Q: What is the difference between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids? Which one is best for you? I have heard that they can help prevent heart attacks and cancer.
A: Both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are known as essential fats. In this case, the word essential does not necessarily mean necessary to a healthy life, but these substances are basic building blocks for forming other substances that the body needs and uses.
They are both polyunsaturated fats. Omega-6 includes linoleic acid and its byproducts, gamma-linoleic acid and arachidonic acid. The first two substances are found in most vegetable oils including safflower oil, corn oil and evening primrose seeds, while the third is found in eggs, fish and meat.
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Therefore, if you eat a normal diet, you should not need any supplements to get these compounds.
Omega-3 fatty acids include alpha-linoleic acid found mainly in flaxseed oil and its byproducts, EPA and DHA, found in oily fish like mackerel, tuna and salmon.
This is the area that you may need to pay more attention to in your diet, as many western Canadians do not eat enough fish, and flaxseed is not on the menu for most people.
A recent British study found that people who ate fish once a week didn’t develop memory loss and Alzheimer’s as often as those who did not include fish in their diet. Even a tuna fish sandwich helped.
I recommend a book called Healthy Fats for Life by Lorna Vanderhaeghe and Karlene Karst, published by Quarry Health Books. They are nutritionists and dietitians.
Vanderhaeghe’s degree is in biochemistry, so she does tend to get a bit technical in places, but there is a helpful simplified summary at the end of each chapter, and even recipes for including essential fatty acids in your diet.
They explain the difference between good and bad fats, but refrain from getting into the confusing topic of cholesterol. They stress that eating some fat in your diet is healthy and even suggest that butter is better than margarine.
There are chapters on preventing heart disease and reducing the risk of breast and prostate cancer, as well as hormonal difficulties in women that occur during PMS and menopause.
They even feel that a diet rich in essential oils may help relieve skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
Q: Is canola oil bad for you? I understand that canola is the same as rapeseed, and rapeseed oil is used for industrial products such as paint.
A: Canola, the word, is derived from Canada and oil. Rapeseed oil and canola oil are not the same, even though canola has been developed from rapeseed.
Canola oil is healthy and contains omega-6 fatty acids. Both rapeseed oil and canola oil as well as other vegetable oils are sometimes used in the production of industrial products such as paint, soaps and cosmetics. This does not mean they are toxic substances. Rapeseed oil is used in its hydrogenated form in some processed foods such as peanut butter.
Contrary to modern mythology, canola has not been developed by irradiation or genetic engineering, but by generations of plant crossing or breeding.
Clare Rowson is a medical doctor with a practice near Belleville, Ont. Her columns are intended for general information only. Individuals are encouraged to also seek the advice of their own doctor regarding medical questions and treatments.
