Let's start at the beginning... What are omega-3s?
Omega-3s are a family of essential unsaturated fatty acids. Click HERE to see the basic structure of a fatty acid. Essential in the nutrition world means that the body cannot synthesize the compound on its own but must obtain it from food. Unsaturated fatty acids have one or more double bond in the chain (click HERE to see the difference between a saturated and unsaturated fat). Despite their bad reputation, fats have important roles in the body ranging from cell membrane structure to promoting satiety to transporting certain vitamins. You have probably heard a lot of chatter about good fats vs. bad fats lately, and omega-3s are definitely good!
Some of the important omega-3s include alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Each of these fatty acids, whose initials may sound familiar to you, is polyunsaturated which means they contain more than 1 double bond. Interestingly, the body can synthesize EPA and DHA using ALA.
Sorry for all of the chemistry, but you can show off your new found omega-3 knowledge to all!
More to come tomorrow...
References:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fish-oil/ns_patient-fishoil
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=84
http://216.185.112.5/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4632
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid