An Observation From The
Can land based vegetative forms of omega-3 ALA be added to our diets to help preserve fish stocks and improve health?
With the increasing awareness that not all fats are bad and that omega-3 is definitely a good fat it seems inevitable that consumption of fish will increase. Historically we are not a fish-eating nation compared to many of our European counterparts - it is surprising how much of our fish is still exported. This has led to a growth in the supplement industry as well as presenting some wonderful marketing opportunities for those in the food processing industry to claim that their products can promote better health through omega enrichment. Fish oils and meals are fed to animals or incorporated into foods such as bread and milk to boost their omega-3 content. Such use of fish oils, we believe, is unnecessary and inappropriate - these foods are perfectly healthy and nutritious in their own right.
Fishing down the species for animal feeds and processing is already highly contentious,
Few fisheries are likely to be classed as sustainable.
It is well known that animals, which graze naturally, have increased levels of omega-3 in their meat or eggs. Animal feeds containing seeds with high omega content will further increase animal’s omega content in a natural way.
It is ironic that as the fish farming industry is researching into and increasingly using oilseeds as an alternative to fish oils to help preserve fish stocks that other producers on land are increasing their usage of fish oils!
OIL SEEDS CAN THEY REPLACE FISH OILS?
Distinctive blue flowers of linseed the planet’s richest source of omega-3 ALA
Omega-3 fats are a family of fats derived from the short-chained fatty acid ALA (Alpha linolenic acid) that is created in green leaved plants only, through the process of photosynthesis. Animals and humans cannot create the short-chained fatty acids.
Fish, cattle, zooplanktons, birds and humans all convert ALA into longer chained, more unsaturated, forms of Omega-3 namely EPA (Eiocosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid), some more efficiently than others. EPA and DHA are heavily promoted oils made into supplements and capsules and of course in the oily fish themselves, these longer chains are not found in plants.
At sea, zooplankton and then smaller marine creatures eat algae containing ALA; larger fish eat the smaller fish. At each stage conversion and accumulation into the longer chained fatty acid takes place. Large amounts of omega-3 longer chained fatty acids are found in surface feeding cold-water species of fish, this is why they are considered so beneficial and are referred to as the oily fish.
Omega-3 as ALA is found in plants and has many health giving benefits in its own right, it is a precursor of the longer chained fatty acid. It cannot be created in our bodies and as such is a true essential fat. It could be that fish oils and supplements with high levels of EPA and DHA are gaining a prominent status at the expense of ALA - a far more sustainable resource. A well balanced diet of greens, seeds and nuts and some fish should not require supplements, capsules, fish oils, or un-natural, inefficient, omega fortified foods. EPA and DHA converted in our own bodies from ALA is the freshest way of acquiring the longer chained fatty acids.
How efficiently humans convert ALA into EPA and DHA is proving difficult for researchers to define. Many factors are thought to influence conversion - genetics, dietary factors and lifestyle.
Changing diets and the imbalance in omega-3 and omega-6
The past 50 years has seen a dramatic change in our diets - an increase of saturated fats, trans-fatty acids and preservatives, these all have a stifling effect on how the omegas work within our bodies. Once again we can learn from history, there is increasing realisation that our diets need to revert to one similar to our ancestors.
We need to reduce our intake of saturated fats and preservatives, we also need to ensure that we correct an imbalance between our intake of omega 3 and 6 by consuming more omega-3 rich foods.
Since the introduction of farming in the middle ages there has been a greater reliance on a grain based diet replacing natural grazing. This has lead to an imbalance of the levels of omega-6 to 3 we consume; many diets are deficient in omega-3.
Redressing the omega imbalance.
The predominant crop grown in the UK is wheat which is fed to cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry which in turn we consume. Unfortunately these grains contain very little omega-3 and more omega-6, as a result grain fed animals reflect this imbalance of omegas within their meat.
Extensive farming of livestock is becoming increasingly un-economic - a trend which should be reversed. Meat from grazing animals naturally contains a better balance of fats and tastes better.
A large proportion of agricultural production is devoted to growing animal feeds. Fertiliser production and use is a source of greenhouse gases, fertilisers also leach into fresh water and then to the marine environment and is a major cause for concern. Feeding grain to stock results in a high level of inefficiency and environmental impacts, the more crops available for direct human consumption the better for the future.
Provenance, local production, health and sustainability are all key words for the future. The two prime crops capable of fulfilling these requirements in the UK are edible varieties of Linseed (flax seed) and Oilseed Rape. Both contain omega-3 oils within their seeds and are readily grown in this country.
