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Men should include several important nutrients in their diet, not least omega-3 fatty acids. These essential fats are found in certain foods and supplements, and they play many vital roles in your body that make them true nutritional powerhouses.
While nearly everyone can benefit from eating more omega-3s, these healthy fats may offer excellent health boosts specific to men. Let's talk about omega-3 fatty acids' role in men's health, plus discuss some of the best ways to add more of these essential nutrients to your diet.
The Role of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Men's Health
Omega-3 fatty acids are healthy fats used to build your cell membranes and essential hormones or chemical messengers that act as signals to your body.
Because they are so integral to your cells, omega-3s can have many potential health benefits in the human body. For example, omega-3 fatty acids are thought to have anti-inflammatory properties, which are good for everything from your heart to your brain.*
The benefits of omega-3s can also vary slightly depending on the individual. For example, omega-3s can boost women’s health because they may support healthy female hormone levels.* In men's health, omega-3s play integral roles in supporting various aspects of health, from promoting cardiovascular wellness to helping your muscles recover and grow after a workout.*
The three main kinds of omega-3s that you can add to your diet are EPA, DHA, and ALA.
EPA
Eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, is an omega-3 best known for its anti-inflammatory properties*.
You can add EPA to your diet through marine sources, including cold-water fish, fish oil, and microalgae supplements.
DHA
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is also thought to be anti-inflammatory.* In addition, it’s a critical building block for your central nervous system (in other words: your brain and your eyes).
Like EPA, DHA is best found in cold-water fish, fish oil, and microalgae supplements.
ALA
Alpha-linolenic acid is the third kind of omega-3 you can add through diet and supplements. It acts as a precursor to EPA and DHA: your body converts ALA to EPA and DHA in small amounts, which it can then use to build your cells.
Plant-based foods like walnuts, chia seeds, and hemp seeds all contain ALA.
Omega-3 benefits for men
Cardiovascular health
Heart disease, high blood pressure, and heart attacks are all among the most common causes of death in many countries worldwide for people of every gender. However, men are at particular risk for developing heart health issues. One study published by the JAMA Internal Medicine journal found that men were two times more likely to have heart attacks than women!
Researchers are still trying to understand why men are so much more prone than women to experience issues with their heart health. However, research has suggested that including more omega-3 fatty acids in your diet may be able to help. There is evidence that omega-3 fatty acids may support healthy cholesterol levels and blood pressure, and they may even reduce the risks of cardiovascular events in people with coronary heart disease.*
Mental health
Mental health is just as important as physical health. While people of all genders can experience mental health issues, it's essential to closely examine men's mental health because it is often overlooked and stigmatized. In North America, research has found that men make up to 75% of suicide attempts and 75% of substance use disorders.
While caring for your mental health is a multifaceted issue, there is evidence that eating a healthy and nutritious diet with omega-3s can help.* For example, one meta-analysis of several trials found that omega-3 supplements were associated with improvements in depressive symptoms in several participants. Other trials have shown positive improvements when patients with anxiety or anxiety disorders had higher omega-3 levels.
Prostate health
The prostate is a small gland that plays a big role in men's health, especially as they age. This gland is crucial for your reproductive health and fertility and helps maintain regular urinary function. Unfortunately, issues with an enlarged prostate or even prostate cancer can be dangerous.
There’s some evidence that suggests that maintaining a low ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids may give your prostate some protection. However, more research still needs to be done here since the findings are inconsistent.
On another related note, omega-3s might be beneficial for men’s fertility and reproductive health in other ways as well. For example, a recent randomized controlled trial found that DHA supplementation was associated with increased testosterone levels in overweight and obese men.*
Muscle growth and recovery
If you're working out hard to build bigger, stronger muscles, omega-3s may help you recover with fewer aches and pains.*
When you do intense exercises like strength and weight training, your muscle fibers experience stress and damage. As you recover, those damaged muscle fibers can become inflamed as they heal, contributing to the achiness and soreness you feel following a big workout. But because omega-3 fatty acids are thought to have anti-inflammatory properties, some research has found that supplementing with fish oil may reduce soreness and recovery. This way, you can get back to working out sooner and with less pain!
