Slayer's Den

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Omega-3 Fatty Acids: The New Ratio​

Look at the label of your fish oil. There are a couple of important things to check for to determine if it works for you.​

Millions of people use fish oil supplements daily. If you're one of them, grab your bottle and look at the back of the label. What do you see?

Under the serving size and calories section, you'll see how much fish oil each serving contains expressed in milligrams. This might say "fish oil" or "total omega-3s." Every product has it.

Now it gets tricky:

• How much DHA does your fish oil contain?
• How much EPA?

If the amount of DHA and EPA isn't listed separately, your fish oil supplement is very likely underdosed. You probably bought the cheapest thing on Amazon or threw some generic fish oil into your little red basket at Target.

But let's say your supplement does list DHA and EPA separately. That's a good step. Now let's really test your product:

• Does it contain more DHA than EPA?

It should. If your fish oil contains more EPA, it's not the end of the world, but you're not getting all the benefits from the product. You're using a "previous generation" fish oil supplement, and new generation fish oil is much more effective. Why? Because the best fish oil contains far more DHA than EPA.

DHA is a biologically distinct molecule with its own set of bioactive effects. Of the two omega-3s in fish oil, DHA is the change-maker – the powerhouse.

DHA is the King of Omega-3s. Here's Why.​

1. DHA and Longevity​

DHA levels positively correlate with longevity. Japanese researchers found that out of over 1,000 people over the age of 60, those with the highest amounts of DHA in their blood had the lowest mortality rates.

2. DHA and Male Reproductive Health​

The sperm membrane is made up of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), but primarily DHA. By adding more DHA, you're like a stonemason slapping on mortar to thicken the wall they're building. As a result, you get increased sperm motility and concentration.

3. DHA and Brain Function​

DHA is the most important omega-3 PUFA in the brain, as EPA levels are typically 250 times lower than those of DHA. EPA does play a role in various brain functions and prevents age-related cognitive decline; however, DHA plays its own role in improving things like short-term and working memory, along with preventing or slowing the development of Alzheimer's. DHA also plays a role in fighting depression and anxiety and improving ADHD.

4. DHA and Heart Health​

Men have a higher risk of heart disease than women, and men have lower levels of DHA than women, as shown by studies where both sexes ate the same amount of fish. This might be related to testosterone because there's an inverse relationship between the hormone and DHA.

As such, men need to ingest more DHA than women, but taking almost any fish oil product on the market, or even eating fish itself, leaves men woefully under-dosed on this vital fatty acid and more vulnerable to heart attack.

DHA has anti-arrhythmic effects, reduces blood pressure, and even, according to one study, increases HDL by 29% (as compared to EPA, which reduces it by only 7%), all of which cause or contribute to heart attacks.

5. DHA and Inflammation​

We live in an omega-6 world and it's not good. Nature intended for us to have a 2-to-1 or 3-to-1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in our bodies, but because of our diets, this ratio is now more like 20 to 1 in favor of the omega-6s.

Fish oil, however, is a potent anti-inflammatory. While it combats inflammation in several ways, the main mechanism is by binding to the protein receptor GPR120, found on immune cells involved in inflammation. The omega-3 fatty acids clamp onto the GPR120 receptor and shut down nearly all inflammatory pathways.

While plenty of studies involving combined EPA and DHA show this profound effect, only one bothered to look specifically at DHA's role in fighting inflammation. It involved 28 people with rheumatoid arthritis, each of whom received either 2,100 mg. of DHA or a placebo a day. The DHA group decreased the number of swollen joints by 28%.

6. DHA and Muscle Recovery​

Repeated eccentric muscle contractions cause damage to muscle fibers, and muscle damage impairs subsequent lifting sessions or sports activity. However, because omega-3s increase the structural integrity of the muscle cell membrane and inhibit inflammatory actions, they subsequently improve recovery.

Many studies verified this theory. They found that varying dosages of fish oil or omega-3 fatty acids either led to reduced muscle damage over placebo or reduced muscle soreness over placebo.

Of course, those studies involved both members of the omega-3 dynamic duo. While there are far fewer studies investigating the effects of one fatty acid or the other, they do exist. One study involving 27 biceps-curling women found that 3,000 mg. of DHA, taken daily, reduced muscle soreness by 23% over placebo.

Another study recruited 31 alcoholics to see if fish oil could lower cortisol levels (cortisol levels go up when alcoholics stop drinking), but their formulation contained a lot more DHA than EPA (252 mg. of DHA and 60 mg. of EPA), which is rare for these kinds of studies. Aside from being a barometer of stress in alcoholics, cortisol is also a byproduct and barometer of post-exercise muscle damage.

The alcoholics on placebo experienced no reduction in cortisol levels. The DHA-heavy fish oil groups had much lower cortisol levels in their saliva throughout the day, along with reporting less stress.

7. DHA and Blood Pressure​

This is one area where DHA and EPA need to work together, even though each plays an entirely different, but totally synergistic role. EPA reduces systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading), while DHA reduces diastolic blood pressure. Elevated readings of either can increase your risk of heart attack or stroke.

Here's the breakdown per serving:

• DHA 2000 mg
• EPA 400 mg

What About Whole Food Sources?​

You can attempt to satisfy your DHA and EPA needs by taking flaxseed or ingesting foods like kale, spinach, soybeans, and walnuts. These foods are high in alpha linolenic acid, or ALA, which the body converts to EPA and DHA.

It's a nice theory but it doesn't pan out, especially with DHA. ALA has negligible effects on DHA levels in plasma or blood. Women have a greater capacity to convert ALA to DHA than men do, and this conversion is largely determined by estrogen, the primary female sex hormone. A strong surge of estrogen causes a sharp increase in DHA production, whereas testosterone has the opposite effect.

That means that men have much lower DHA blood and tissue values than women, despite taking in the same amount of ALA. Getting your omega-3s through things like flaxseed oil or hemp oil is a failing strategy, especially for men. And with fish or shellfish, omega-3 content is heavily stilted towards EPA.