#OMEGA3 #OMEGA11 #diet #miracle #overrated #trend
Check out what science says!
Interview with prof. Ph.D. n. med. and n. health. Dariusz Włodark from the Department of Dietetics of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences – SGGW
INTERVIEW PART 1
A healthy diet is of great importance for the proper functioning of the body, and fats play a key role in it. Particularly important are omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (EPA, DHA), which have a proven effect, among others, on the health of the heart, brain, immunity… Cetoleic acid from the group of long-chain monounsaturated omega-11 fatty acids is also attracting increasing interest, and its potential health-promoting properties are being discovered. We talked about the benefits of their consumption with an expert in dietetics and healthy eating, prof. Dariusz Włodark.
– Professor, please tell us why omega-3 fatty acids are important for our health?
Omega-3 fatty acids are extremely important for the proper functioning of our body, unfortunately our body cannot produce them on its own and we must obtain them with food.
Omega-3 fatty acids are the most important strong anti-inflammatory effect and support cardiovascular health – lower triglyceride levels, reduce the risk of arrhythmia, help regulate blood pressure. In addition, they are crucial for brain work – DHA in particular is the basic building block of neuronal cell membranes and supports them cognitive functions, memory and concentration. In children, it also affects the proper development of the brain and eyesight.
More and more research also shows their potential impact on improving mood and reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety. Additionally, omega-3 PUFAs can support resistance and act protective in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
– It is estimated that approximately 80% of the adult population in developed countries does not consume the recommended dose of omega-3 fatty acids necessary to maintain optimal health.
It’s true – omega-3 PUFA deficiency is a global problem, especially in developed countries, where the diet is increasingly based on highly processed food and contains too little healthy fats.
Research conducted in recent years shows that the average Pole eats much less fish than experts recommend – on average less than one serving a week, while the recommendations say two servings of fish, preferably fatty sea fish. This translates into a low level of consumption of omega-3 PUFAs, especially EPA and DHA. This means that most of the population does not meet even the minimum requirement for these essential fatty acids.
– One of the indicators of the health quality of the diet is the level of consumption of omega-3 PUFAs and their proportion to omega-6 fatty acids. What are the current guidelines regarding this proportion, and how does it relate to health?
It is often said that omega-3 PUFAs are healthy, but less often attention is paid to something equally important – the proportion between omega-3 PUFAs and omega-6 PUFAs in the diet. We need both types of fatty acids, but it’s about maintaining balance. Omega-3 PUFAs have anti-inflammatory properties and support the heart, brain and immunity, and omega-6 PUFAs – although also necessary – in excess can promote inflammation.
The problem is that today most people, including in Poland, eat too much omega-6 PUFAbecause they are supplied in commonly used vegetable oils, and are also a common ingredient of processed foods, such as chips, ready-made sauces, and fast food.
Perfect proportion? Experts say we should aim for a ratio of around 4:1 – i.e. 4 parts of omega-6 PUFA to 1 part of omega-3 PUFA. Meanwhile, in reality, many people have a ratio as high as 15:1 or 20:1, which may have an adverse effect on the body. Therefore, you should remember not only to add sources of omega-3 PUFA to your diet, e.g. fatty fish, linseed, or take them in the form of dietary supplements, but also pay closer attention to what other fats are consumed and in what amounts. Sometimes a small change – like replacing sunflower oil with rapeseed oil or olive oil – can make a big differencebecause sunflower oil contains a lot of omega-6 PUFA, and rapeseed oil much less, at the same time it also provides some ALA, but mainly monounsaturated fatty acids.
– Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death in Poland and in the world. How can omega-3 fatty acids support the health of our cardiovascular system?
Omega-3 PUFA is one of the best-studied dietary components when it comes to protecting the heart and circulatory system. They have multidirectional effects: have strong anti-inflammatory properties, lower the level of triglycerides in the blood, improve the elasticity of blood vessels and help regulate blood pressure. What’s more, it has been shown that EPA and DHA can reduce the risk of heart rhythm disturbances and even sudden cardiac arrest. In the context of the growing number of deaths due to cardiovascular diseases, also in Poland, regular consumption of omega-3 PUFAs should be treated as an element of basic prevention.
– Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is a basic building block of the cell membranes of cones and rods in the retina, which are responsible for color, day and night vision, respectively. How can DHA supplementation strengthen our eyesight?
