Omega 3 is an essential polyunsaturated fatty acid that your body needs for important functions. needs. These include digestion, muscle activity, blood clotting, vision, memory and many other processes.
Omega 3 is particularly important here for cell division and the function of cell receptors. These special fats are ideally obtained from marine fish that are not contaminated or are contaminated with only a few environmental toxins.
Omega-3 fatty acids are considered essential because your body cannot produce them itself. They must be obtained through a Targeted diet or nutritional supplementation should be taken in. There is often confusion about which omega-3 fatty acids are actually necessary for optimal health.
Two sources of omega-3
Both plant and animal omega-3 fatty acids have their first, chemical double bond in the third position - hence the name "omega 3". But the different length of the carbon chain makes an important difference when it comes to the bioavailability and biological effect of the oils.
The oils of different origins can therefore not be interchanged at will. It is not enough to take in vegetable omega 3 only through food. Here it is necessary to add a supplement to achieve the desired result. But which supplement exactly? Omega 3 or the vegan (marine) omega 3? Or do they have to be taken together, as they cannot replace each other?
- Omega 3 from marine animals (fatty fish, fish oil, shrimp oil, etc.) mainly contains docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which are part of a long chain of carbon atoms.
- Omega 3 from plant sources (flaxseed, linseed oil, chia seeds, walnuts and green leafy vegetables), on the other hand, contains alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a slightly shorter chain of carbon atoms. Plant sources are completely free of long-chain acids DHA and EPA.
- Omega 3 from marine microalgae with EPA and DHA is the "purest" source of essential omega 3 fatty acids. Algae-based supplements do not contain toxins that can sometimes be found in fish-based supplements.
Can we replace animal omega 3 with plant omega 3?
The plant-based omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is a precursor of EPA and DHA. However, an enzyme is needed here to convert the shorter ALA (18 atoms) into a longer omega-3 (20 or 22 atoms). In most people, however, the enzyme designed for this does not work very well. The degree of conversion to omega-3 is therefore very low.
In general, less than one percent of ALA is converted to EPA in most people. The degree of conversion in your body depends on corresponding amounts of other vitamins and minerals.
Our bodies process a very small amount of plant-based omega-3 into long-chain omega-3, which is not really sufficient for a good, basic health. It may be due to genetics, but overall, short-chain omega-3s are not thought to have the same biological effects as the long-chain omega-3s EPA and DHA.
For this reason Omega 3, which is derived from marine microalgae. Algae are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which later reach the fish through food.
EPA and DHA are important for health
DHA is particularly important because it is a component of every cell in our body and especially important for our brain. More than 90% of the omega-3 fatty acids in brain tissue are from DHA, and the normal development of a foetus' brain depends on the availability of DHA. All other omega-3 acids are found only in trace amounts in the brain, including ALA acid, no matter how much ALA you consume.
In fact, there are specific substances of long omega-3 fatty acids in the blood-brain barrier, in the placenta of pregnant women and probably also in the liver, which transport these molecules very precisely to the cell membranes. However, such transport does not exist for short-chain omega-3 acids that come from plants.
The point here is not to belittle the importance of plant-based omega-3 fats. ALA fatty acids are really needed by every organism, we just don't need their excess. But as already mentioned, there are also omega-3 fats of plant origin that are the original carriers of omega-3 fatty acids, such as algae, which could completely replace animal omega-3 fatty acids.
Algae-derived Omega 3 - Good News for our Planet
Good news for all vegetarians and vegans (and also for fish) is that high-quality omega 3 from algae helps to consume sufficient EPA and DHA in similar quantities to omega 3 oil of animal origin.
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are the two most popular and effective omega-3 fatty acids. Their traditional source is oil from fish living in the cold seas and oceans. However, mass fishing is not sustainable for our planet in the long run, especially if we continue to increase the demand for this type of product or substance.
Fish as a source of omega-3 fatty acids is problematic in the long run because of the taste, smell and quantities supplied. In addition, the quality of fish oil products generally depends on the fishing season and location and can be greatly affected by current sea and ocean pollution. The process of purifying these fatty acids from fish oil is also quite complex.
All these complications potentially limit the use of fish oil as a food additive or food supplement. Alternatively, new products based on Omega-3 fatty acids from algae could be produced, which would eliminate the taste and odour problems associated with fish oil products, as well as obvious deficiencies in the production process. The process of cultivating algae or algae-like Microorganisms to obtain oils rich in omega-3 fatty acids is called "omega-3 biotechnology".
Algae contain a considerable amount of oil rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (DHA and EPA). The dried cells of this algae make up about 20% of DHA, making it a very important source of these omega-3 fatty acids. Interestingly, algae are used as a DHA-rich ingredient in the diets of farmed fish and shrimp, as well as chickens.
The application of microbiological DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids to human health is increasing and a large number of clinical studies have been conducted to confirm their efficacy. The development of more refined isolation and identification techniques is important for algae cultivation. In addition to being high in lipid biomass, algae are also suitable for various production strategies that increase the amount of omega-3 fatty acids. Changes in existing lipid extraction methods and the use of sophisticated analytical tools have increased the harvest of DHA and EPA acids during extraction.
By cultivating these microorganisms, the biotechnological processes of omega 3 for the production of DHA and EPA have moved to a high industrial level. "Omega 3 biotechnology" is an environmentally friendly, "green" and sustainable process for the production of omega 3 fatty acids.
In the future, research into different types of algae or microbial isolates that have rapid growth, a high biomass content and good oil storage capacity will further increase the efficiency of the biotechnological process for obtaining omega-3 fatty acids.
Sources:
Authority Nutrition, DHA: A Detailed Review
Differentiation of ALA (plant sources) from DHA + EPA (marine sources) as Dietary Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Human Health
Lipids January 2011
Frontiers in Genetics July 12, 2011
BioMed Research International 2015, Article ID 645984
Mitochondrial Disease News August 31, 2015
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition June 4, 2014: 100 Supplement 1; 449S-452S.