Bone health
Maintaining strong, healthy bones is another important health consideration for both men and women, especially as they grow older.
Osteoporosis is a common condition that affects older adults and causes their bone structure to become weaker and more brittle. While bone conditions like osteoporosis are especially pertinent in women, men can also experience a loss of bone structure as they grow older. This is thought to be due to declining levels of steroid hormones. In addition, some men experience osteoporosis earlier in life from other unknown issues.
Luckily, you can help give your bone health a boost with the proper diet*. Researchers have found that diets high in omega-3s may help both men and women and are associated with improved bone strength and decreased associated risks like fractures.
Healthy Aging
Getting plenty of omega-3 fatty acids is important at all stages of life, but it is especially crucial as you grow older. Remember, the omega-3 fatty acid DHA is a critical part of your brain structure. As such, omega-3s and their reported anti-inflammatory properties may help boost men's brain health against cognitive decline and issues like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease as they grow older.* Additionally, omega-3s can also be useful in protecting your eyes from issues like dry eye, which is more common in adults over 50 years old.*
Most excitingly, the combined health benefits of omega-3s may also be linked to improved life expectancy! In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers surveyed residents of Framingham, Massachusetts, over eleven years. They ultimately found that residents with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood tended to have their life expectancy increase by nearly five years!
How much Omega-3 should men consume?
The amount of omega-3s you should take depends on your age, gender, and current health status. For healthy males, the Adequate Intake (AI) of omega-3 fatty acids is:
- 1.2 grams for males 9-13 years old
- 1.6 grams for males 14 years old and above
However, you may need a different dose depending on the specific health goals you are trying to accomplish. Before taking an omega-3 supplement, talk to your doctor. They can help determine your current omega-3 levels and decide the right course of action for your needs.
Choosing high-quality omega-3 supplements for men
We’ve already discussed how you can get DHA, EPA, and ALA from a variety of foods including:
- Cold-water fish
- Walnuts
- Chia seeds
- Flaxseeds
However, you may also need to add an omega-3 supplement to your routine to ensure you're getting enough. For example, you should consider using a daily omega-3 supplement if fish is not a regular part of your diet.
In addition, you may benefit from adding an omega-3 supplement to your diet if you are a vegan or vegetarian. While foods like chia seeds and walnuts contain ALA, your body needs to convert it to DHA and EPA for it to be effective. Unfortunately, ALA alone may not be enough omega-3s for your needs since the conversion process isn’t very efficient.
So if you aren't getting enough from your diet, you might consider taking a supplement. Omega-3 supplements that contain DHA and EPA are generally made with either fish oil or microalgae oil. While fish oil is popular because it is so widely available, it isn't suitable for everyone. You may want to avoid fish oil pills if you:
- Live a plant-based lifestyle
- Are allergic to fish
- Don't like the taste of fish (while fish oil pills are generally swallowed whole, they can still come with unappetizing "fish burps" after you take them.
You may also want to avoid fish oil pills if you want to decrease your fish consumption for sustainability reasons. The production of fish oil pills contributes to overfishing, an issue that can ultimately destroy our marine habitats.
Algae oil pills are a great alternative to fish oil! Algae oil pills like Calgee Vegan Omega-3 Supplement are made with sustainability-grown microalgae that don't hurt the oceans. They're also suitable for plant-based eaters. The best part: algae oil is an excellent source of both EPA and DHA, the same omega-3s you get from fish and fish oil.
Conclusion
Omega-3s are important for men since they can play anti-inflammatory and anti-aging roles in the body.* They're also excellent supplements for supporting brain and mental health.* To ensure you're getting enough healthy fats, adding sustainable omega-3 supplements made with microalgae oil to your diet is a good idea.