Rapeseed in flower - the health giving benefits of existing UK grown oil seeds tend to be overlooked due to heavy promotion of more romantically named tropical berries and oils.
There has been considerable growth in this market particularly with cold pressed oils, and seeds. To make a substantial difference these seeds or oils need to be introduced to everyone’s diet as a basic staple food.
In terms of human consumption, by far the most palatable and beneficial is the whole linseed seed also referred to as flax seed. The nutritional value and health giving properties of these seeds have stood the test of time - evidence of its cultivation existing in 5000 BC in Babylon, both the seeds and fibre are found in stone age digs. Gandhi reported that wherever flax was fed to the population health was found to be better. 400 years BC when the Spartans were blockaded on the island of Sphacteria, divers provisioned them by swimming under water trailing bladders containing poppy seed, honey and pounded linseed - they obviously recognised linseed’s potential and that the seed had to be broken to obtain its nutritional value.
The seed of edible varieties of linseed contains around 48% polyunsaturated fats of which over 55% will be omega-3 and 18% omega-6 so once again modern science only confirms ancestral wisdom.
All the omegas are highly active and once pressed or crushed they readily begin to oxidise. Storage requirements are exclusion of air and light and low temperature. To obtain the benefits of its omega content it must be crushed or milled. Whole linseed as opposed to oil has the additional benefits of its mucilage content, it has a slightly nutty taste and can be added to many foods such as breakfast cereals, porridge, yoghurts, smoothie type drinks and sprinkled over salads as part of a dressing. Perhaps one of its best uses is in bakery products, bread, pizza breads and tea breads, both for the domestic and commercial user. The benefits of the omega-3 oils are not lost in the loaf by heat as the temperature within remains around 115°C and light is excluded. Numerous health benefits could be gained by replacing 10% of wheat flour with milled linseed on a commercial scale.
On a household scale this can be done with a coffee grinder as and when required.
The Canadians have developed a process in which flax seed is cold milled and vacuum packed in a controlled environment. This makes flax seed as easy and readily available to use on an every day basis, stored in the fridge just like milk, spooned onto foods just like sugar (but far healthier), convenient - just what we all demand. Of course we can grow linseed in this country with just as good quality in terms of oil and omega-3 content as Canada and save food miles.
Harvesting edible linseed
Rape seed (Canola Oil)
Just like linseed, rape is a long established crop and can boast as many different uses as linseed. With a diverse range of varieties available suitable for many different applications, fuel, industrial use, commercial cooking and frying, as well as cold pressing oil extraction to retain the benefits of omega-3.
Rapeseed oil is highly palatable with a distinctive nutty flavour; it is a positive alternative to olive oil both in terms of omega oil content and palatability. Culinary grade rapeseeds have a ratio of 2:1 omega 6:3 and is an excellent way of obtaining omega-3.
Tinned salmon in oilseeds!
1 An agriculture policy, which financially encourages a more diverse range of cropping in this country needs to be developed to ensure our diets contain the balance of fats our bodies require.
2 The more direct human consumption of produce the more environmentally efficient food production becomes.
3 Marine resources need to be managed in a sustainable basis - consumption matching natural production, on land animal production needs to be concentrated towards extensive farming practices.
4 The further promotion of UK grown crops, high in omega-3 content, by marine conservation interests and UK growers will have a positive effect on the nation’s health, reducing food miles and benefiting the environment, they should be considered as a compliment to a sea food diet, thus helping to preserve fish stocks.
5 Whether vegetative based ALA can be considered as an alternative to fish oils all depends on how efficiently our bodies can convert the short chained ALA into the longer chained fat found in fish. Many studies have shown a wide range in the human body;s ability to convert omega ALA into EPA and DHA. Results from 6% down to 0.02% an average of 3% which would be a significant amount, 0.02 % disappointing.
However there are thought to be so many factors which have an influence on the rate at which we are be able to convert short chained fatty acids into EPA and DHA. Therefore a recommendation on a daily intake (at present) of ALA as a fish oil replacement would be impossible and unwise to issue. No doubt many more studies will follow. In the meantime, the best advice we have read and heard is that one should find as many different ways as possible to introduce all of the omega-3 fatty acids into a diet, EPA and DHA are both super fats, ALA is essential, all are beneficial.
Recent studies have shown that the conversion of ALA-EPA does take place in humans although not at as high a level as previously thought. Conversion of EPA to DHA is very low if at all. Still more research is called for in that area. However, it is considered that all ALA, EPA and DHA are required in our diet. Oily fish at present are considered to be the best source of EPA and DHA.
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Copyright Court of the Silver King 2007