The Dark Side of Omega-3 Fats
Could it be that this “panacea” is actually a wolf in sheep's clothing?
This article will be long, as I really want it to encompass the discussion of most of the claims made about Omega-3s in the health world, and explain why more is not better, and why short-term benefits don’t make a compound safe long-term.
While the research on Omega-3s does show them to alleviate many symptoms of disease (especially when the disease is inflammatory in origin), these publications rarely elaborate on the possible long-term negative side effects that a significant intake of Omega-3s can have.
In my opinion, for a molecule to be so readily recommended for everyone, it should be both relatively effective & relatively safe. When it comes to Omega-3s, yes, they may be effective in reducing inflammation, but they can also significantly increase oxidative stress, meaning that they do not necessarily rank high on the “relatively safe” criteria.
My goal is to present to you a comprehensive overview of the dark side of Omega-3s, something very rarely mentioned in the nutrition space, as Omega-3s have seemingly earned themselves the title of an untouchable sacred cow.
Some personal anecdotes & my motivation for writing this
As it turns out, research on the benefits of Omega-3s is not as clear as many nutrition blogs would have you believe, and there is a large body of evidence showing that these fats might directly contribute to the very conditions that they are claimed to improve. Yellow fat disease, also known as pansteatitis, to which I am devoting an entire section in this article, has been documented in endless animals, including cats, fish, dogs, pigs, crocodiles, chickens, horses, etc. Anecdotally, I have heard that it used to be common folk knowledge that sailors who spent months at sea and subsided mostly on fatty fish were prone to the disease too. Yellow fat disease develops due to excess consumption of Omega-3 fats.
Many of my personal “lightbulb” moments (more of which I’ll weave into later parts of this article) that made me question Omega-3’s standing as the nutritional holy grail have led me into trying to understand these fats better and research them in-depth, resulting in the creation of this article.
As this article will be covering a lot of topics, here is a table of contents to help you navigate it:
Understanding Omega-3s and their structure
The toxicity of the Omega-3 breakdown products
The evolutionary purpose of Omega-3s
Omega-3s and inflammation
The Omega-3-to-6 ratio
Omega-3s in disease
Do we need Omega-3s at all?
What about Omega-3 in pregnancy?
PUFAs and cell membranes