Why vegetarian and vegan omega 3 fatty acids are crucial for optimum health?

The benefits of omega 3 fatty acids are well known and omega 3 supplements are being recommended to us at every opportunity. It’s been confirmed that fish oil is the best source of those essential fats, helps with mental development and has a great impact on overal weelbeing. Those fats are necessary for the integrity of every cell membrane in the body and play an important role in proper functioning of vital organs such the heart and brain.
Many people can’t consume fish or fish oil supplements, for example vegetarians, vegans and those who have allergy to fish. Instead of traditional fish oil capsules they take plant sourced supplements, believing that these are meeting their nutritional needs for omega 3s. But the question is: can oil from flaxseed or other plants be just as good as fish oil? If you chose vegetarianism or veganism as a philosophy of life, you should know a few facts when consider taking an omega 3 supplement.
There are 2 major types of omega 3 fats: EPA and DHA (found in oily fish) and ALA (found in plants, nuts). Plant-based omega 3 fats are highly beneficial and should be consumed, but the evidence is clear – they are not a substitute for animal-based omega 3 fats. Those plant-derived sources contain ALA, a precursor to DHA and EPA. Our body does not easily convert the ALA in to the long-chain fatty acids (and there are more difficulties in conversion of those fats in people with diabetes, who are overweight or have high blood pressure or high cholesterol). Animal omega 3 fats contain two fatty acids important to our health, EPA and DHA. These two fatty acids, not ALA, are crucial in preventing heart disease, diabetes type II, depression, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and many other diseases.
We know that human body cannot efficiently manufacture omega 3 fatty acids such EPA so they must be obtained through the diet, traditionally from oily fish. The same is with plant-based omega 3s. Plants can make omega 3 nd 6 parent fatty acids. The omega 3 parent fatty acid is a short-chain fatty acid called ALA (alpha linolenic acid) and comes from seeds (for example: flax, echium, hemp and pumpkin, canola), from nuts (such as walnuts), from soya and green vegetables. They are then converted into long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. Through a series of enzyme-controlled reactions the body converts ALA to EPA and DHA, which are building blocks of the brain and nervous system.
The omega 6 family of fats is similar to the omega 3s, as these also need to be consumed in the diet. The omega 6 parent fatty acis is called LA and can be found in seeds (hemp, flax, sunflower) and sesame or nuts. It is converted by the body into GLA and also into AA, which has anti-inflammatory properties.
No matter which way you look at it, the evidence suggests that omega 3 fatty acids derived from plant sources do not provide the beneficially helpful dose of EPA and DHA found in animal omega 3 sources. It doesn’t mean that vegetarians shouldn’t consume plant-based omega 3s, because essential fatty acids are necessary for the formation of healthy cell membranes, the proper development and functioning of the brain and nervous system. They also regulate blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Scientific studies suggest that although the conversion of ALA to EPA is slow and incomplete and although vegetarians tend to have lower blood levels of long chain omega 3 fatty acids, it is sufficient to meet the needs of most people.

Until recently, flaxseed was considered as best source of omega 3 for vegetarians and vegans as it contains around 58% ALA (highest known plant form of ALA). However, sometimes the body is unable to convert ALA to SDA, which is the first fatty acid in the chain of conversions to EPA and DHA, so then an oil with a high ratio of ALA may not ensure a good supply of EPA and DHA. This is a well known problem, but there’s a solution for it. An echium oil provides a rich source of vegetarian and vegan omega 3 SDA, which is the fatty acid derived from ALA and the precursor to EPA. It has been shown to be around 5 times more effective than ALA in producing EPA.
Furthermore, SDA in combination with GLA (present in echium but not found in flaxseed oil), raises red blood cell EPA levels more efficiently than SDA alone. That makes echium seed oil a unique source of vegetarian omega 3.
Unfortunately, we do not get enough of either type of omega 3 fatty acids. For good health, we should aim to get at least one rich source of omega 3 fatty acids in our diet every day. Even vegetarians or vegans need to get adequate ALA in tehir diet. This could be through a serving of a handful of walnuts or ground flaxseed mixed into your morning oatmeal, tablespoon of canola or soybean oil in a salad dressing or in cooking etc.
If you don’t care much about the food you consume, then the only way to obtain essential fats in your diet is by supplementation, but before making any decision compare the available sources, as not all of them are equal.