New Roots Omega 3/6/7/9 - 180 Softgels

Compete Omega 3-6-9- Meets our daily needs for Healthy Skin and Hair and Joint Mobility

GENERAL NUTRIENT SUPPORT

Nordic Naturals Complete Omega-3.6.9 combines a perfect blend of Omega-3s (EPA and DHA) from fish and Omega-6s (GLA) from Borage oil to support healthy skin, hair, joint flexibility, and normal fat metabolism.

Essential Fatty Acids

The standard North American diet is deficient in essential fatty acids, especially omega 3s. Every cell needs essential fatty acids for its cell membrane where the fats make the important barrier that lets other molecules into and out of the cell.

There are three categories of EFAs, omega 3, omega 6 and omega 9. Vegetable-based combination oils usually contain alpha-linolenic acid, ALA, for omega 3, gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), for omega 6 and oleic acid, for omega-9. The sources of the oils are several of the following: flaxseed, borage, black currant, hemp, pumpkin seed, primrose, sunflower or safflower. Some combination oils include fish oils derived from fish such as herring, cod, mackerel, tuna or salmon. These oils give the added benefit of containing docosahexanoic acid, DHA, and eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA, two other types of omega 3 fatty acids.

DHA: The Brain EFA

Docosahexanoic acid is an omega 3 essential fatty acid. It is an essential component of the brain and central nervous system. It seems to concentrate in areas where there is lots of electrical activity such as the synaptosomes, where nerve cells communicate, and the photoreceptors of the eye. This is why a deficiency of DHA can result in poor brain development, attention/deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning disorders, memory problems and poor visual development.

EPA: The Heart EPA

Eicosapentaenoic acid is an omega 3 essential fatty acid. It is an important fatty acid in the maintenance of cardiovascular health and the regulation of inflammation. EPA is a precursor to a series of chemicals whose job it is to regulate the inflammatory effects of arachidonic acid. Too much arachidonic acid leads to pain and inflammation in conditions such as arthritis. Arachidonic acid also causes inflammation in arteries and leads to the development of atherosclerotic plaques. Deficiency of EPA can result in cardiac arrhythmias, high cholesterol and excessive aging. EPA has been used to treat heart disease, arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.

GLA: (GAMMA LINOLEIC ACID)

Gamma-linolenic acid is an omega 6 essential fatty acid. Your body uses GLA to produce hormone-like substances (eicosanoids) that support cardiovascular health. GLA also helps maintain cholesterol levels because healthy fats build HDL cholesterol. HDL cholesterol is responsible for moving fat, from storage or plaques, into the liver where processing and excretion of fat occurs. By decreasing fatty build-up on arteries it helps to regulate blood pressure. GLA reduces the production of an inflammatory compound called arachidonic acid. Arachidonic acid causes pain and inflammation in conditions such as arthritis.

Why Are They Essential?

Omega-3s (and omega-6s) are termed essential fatty acids (EFAs) because they are critical for good health. However, the body cannot make them on its own. For this reason, omega-3s must be obtained from food, thus making outside sources of these fats "essential."

Although the body needs both omega-3s and omega-6s to thrive, most people consume far more 6s than 3s. Hardly a day goes by, however, without reports of another health benefit associated with omega-3s. For this reason, many experts recommend consuming a better balance these two EFAs.

OMEGA 9

Omega 9 fatty acids are a subgroup of fats, many of which are essential for our bodies. Although omega 9 fats are extremely important for our health, it is not actually essential. In the presence of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, our body can produce small amounts of omega 9.

Fatty Acids

A fatty acid consists of a carboxylic acid group with a long carbon chain tail. In science, these are drawn as kinky lines like this: ///////, with the ends and each point representing one carbon atom. In nature, there is usually an even number of carbon atoms in the chain. Omega 9 fatty acids get their name from having a double bond after the 9th carbon from the free tail of the chain.

Deficiency Symptoms

While omega 9 is not essential, deficiency can still result in certain physical symptoms in the body. Most commonly, a deficiency in omega 9 fatty acids results in dry, cracked, peeling skin, and dandruff. Because of its frequency in the diet, supplementation is only really necessary in severely deficient diets like those seen in starvation or anorexia.

Medicinal Effects

Omega 9 fatty acids may help to lower “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and raise “good” cholesterol (HDL), which can help to rebalance high cholesterol. Normal dietary levels are sufficient for this effect.

Types And Sources Of Omega 9

The main types of omega 9 fatty acids that are important in the human body are oleic and erucic acids. Food sources of oleic acid are olive, peanut and sunflower oils. Erucic acid is found in rapeseed and mustard seed oils. Although canola oil is technically from rapeseed, it has been crossbred and genetically modified to reduce its erucic acid content. Foods that naturally contain omega 9 fats are: olives, avocados, sesame oil, and nuts, such as: almonds, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, cashews, hazelnuts, and macadamias. Simply using 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil in your cooking each day will provide your body with more than enough omega 9 fats to sustain health.