Omega-3 Benefits For Women

Omega-3 Benefits For Women


10 minute read

Omega-3s are a group of healthy dietary fats with a big reputation. With a number of reported health-boosting roles that span from supporting your skin to your brain*, omega-3s are a crucial part of most diets.

While almost everyone can benefit from adding more omega-3s into their diet, women, in particular, have a lot to gain from paying special attention to this essential fatty acid. In this article, we'll outline the role that omega-3 fatty acids can play in women's health. We'll also discuss how you can best reap the rewards of omega-3s through your diet and supplements.

The Role of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Women's Health

Omega-3 fatty acids are a group of healthy fatty acids that make up the structure of your cells. But even though they are so important, your body doesn't make omega-3s on its own. As a result, you need to eat foods and supplements containing omega-3s to give your cells the support they need to function properly.The Role of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Women's Health

There are many kinds of omega-3 fatty acids out there. However, the three that are the most pertinent for human health include DHA, EPA, and ALA.

  • DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is a crucial piece of the puzzle for proper brain, skin, and eye development. It’s also thought to have anti-inflammatory properties.* DHA is best found in marine sources like fatty fish, fish oil, and microalgae.
  • EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) is best known for its reported anti-inflammatory benefits on the body.* It is best found in fatty fish, fish oil, and microalgae.
  • ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) is the last type of omega-3 that you can get in your diet. However, it's important to note that your body doesn't use ALA as it is. Instead, it first converts small amounts of ALA into DHA and EPA. ALA is found in certain plant-based foods like hemp, walnuts, chia, and flax seeds.

Because they are so important for structure and general health, omega-3s play big roles in every human body. But as it turns out, omega-3s may be especially helpful in supporting various areas of women’s health.

Omega-3 benefits for women

Heart health

Omega-3 supplements are probably best known for their use in supporting heart health.Omega-3 benefits for women Heart health

Omega-3s are thought to be useful for your cardiovascular system in many different ways. For example, omega-3s may help support your heart by lowering triglyceride levels, improving overall cholesterol levels, decreasing blood pressure levels, and helping fight inflammation*. Several studies have shown a relationship between higher omega-3 intakes and lowered risks of coronary heart disease and other heart issues.

Women may be especially likely to benefit from adding more omega-3s to their diet when it comes to heart health. High triglyceride levels are associated with cardiovascular disease in all populations, but this is especially true when it comes to cardiovascular disease in women. One study found that there was an association between higher fish and omega-3 fatty acid consumption and a lower risk of heart disease in women.*

Hormonal balance

Omega-3 fatty acids also seem to play a supportive role in maintaining hormonal balance*, which appears to be especially true in women.Hormonal balance

You can think of hormones are your body's "chemical messengers." They are substances that your body creates that regulate some of your most important bodily functions, from your blood pressure to your metabolism. Because hormones are so important, an "imbalance" of hormones can have several repercussions that affect many areas.

In the case of women's health, omega-3s are thought to affect estrogen, one of the primary sex hormones in women. Estrogen plays several roles in women’s health, from regulating your reproductive system and menstrual cycle to maintaining your bone health. As a result, some researchers have found that omega-3 supplementation has been associated with improvements in a variety of hormone-related issues in women*. 

Omega-3 supplements might also help address some conditions affected by hormonal imbalances. For example, let's look at polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS for short). Women with PCOS have higher levels of male sex hormones called androgens. This hormonal imbalance can lead to several serious and painful symptoms, including weight gain, infertility, ovarian cysts, heart disease, and irregular menstrual cycles.

However, there’s some evidence that omega-3 supplementation may give your hormones some support*. A study found that women who were given omega-3 supplements saw improvements in their waist circumference, cholesterol, triglyceride levels, and time between periods. 

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

DHA's most important role is that it helps to form your brain cells. So if you are pregnant, you want to ensure you're getting ample DHA to encourage your baby's healthy brain and nervous system development! Several studies have shown that women who get enough DHA during pregnancy have babies that later test better in cognitive activities like visual recognition, memory, and higher verbal intelligence.

In addition, you should also continue getting plenty of omega-3s in your diet if you are breastfeeding. This allows you to continue supporting your baby’s healthy brain development through the first couple of months of their life while their brains are still growing.

Finally, it’s important to remember your own omega-3 needs as a mother, not just your child’s. In addition to your regular need for healthy fats, research is showing that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation has been associated with reduced symptoms and instances of postpartum depression*. 

Because adequate omega-3 consumption is so important for expecting and breastfeeding mothers, you might need to add an omega-3 supplement to your diet to ensure you're getting enough for yourself and your baby. Omega-3s are common in many prenatal vitamins, but you can also add an omega-3 supplement. 

