When it comes to supplements, many people think they’re going to work like prescription medication. You’ll start taking something, and it’s going to work its magic immediately, or at least within a few days.But the hard truth is that most supplements don’t work like that. They’re not the magic pill that’s going to fix your issue miraculously. You may notice minor improvements in pain and inflammation, energy, or digestion when you start to take a specific supplement. Still, the fact of the matter is that for a supplement to actually “work,” it’s going to take patience and consistency—but remember that it will work with time.What that said, some supplements may work faster than others.We’ve talked a lot about what omega-3 fatty acids are and where you can find them, so let’s do a quick refresher on the benefits of omega-3s, specifically EPA and DHA, and why they should be something you take daily in the form of a high-quality omega-3 supplement.
Why You Need Omega-3 Fatty Acids
1. Heart Health
Omega-3 fatty acids are an essential nutrient for maintaining heart health. They have been shown to help protect against cardiovascular disease, along with reducing the risk of hypertension, thrombosis, myocardial infarction, and cardiac arrhythmias because of their ability to alter cholesterol ratios 1.EPA and DHA may also alter the synthesis and release of pro-inflammatory compounds, which may reduce inflammatory levels in the cardiovascular system, as well as promote the release of nitric oxide from endothelial cells, helping to increase blood flow and lower blood pressure 2, 3.
2. Brain Health
As we’ve mentioned several times, the brain is largely consisted of fat, meaning that to keep it healthy, it needs fat—and that’s primarily from DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid. There’s a good amount of evidence that points towards the benefit of EPA on mood, and DHA maintaining brain health and reducing the development of neurodegenerative disorders. Combined, they also help to improve working memory, immediate verbal memory, and delayed recall memory 4.
3. Inflammation
EPA and DHA are potent anti-inflammatories that act to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the body. Omega-3s do this by decreasing markers of inflammation like PGE2, leukotrienes, thromboxane, prostacyclin CRP, TNF α, IL-6, and IL-1—all markers of inflammation. They also increase the production of endogenous antioxidant enzymes such as catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase, which help to reduce oxidative stress 5.
Not only that, but reducing inflammation is key to keeping your cardiovascular system healthy because excess inflammation can damage blood vessels.
4. Mood
The brain, and thus nervous system, are an incredibly rich source of omega-3 fatty acids. A deficiency of PUFAs has been associated with the development of brain disorders, including anxiety and depression. This may be due to their involvement in anti-inflammatory activity, as well as helping to maintain membrane integrity and fluidity. Other research suggests they influence the PUFAs-derived endocannabinoid system and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, both of which are involved in mood regulation 6, 7.
How Long Do They Take To “Work”?
As we said, the time it takes for a specific supplement to work is going to depend on what that supplement is and its potency. It’s also about what you’re looking for that supplement to do. As a general rule, the more severe the issue you’re trying to treat is, the longer it’s going to take the supplement to do its job.For example, suppose you’re struggling with chronically high inflammation and supplementing omega-3 fatty acids daily. In that case, it’s going to take longer to help it subside than for someone that’s taking an omega-3 for acute inflammation.
Supplement Potency
Supplements of omega-3 that are mostly ALA based are not effective in terms of increasing serum levels of omega-3s. That’s because a large proportion of dietary ALA is oxidized and used for energy due to the limited conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA. As such, ALA doesn’t appear to cause an accumulation of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids in plasma 8.Studies do support the notion; however, that EPA and DHA supplements can increase blood plasma levels of EPA and DHA. However, plasma phospholipid concentrations increase in a dose-dependent manner. High-dose supplementation has been shown to increase plasma levels to reach equilibrium within one month and were maintained throughout the supplementation period 8. Interestingly, though, red blood concentrations took anywhere from four to six months to reach a steady-state concentration.
What’s interesting to note is that plasma EPA concentrations decrease much more rapidly once supplementation has stopped. In one specific study, participants were given 1g capsules of omega-3 fatty acids for 18 weeks. Plasma accumulation of EPA appeared to reach near maximal at six weeks. In contrast, DHA took much longer and reached peak concentrations at 18 weeks, suggesting DHA takes longer to elicit an effect, but also longer to return to baseline concentrations after supplementation has been stopped 9. Because plasma and red blood cell concentration of EPA and DHA respond to dietary intake of these fatty acids, it’s reasonable to expect that a higher potency supplement will elicit effects much more quickly than a low-dose, low-potency supplement.
The Best Omega-3 Supplement On The Market
Lucky for you, Performance Lab Omega 3 is a high potency EPA and DHA supplement supplying 2,000mg of omega-3 fatty acids per 2 softgel serving. It is sourced directly from natural algae to deliver a clean, safe, and effective alternative to fish oil.
It supplies a potent, precise dose, is untainted by toxins and pollutants, and doesn't have a fishy taste or smell.
References
- TC Adarme-Vega, DK Lim, M Timmins, F Vernen, Y Li, PM Schenk. Microalgal biofactories: a promising approach towards sustainable omega-3 fatty acid production. Microb Cell Fact. 2012; 11: 96.
- A Mohebi-Nejad, B Bikdeli. Omega-3 supplements and cardiovascular diseases. Tanaffos. 2014; 13(1): 6-14.
- M Massaro, E Scoditti, MA Carluccio, R De Caterina. Basic mechanisms behind the effects of n-3 fatty acids on cardiovascular disease. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2008 Sep-Nov; 79(3-5): 109-15.
- SC Dyall. Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and the brain: a review of the independent and shared effects of EPA, DPA and DHA. Front Aging Neurosci. 2015; 7: 52.
- AP Simopoulos. Omega-3 fatty acids and athletics. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2007 Jul; 6(4): 230-236.
- Y Liao, B Xie, H Zhang, et al. Efficacy of omega-3 PUFAs in depression: A meta-analysis. Transl Psychiatry. 2019 Aug; 9(190).
- T Larrieu, S Layé. Food for Mood: Relevance of Nutritional Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Depression and Anxiety. Front Physiol. 2018; 9: 1047.
- LM Arterburn, EB Hall, H Oken. Distribution, interconversion, and dose response of n−3 fatty acids in humans. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2006 Jun; 83(6): 1467S–1476S.
- F Marangoni, MT Angeli, S Colli, S Eligin,E Tremoli, CR Sirtori, C Galli. Changes of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids in plasma and circulating cells of normal subjects, after prolonged administration of 20:5 (EPA) and 22:6 (DHA) ethyl esters and prolonged washout. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1993 Dec; 1210(1): 55-62.
