Fish + the brain ??

Docosahexaenoic acid, an omega 3 fatty acid (22:6n-3) commonly known as DHA is widely recognised as an important nutrient to support brain function. DHA is in fact a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFAs) that is produced by stretching an omega 6 fatty acid known as ALA or alpha-linolenic acid (81:3n-3), which comes from plants. This sounds like a simple process. I mean, how difficult can a bit of stretching be? It does however depend on a whole bunch of genes: FADS1, GCKR, and ELOVL2 if you must know. These genes are part of those included in an Atlas Biomed DNA test. 

You probably know all about that plant-based nutrients like polyphenols feeding your gut bugs, keeping them nourished, balanced and happy. But what many people don’t realise is that omega 3 fatty acids are also used by gut bacteria as sources of food, i.e. as pre-biotics, and that both polyphenols and omega 3s have the power to change your gut ecosystem, which in turn has the potential to support healthy cognitive function. 

I've adapted the illustration above from a paper entitled “Effect of nutrients and exhaustive exercise on brain function” published in 2019 in the Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation. It’s a nice read and it discusses the additional effects of exercise and fasting on the brain, with a nice focus on the role of gut bacteria in how nutrients from plants and fish are processed in the gut and how this affects brain function. 

Question. So should you I taking an omega 3 supplement not just for your brain but also for my gut ?????

ALA comes from plants and DHA tends to come from fish but turns out that A LOT of people have limited ability to convert plant-based omegas to those that the human body can use. Luckily for plant-based folk, there’s some algae (seaweed)-sourced DHA is now widely available as a supplement, so if you’re a vegan, that would probably be a good idea for the reasons I explained above.

Hovever...

Results from large studies looking into the eating behaviours of whole countries, like the EPIC Study Greek Centre with nearly 30,000 people followed up from 1997, confirm that the benefits of fish extend further than the omegas and that they are likely to derive from whole fish because these omegas are delivered in a matrix of proteins, water, vitamins, minerals and fibre to which a supplement can’t be compared. So I'd recommend eating fish and supplementing only if advised by a nutrition practitioner, and for specific reasons that go beyond the scope of this article. Ideally you'd eat a diversity of fish, along with a rainbow of brightly coloured fruit and vegetables as an ideal combination of sources of nutrients for both gut and brain health.

But food is more than nutrients, it also is love. So unless you've made a decision to exclude fish out of your diet for reason you'd like to stick to, then there is also the sheer enjoyment of a delicious bit of fresh fish, which is an absolute delight to the senses and brings joy to our brains far beyond vitamins, minerals and fatty acids!