VEGAN DHA Freshness and taste, no longer a problem The greatest diffi culty with omega- 3 in foods is that, being polyunsatu- rated fatty acids, they oxidize – that is, go rancid – easily, shortening shelfl ife, and resulting in off (fishy) tastes. Fortunately, some very new technologies have helped solve this problem, preventing oxidation, pre- serving freshness and taste, without refrigeration by: 1) using only fully mature flax- seeds carefully selected and pro- cessed 2) blending such milled flax with high-quality fi sh oil or DHA in such a way that the antioxidants in the fl ax protect the long chain omega-3 from oxidation 3) using nitrogen fl ush in both the manufacturing and packaging to displace oxygen 4) adding extra antioxidants like Vitamin E, curcumin (tumeric) and/ or rosemary. All together these steps result in products with longer shelf lives free of any hint of fi shy taste or smell! Flax consumption has been shown to lower blood cholesterol and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels – an inflammatory marker – help reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke, lower death rates for all causes of morbidity in cardio- vascular disease patients, promote nor- mal cardiac rhythm, and inhibit athero- sclerosis.47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54 Flax has even been associated with overall longevity. Alpha-linolenic acid may be especially important to vegans, vegetarians and people with low intakes of fatty fish. In those who ate little or no seafood, each 1- g/day increase in dietary ALA intake was associated with a 47 per cent reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease!55,56 It is apparent even from this briefest of introductory statements that the im- mune and cardio-protective benefi ts of a fl axseed-rich diet come from numerous salubrious mechanisms. 18 • CANADIAN CHIROPRACTOR | MAY 2008 DHA defi ciencies are associated with fetal alcohol syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), cystic fi brosis, unipolar depression, aggressive hostility, Type 2 diabetes, cognitive de- cline during aging, Alzheimer’s disease and CVD.58 Increased DHA intake has a positive effect on diseases such as hypertension, arthritis, atherosclerosis, depression, adult-onset diabetes mellitus, myocardi- al infarction, thrombosis, and some can- cers. DHA oil can reduce triglycerides, thrombosis and cardiac arrhythmias.59 Today, vegan DHA oil derived straight from marine micro-algae with excellent sensory characteristics can be harvested and extracted, under controlled condi- tions that are environmentally sustain- able as relates to our overfished oceans – by avoiding killing large numbers of tuna, and other fi shes – and eliminates the risk of oceanic contamination with compounds such as PCBs and dioxins. Today, along with fl ax, marine algae- derived DHA is being used more and more to fortify breads, cereals, juices, eggs, dairy products and functional foods. Docosahexanoic (DHA), produced by ma- rine micro-algae, is the vegetarian source of almost all of DHA in the bodies of sea creatures. DHA is the only omega-3 shown to provide brain, eye and heart health benefi ts in humans. Indeed, DHA is es- sential for the growth and function of the retina and brain of all humans, especially infants. (Human breast milk is rich in DHA.) The shorter chain n-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), is not con- verted very well to the long chain DHA in humans. It should also be noted that the turnover of DHA in the brain is very fast, making regular intake vital.57 It is apparent…that the immune and cardio-protective benefits of a flaxseed-rich diet come from numerous salubrious mechanisms. DESIGNER FUNCTIONAL FOOD: A SUPERFOOD SOLUTION? In view of the widespread reluctance of the public to consume sufficient amounts of fi sh, and to a lesser extent fish oil supplements, functional foods contain- ing fl ax, EPA and/or DHA are becoming increasingly important sources of these nutrients that support optimal brain/ visual performance, cardiovascular func- tion, joint and skin health for young and old alike. While milled flaxseed provides many whole food benefi ts, its conver- sion to DHA is just too poor for fl ax to be considered the total answer for omega-3 supplementation. But new technologies now allow DHA from marine micro- algae to be blended into crushed flax- seeds. Using nitrogen flush technologies in both blending and packaging allow the natural antioxidants in the fl ax to pre- serve the freshness of the vegan-sourced DHA. This results in the potential for the manufacture of new kinds of complete, great tasting omega-3 functional foods and supplements. Presuming such good taste, texture and ease of mixing, an interesting func- tional food supplement would be a com- bination of stabilized flaxseed, marine DHA from micro-algae, with synergistic vitamins D3, E, and some heart-healthy B complex. The natural rich antioxidants in the fl ax, like vitamin E (gamma to- copherol) and lignans, stabilize the long chain EPA/DHA. Functional food bars, candies, “ready-to-drink” products and powdered drink mixes, combining ALA- rich fl ax with vegetarian DHA, and per- haps even synergistic vitamins, are just now coming to market. Together with an effort to lower the intake of omega-6 fats from linoleic acid (LA)-rich vegetable oils (corn, safflower, sunflower), arachi- donic acid (AA)-rich full-fat dairy and grain-fed animal fats, and “bad fats” like trans fats and rancid deep-fried fats, and with moderation in alcohol, these new “superfoods” may be part of the solution to returning our omega-3/omega-6 di- etary ratios closer to those of our ances- tors in a scientifically efficacious, highly compliant, vegetarian, safe and environ- mentally sustainable way. • References: Please go to www.canadianchiropractor.ca and click on Current Issue to find this article, complete with 59 references. www.canadianchiropractor.ca
Chiropractic + Naturopathic Doctor May 08: Page 18
