Omega 3 Omega 6 fatty acids are nature’s remedy for all your physical and mental disorders. Both omega 3 and omega 6 come under the category of Essential fatty acids or EFAs. This implies that these fats cannot be synthesized within our body and we need to obtain them from our diets.
Omega 3 and omega 6 are polyunsaturated fats that are essential to keep our heart, mind, joints and skin healthy.
The chemical structure of these essential fatty acids is such that they activate the secretion of Prostaglandins in our body. Prostaglandins are hormone-like substances that perform various roles in the body such as muscular contraction, hormone regulation, controlling blood pressure, reducing inflammation etc.
However, the consumption of these fats should be balanced. Imbalance in omega 3 and omega 6 ratio in our diet results in a variety of degenerative diseases such as cancer, heart attacks, arthritis etc.
Studies show that the diets of Westerners are very low in omega 3 fatty acids and high in omega 6 fats. This is the main reason why mortality rates and incidence of cardiovascular diseases is so high in the Western countries.
So what is the ideal ratio between omega 3 and omega 3 fats? According to health experts, a ratio of 3:1 should ideally be maintained between omega 3 and omega 6 fats respectively.
But our dependence on processed foods and low-fat diet has led to approx. 20 times more omega 6 consumption than omega 3. This is mainly due to lack of knowledge about the dietary source of these two essential fatty acids.
While the food sources of omega 6 fatty acids are abundant, omega 3 fatty acid sources are limited.
The main dietary sources of Omega 3 fatty acids include cold-water fatty fishes such as salmon, sardines, tuna, mackerel and Hoki. Plant-based or vegetarian sources of omega 3 are green leafy vegetables, walnuts, hemp seeds, Flaxseed oil and canola oil.
Doctors all over the world now regard daily consumption of Fish oils as an important part of a healthy diet. Fish oils are a rich source of Docosahexaenoic acid and Eicosapentaenoic acid, the two most important omega 3 fats.
Modern diet is already rich in omega 6 fatty acids, thus to maintain a healthy balance more omega 3 sources should be added to your daily diet. A good way of doing this is to regularly consume high-quality Fish oils.
Molecularly distilled fish oils are the purest form of omega 3 supplements. Molecular distillation is a refining process that removes all the impurities such as mercury, metals and PCBs from the fish oil and makes it absolutely safe for daily consumption.
Maintaining a healthy balance between Omega 3 Omega 6 fatty acids is the key to good health. Thus, make conscious attempts to increase your omega 3 intake and a good way of doing this is to consume Pharmaceutical grade Fish Oils regularly.
Micheal Thomas is an editor for a series of health related websites. Learn about the best fish oil capsules that we ourselves use daily after extensive product comparisons and research over at http://www.omega-3-fish-benefits.com