Menopause

Menopause

Omega-3s can also help support women’s health at all stages of their life, not just pregnancy. Menopause is a transitional period in which your body ultimately stops being able to conceive babies naturally. Unfortunately, this period in your reproductive cycle is usually accompanied by fluctuations of your reproductive hormones estrogen and progesterone. This can lead to many uncomfortable and severe side effects like hot flashes, mood swings, and weight gain.

Omega-3 fatty acids may be able to support you here as well. We've already discussed how these fatty acids may be able to help support hormonal balance, and the same seems to apply here. Evidence suggests that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation may support women who suffer from hot flashes and even some self-reported symptoms of major depressive disorder*.

Bone health

Bone health

Osteoporosis is another major health concern, especially for women. This condition, which translates to "porous bones," is marked by weakened, frailer bones that can make people more at risk for fractures.

Osteoporosis and bone health are major concerns for everyone as they age, especially post-menopausal women. This is again due to the lower levels of estrogen that mark this moment in your life since estrogen also plays a role in maintaining your bone health. As a result, EPA and DHA may help support bone health in older females*.

Mental Health

Mental Health

Because omega-3s are such an important factor for your brain health, it makes sense that it's also crucial for your mental health. We've already discussed how omega-3 supplements may help support women who suffer from postpartum depression or menopause-related depressive disorder. However, there's also evidence that using omega-3 supplements may help support people with depressive and anxiety symptoms*, even in healthy young adults who aren’t diagnosed with an anxiety disorder at all.

Interestingly, the omega-3 EPA seems to be especially important when it comes to depression: an analysis of several studies showed that omega-3 supplements with EPA doses of at least 1 gram per day were associated with clinical improvements in depression symptoms.

Inflammation and autoimmune disease

Inflammation and autoimmune disease

Finally, omega-3s are highly valued for their reported anti-inflammatory effects on the body. This benefit is great for mental and heart health but can also be especially beneficial for women with inflammatory and autoimmune disorders.

Inflammation is your immune system's natural response to potential dangers. When it detects a potential threat, like a bacteria or an injury, your immune system responds by increasing blood flow to the area in question. The blood cells carry a variety of chemicals that attack the invader, ultimately keeping you safe from harm. 

Unfortunately, some circumstances can cause your body to remain in that same inflammatory state for a long. This is called chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is dangerous because it can cause your immune system to attack your own cells indiscriminately.

Inflammatory conditions can hurt everyone, but some are especially prevalent in women. For example, lupus is a disease that is significantly more common in women than in men. This autoimmune disorder causes your body to attack its own healthy tissues, leading to symptoms like pain, fever, rashes, and sores. The good news is that early research suggests that omega-3 supplementation may play a role in managing some lupus symptoms.*

Rheumatoid arthritis is another good example of an autoimmune condition that tends to occur in women more than in men. Omega-3 fatty acids may also help some people who suffer from this inflammatory form of joint pain.*

How much Omega-3 should women consume?

The amount of omega-3s you should get daily depends on several factors, like age and whether you are currently pregnant or breastfeeding.  

Currently, there is no official "recommended intake" for daily omega-3s. Instead, the National Academy of Medicine recommends how much you should get at minimum for nutritional adequacy. The Adequate Intake (AI) for omega-3s for women is as follows:

  • 1.1g for ages nine and above
  • 1.4g if you are pregnant
  • 1.3g if you are breastfeeding

How much Omega-3 should women consume?

You may also need to take more if you are trying to accomplish a specific health goal (for example, if you're trying to support your heart health). Before starting any omega-3 supplement, consult your doctor to determine the correct dosage. 

So how can you ensure you're getting enough omega-3s for your health? You can get omega-3s from two different sources: food and dietary supplements. 

Fatty, cold-water fish like salmon, tuna, and mackerel are some of the most well-known sources of DHA and EPA. You can also get your omega-3s from plant-based sources like chia seeds, flaxseeds, walnuts, and kale. However, plant-based foods contain omega-3s in the form of ALA. While these sources can help boost your omega-3 intake, ALA must first be converted to DHA and EPA. As it turns out, this tends to have a very poor conversion rate

So instead, you might want to consider using an omega-3 supplement that contains EPA and DHA! While fish oil is a popular choice, it has some major downsides. For example, its production tends to wreak havoc on marine ecosystems. It’s also not suitable for vegans or vegetarians.

Instead, consider using a fish oil alternative like algae oil supplements! These supplements are made from microalgae, a marine plant rich in EPA and DHA. These pills can give you all of the omega-3s your body wants without making any compromises.

Conclusion

Women have much to gain by eating more omega-3s, and it's easy to get all you need by adding an omega-3 supplement. Choose sustainable algae oil supplements like our Vegan Omega-3 Supplement instead of fish oil: it’s full of EPA and DHA to support your health but much friendlier to the planet (and vegan-friendly to boot!).

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