The retina of the eye contains some of the highest concentrations of DHA in the entire human body. This fatty acid is a key component of the cell membranes of photoreceptors – i.e. cones and rods – responsible for day vision, color perception and night vision, respectively. Thanks to its unique structure, DHA increases the fluidity and elasticity of cell membranes, which translates into more effective conduction of nerve impulses and better response of photoreceptors to light stimuli. Maintaining the appropriate level of DHA in the body is particularly important for people of all ages – from infants, in whom it supports the development of the retina and visual acuity, to older people, in whom it may slow down neurodegenerative and degenerative processes.. Research suggests that DHA supplementation may, among others: improve the eye’s adaptation to darkness and increase visual contrast, reduce eye dryness and support the hydration of the eye surface (especially when working with a screen), alleviate the symptoms of early stage macular degeneration (AMD)a disease that is the most common cause of blindness in the elderly, support the regeneration of the retina after injuries or intense load (e.g. in athletes or people working for a long time under artificial light).
Additionally, it has DHA anti-inflammatory propertieswhich also has a positive effect on the eyesight – especially in the context of chronic inflammation that can damage eye tissues. It is worth emphasizing that the human body does not synthesize DHA in sufficient quantities, therefore its main source should be the diet – oily sea fish or dietary supplements. For people who do not eat fish, DHA supplementation is even recommended if we want to maintain good vision in the long term.
– Deficiencies of omega-3 fatty acids are easy to notice on the skin. How do omega-3 fatty acids support skin health?
The skin is not only the largest organ of our body, but also one of the first places where nutritional deficiencies, including omega-3 PUFA, may become apparent. Dry skin, excessive peeling, inflammation or increased susceptibility to irritation – all these may be signals that our body needs more of these essential fatty acids.
Omega-3 PUFAs, mainly EPA and DHA, perform several important functions that have a direct impact on skin health. First of all, they have strong anti-inflammatory effect, which helps alleviate the symptoms of skin diseases such as acne, psoriasis or atopic dermatitis. Secondly, they support the lipid barrier of the epidermis, which protects against water loss and external factors, from allergens to pollution.
When these fatty acids are missing, this barrier may be weakened, which leads to easier skin dehydration and increased sensitivity to external factors, including infections. The EPA also plays a role in regulation of sebum productionwhich is important especially for people with oily and acne skin. Additionally, omega-3 PUFAs can support cell renewal and protect skin cells against oxidative stress – acting as natural support against skin aging.
– Is it true that supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids slows down the aging process?
More and more scientific evidence shows that supplementation with omega-3 PUFAs can actually slow down biological aging processes. This is not only about improving health parameters, but also about having a direct impact on the so-called epigenetic clocks (they are used to track chemical changes in DNA). A 2025 publication describing the results of the DO-HEALTH clinical trial showed that regularly taking 1 g of EPA and DHA daily for 3 years slowed down the functioning of epigenetic clocks. Omega-3 PUFAs also have the ability to improve the functioning of mitochondria, which are the energy centers of cells, and to reduce oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, which are considered the main mechanisms underlying the aging process. Interestingly, observational studies have shown that people consuming higher amounts of omega-3 PUFAs had a slower rate of acceleration of phenotypic age, so their bodies aged biologically slower than would result from chronological age.
Additionally, supplementation with omega-3 PUFAs is associated with lower levels of cortisol in the body in response to stress, greater activity of telomerase (an enzyme that plays a key role in maintaining genome stability) and better blood flow in the brain in older people, which may protect against cognitive decline. All this means that EPA and DHA are being treated not only as support for the heart and brain, but also as ingredients with health-promoting and anti-aging potential.
– Cetoleic acid (omega-11) is less known than omega-3 fatty acids. What foods can it be found in and what are its potential health benefits?
Cetoleic acid occurs naturally mainly in fatty North Atlantic fish such as herring, mackerel and sardine and in special fish oils with a high content of long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids (North Atlantic fish oil)
From a health perspective, its role can be really important. First, in vitro studies on human liver cells have shown that cetoleic acid increases the body’s ability to transform α-linolenic acid (ALA), derived from e.g. linseed oil, into EPA and DHA, which we particularly care about. This may be especially important for people who do not eat fish and base their diet on plant products providing ALA, not EPA and DHA. Secondly, supplementation with oil rich in cetoleic acid increased the so-called Omega-3 Index in a way comparable to classic fish oil (i.e. it increased the amount of omega-3 PUFA compared to omega-6 PUFA), so potentially supported the lipid profile and anti-inflammatory effects. Moreover, it was also observed reduction of skin erythema – a marker of inflammation – suggesting that cetoleic acid may also have a beneficial effect on skin health.
All this makes cetoleic acid a fascinating functional ingredient with potential supporting metabolism, lipid profile and skin health. We still need more clinical trials, but it is already clear that it is not just a “side” ingredient of fish oil, but probably a biologically active compound.
