Omega-3 on Radio 4's Food Programme

The recent BBC Radio 4's excellent Food Programme looked at issues surrounding our intake of omega 3 fatty acids. In a nutshell they advised us to eat more omega-3. For a healthy balance for every three parts of omega-6 we get in our diet we should include at least one part of omega-3 but in Britain on average that ratio is 10:1 .  This imbalance contributes to diabetes, heart disease and blindness and other degenerative diseases and inflammatory conditions.  The programme’s advice was excellent with regard to us needing omega-3 for health and covered the fact that ALA (the omega-3 in vegetable sources such as flaxseed oil) plays an essential role in keeping us healthy. They said it was omega-3 that we need more of in the diet and not omega-3, 6 & 9 supplements. They explained clearly that we do not need omega-9 as a supplement because we make it in our bodies even if we didn’t get it in our diet (it comes into our diet in large amounts in almost all oils and fats, especially olive oil) and we get too much omega-6 (from all other vegetable oils, nuts, seeds and animal fats) so shouldn’t take extra. 

When we decide to eat a better diet and reduce excessive fats of all sorts and increase the ratio of omega-3 to omga-6 our conversion of omega-3 to long chain omega-3 (DHA and EPA)  becomes more efficient, which is why most of the world’s population' s health is maintained by omega-3 from sources like linseed oil and other plant sources.. Detailed scientific explanations and references to other studies can be found in articles by Kelley Fitzpatrick NutriTech Consulting and Dr. Diane H. Morris’s Flax Facts on the Flax Council of Canada’s website:

Internationally well known nutritionists and experts on fats in the diet, including Mary Enig (Face the Fats) , Erasmus Udo (Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill), and Loren Cordain (Paleo Diet and Paleo Diet for Athletes) advise the use of linseed/flaxseed oil for omega-3 as well as eating quality fresh fish rich omega-3 once or twice a week to provide a balanced healthy diet to overcome inflammatory conditions and protect us from disease.