Omega 3 (O3) comes in three main forms - ALA, EPA and DHA.

ALA is a plant derived O3 available in walnuts, flaxseeds and pumpkin seeds. Here at 27, we get our daily dose of ALA (2g+) by throwing some milled flaxseeds into our morning oats - super quick, easy and barely noticeable.

Our focus today however is going to be on EPA and DHA - the marine derived O3s through foods such as mackerel, salmon, herring, sardines…you get the gist. Here’s an idea of how much O3 is in certain food sources.

The Omega 3 Index (O3I) is the measure of EPA and DHA composition in red blood cell membranes, acting as a prolonged marker, requiring several months to stabilise. An optimal O3I reading is >8% - anything below this is considered moderate to low.

It is believed that 80% of people globally fall well below the optimal O3I:

• >8% High: Japan, Denmark, South Korea

• 6-8% Moderate: Iceland, Finland, Sweden

• <6% Low: Europe, Middle East, the Americas, South East Asia

Humans can create EPA and DHA from ALA but are terrible at it. Several studies have demonstrated that vegetarians and vegans have much lower plasma concentrations of EPA and DHA when compared to those who eat fish - and increased supplementation of ALA increases EPA levels to a small extent but has very little effect on DHA.

Premenopausal and pregnant women can convert ALA to EPA and DHA at a significantly greater rate due to higher levels of oestrogen, which upregulates the enzymes required for the conversion. This relates to the importance of DHA for:

• Influencing brain development in infants

• Lower hyperactivity scores and increasing verbal IQ in children

• Reducing early preterm birth

In particular, EPAs and DHAs:

• reduce blood lipid (fat) levels

• prevents age-related macular degeneration (protecting eye sight into old age)

• promote anti-atherogenic lipoprotein profile (this is essentially encouraging a healthier type of fat-protein in your blood to prevent clogging of arteries)

• reduce inflammation and improves how your body deals with and heals from it

• lower blood pressure

• improve endothelial function (enhancing the health of the thin layer of cells that line your blood vessels, helping the regulation of blood flow)

• reduce platelet aggregation (preventing platelets from clumping which could lead to clotting and blockages)

• reduce the risk of fatal arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats)

• In older adults, have beneficial effects on muscle mass and function

1. If you’re not supplementing Omega 3s or eating at least 2+ servings of oily fish, your Omega 3 Index is likely moderate or low (6% or below)

2. Alongside eating your weekly recommendation of oily fish, supplement 2,000mg of EPA + DHA per day. This will enable you to achieve an optimal O3I of 8% or greater within 13 weeks

3. You can take O3s at any time of the day, though it is recommended to take them across the day, alongside a meal as dietary fats enhance the bioavailability and absorption of O3s, making the most of your supplements

4. In the long term, there is evidence to suggest a much lower dose is needed over a lifetime to achieve an O3I of 8%. For example, the O3 intake in Japan is around 800 - 1000mg per day, where the mean O3I is >8%

We’ll keep the free weekly newsletters coming, packed full of useful takeaways. If you’ve found this useful or think it could be of interest to a friend, give it a forward - we’d really appreciate it <3