the animal world, found in crustaceans and especially fatty fish. They are also found in some very specific microalgae. Finally, it should be added that the human body does not know how to convert ALA into EPA and DHA (or very little, less than 5%). Doperating in ALA is therefore not enough: a direct contribution of EPA and DHA is needed.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
Another reason to look at fatty acids: the omega-3/omega-6 balance. Ideally, be sure to eat one omega-3 for every four omega-6. Easy to say... but not to do: in France, the average ratio observed is one omega-3 for eleven omega-6 ! This is due to processed foods, filled with palm or sunflower oils, which are preferred because of their low cost. Over-consumption of meat, high in omega-6, also plays a harmful role. Consequences ? In the long term, inflammatory, neural and cardiovascular problems.
Where can I find omega-3 ?
Therefore, a solution seems to have been found: eat a lot of fish every day. Problem : seas and oceans are increasingly polluted. At the end of the food chain, large fish rich in omega-3, such as tuna or salmon, are also loaded with mercury and heavy metals, pesticides, plastic residues, dioxins and other disgusting substances rejected by man. Farmed fish are not much better off, sinceenriched with antibiotics, while organic is not spared . We will therefore focus on small fish, such as sardines, herring, mackerel or anchovies. Unfortunately, cans are not always synonymous with excellent taste, and few gourmets will visit the fishmonger to prepare sardine fillets marinated in lemon, olive oil and Provence herbs... And this is where nutraceutics becomes interesting, sincehe molecular distillation technology is the only alternative capable of offering a product that is sufficiently concentrated and free of any contaminants.
How to choose your omega-3 fatty acids ?
But between capsules, capsules, bottled flavoured oils and concentrated foods, we get lost. To choose, first target cleanliness: let's not forget that these omega-3s are extracted from oceans contaminated by various types of pollution. Fortunately, nutraceuticals are used to purify fish oils. Hence the interest, as a consumer, in requiring certificates of analysis ! Then, pay attention to the TotOx index, which determines the oxidation level of a fat. Above the threshold of 26, set by the Global Organization for EPA and DHA, the quality is no longer there. Finally, avoid powders, mainly composed of excipients, and opt for natural forms of triglycerides or phospholipids, to be absorbed as concentrated oil.
The best of omega 3
That's why we've created unique omega-3s that combine the best :
- high concentration, to provide the necessary amount of EPA and DHA in a practical daily dose (3 to 4 small capsules)
- impeccable cleanliness thanks to our molecular distillation technologies that allow us to purify below the detection thresholds for contaminants,
- unprecedented stability with a TotOx index below 5 over the entire life of the product
- a responsible oil from sustainable and transparent fishing, practiced by fleets certified "Friends of the Sea®"
- to top it all off, our Licaps® capsules offer all the benefits of omega 3, without the smell of fish, as always at Nutri&Co, all in French quality: our omega-3 oils and Licaps® are manufactured in Brittany and Alsace respectively.
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2. Jane Pei-Chen Chang, Kuan-Pin Su, Valeria Mondelli, Carmine M Pariante, « Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Youths with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials and Biological Studies », Neuropsychopharmacology, 25 Juillet 2017, pp. 534-545.
3. Laura Elizabeth Downie et Algis Jonas Vingrys, « Oral Omega-3 Supplementation Lowers Intraocular Pressure in Normotensive Adults », Translational Vision Science & Technology, Mai 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5931260/, consulté le 28 août 2019.
4. Janice K. Kiecolt-Glaser, Ronald Glaser et Lisa M. Christian, « Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Stress-Induced Immune Dysregulation: Implications for Wound Healing », Military Medicine, Novembre 2014, pp. 129-133.
5. Arzu Ulu, et al., « Anti-inflammatory Effects of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Inhibitors in Angiotensin-II Dependent Hypertension », Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, Septembre 2013, pp. 285-297.
6. Robert J. Goldberg et Joel Katz, « A meta-analysis of the analgesic effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation for inflammatory joint pain », Pain, Mai 2007, pp. 210-223 ; Elham Rajaei, Karim Mowla, Ali Ghorbani, Sara Bahadoram, Mohammad Bahadoram et Mehrdad Dargahi-Malamir, « The Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Patients With Active Rheumatoid Arthritis Receiving DMARDs Therapy: Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial », Global Journal of Health Science, Juillet 2016, pp. 18-25.
7. V.F. Labrousse, et al, « Dietary omega-3 deficiency exacerbates inflammation and reveals spatial memory deficits in mice exposed to lipopolysaccharide during gestation », Brain, Behaviour et Immunity, Octobre 2018, pp. 427-440.
8. M. Lafourcade et al., « Nutritional Omega-3 deficiency abolishes endocannabinoid mediated neuronal functions », Nature Neuroscience, 2011, pp. 345-50.
9. J. Cabo, R. Alonso et P. Mata, « Omega-3 fatty acids and blood pressure », British Journal of Nutrition, 2012, pp. 195-200.
10. « Saumon, carton rouge sur le bio », 60 Millions de consommateurs, décembre 2016.
