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What are omega 3s? What are their benefits? How to choose them? When and how to take them? Nutrimuscle answers your questions.
What are omega 3?
Omega 3 essential fatty acids are lipids mainly derived from fish fats. Cod liver oil is probably the best-known source of omega 3. "Fatty" fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna, etc.) are the richest in omega 3.
The active omega 3s are EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Since they cannot be synthesized by the body, it is essential that they are provided by our diet.
The minimum intake recommendations for health are 250 mg of EPA and 250 mg of DHA per day.
On the other hand, a major imbalance has been observed in our modern diet between omega 6 and omega 3. In fact, we do not eat enough omega 3 and too much omega 6. Hence the interest in omega 3 supplementation in order to re-establish a good balance (one omega 3 for five omega 6).
What are the differences between fish omega 3 and plant omega 3?
Most omega-3s in the form of dietary supplements come from fish oil. There are omega-3s from vegetable oils (rapeseed oil, flaxseed oil), but their assimilation rate is lower.
At equal concentration of EPA and DHA , the latter are better absorbed with the fish form of omega 3 compared to the plant form. Therefore the quantities of EPA and DHA in the body will be greater in the case of fish omega 3 supplementation.
The other advantage of fish omega 3 is that it does not contain omega 6 as is the case for omega 3 from plant sources. However, the interest of an omega 3 supplement is to restore the balance between omega 3 (deficient) and omega 6 (surplus).
What are the benefits of omega 3 for athletes and sedentary people?
Omega 3 has benefits for both health and sports performance.
Considerable health benefits
Omega 3:
- Promote cardiovascular health;
- Strengthen bones;
- Protect nerve cells from neuroinflammation;
- Helps to combat depressive states (significant deficiencies in omega 3 are generally found in depressed people);
- Serve as a building material for the cell membranes of the eye.
The best natural anti-fat products
During a low-calorie diet, supplementation with essential fatty acids is essential. Omega 3 provides the following benefits:
- Reduction of appetite. Omega 3 causes an increase in the secretion of appetite suppressant hormones such as leptin. During a meal, the intake of essential fatty acids is assessed by sensors that are placed in the digestive system. If the intake of omega 3 is insufficient, the brain encourages us to eat more to supplement this intake.
- Increased fat burning. Omega 3 are thermogenic micronutrients. They stimulate the metabolism and thus allow you to burn calories more easily.
- Inhibition of fat growth. Good intakes of omega 3 have a slimming effect by replacing saturated fats which promote the expansion of adipose tissue.
A reduction in muscle catabolism
Regular intake of omega 3 helps reduce inflammatory reactions caused by cytokines (produced by muscles during intense contractions). Thus, omega 3 reduces the intensity of muscle soreness and promotes recovery, which allows the athlete to perform training sessions less spaced apart from each other.
Anabolic action with improved muscle protein synthesis
Omega 3s double anabolism when amino acids and insulin are present in the blood. This anabolic stimulation by omega 3s is explained by the activation of an enzyme called mTOR (mammalian Target of Rapamycin). This enzyme plays a role in increasing muscle mass. Thus, by promoting the activity of the mTOR enzyme, omega 3s allow faster muscle gain.
Improved cardiovascular health
Omega 3 helps the heart beat more regularly, helps lower heart rate and blood pressure. They also improve the fluidity of blood circulation.
For athletes, the advantage of omega 3 is to reduce cardiac stress caused by repeated training. Daily intake of omega 3 helps reduce heart rate during intense exercise. Thanks to this reduction, omega 3 helps delay cardiac fatigue and therefore optimize sports performance.
How to choose your omega 3
Which omega 3 to choose? We guide you by telling you what crucial information you need to know to judge the quality of omega 3.
Many people are deficient in omega-3. In fact, unless we eat wild fish at least three times a week, the human body requires a good supply of omega-3.
The downside of fish is that it is often expensive and contains heavy metals. The larger the fish, the higher the level of heavy metals, which can poison the body.
The advantage of omega 3 in the form of a food supplement is that it addresses these issues. However, it is important to check its origin.
Check the extraction method
To convert from fish to fish oil, the fatty acids that contain the omega 3s must be extracted by removing the proteins and water. There are several ways of removal:
- Cooking at high temperature, this process is inexpensive, but it degrades some of the omega 3.
- Cold extraction, this method is similar to that used for olive oil extraction. However, for fish oil, this process is not very effective.
- Low temperature extraction (less than 100°). This process eliminates microbes while preserving omega 3.
- Nutrimuscle has chosen quality, our omega 3s are extracted at low temperature.
Ethyl ester or triglycerides?
In their natural form, omega-3s are triglycerides, meaning that three molecules of omega-3 are coupled with one molecule of glycerol. But, in order to concentrate the polyunsaturated fatty acids, producers remove the glycerol molecules and replace them with ethyl esters to exclude other forms of lipids.
After this concentration phase, there are two possibilities: leave the omega 3 as is, or remove the ethyl esters and put the glycerol back to obtain omega 3 in the form of triglycerides. The second option, more expensive, is the best to obtain quality omega 3.
Nutrimuscle omega 3s are linked to triglycerides, in natural form and not in the form of ethyl esters.
What is the use-by date?
Pay attention to the expiration date of your omega 3s, if it is strangely close to the date you bought them, it means that they come from a batch of dubious freshness.
At Nutrimuscle, we source the freshest batches possible. We publish on our product sheets the producers' certificates of analysis to attest to the freshness of our omega 3.
EPA/DHA balance
Some omega 3 supplements contain mostly EPA while others contain more DHA. This is not good because each has different benefits, making them both complementary.
Nutrimuscle omega 3 respects the EPA/DHA balance in order to obtain a complete intake.
The TOTOX quality indicator
The main quality index of omega 3 is called the TOTOX index (TOTal OXydation). It measures the total oxidation of omega 3, i.e. their degradation. The higher the TOTOX index, the poorer the quality of the omega 3. The maximum TOTOX level is set at 26.
A high TOTOX means that a large part of the omega 3 will oxidize easily and thus be destroyed before even being consumed. Worse still, the oxidized molecules which are toxic will take the place of the healthy omega 3 molecules. In short, if the TOTOX of your omega 3 is high, you will consume a lower dose than indicated on the label and you will absorb poor quality omega 3.
The TOTOX index of Nutrimuscle omega 3 is 2 for the batch currently on sale, therefore well below the maximum limit of 26. In addition, our omega 3 is stored in a cold room.
When and how to take Nutrimuscle omega 3
We recommend that you take Nutrimuscle Omega 3 preferably during meals. This will allow you to spread the doses of Omega 3 throughout the day, which is better for the digestive system and also better for taking full advantage of the benefits on cardiovascular health.
We recommend taking 2 to 4 g of omega 3 daily. We recommend taking Nutrimuscle omega 3 with a meal that itself contains fat, to ensure optimal absorption.
