Fatty acids are the building blocks of dietary fats. The human body stores such dietary fats mainly in the form of triglycerides. Triglycerides containing omega-3 fatty acids are mainly found in fish.

Essential fatty acids
The bulk of fat contained in our diet are the triglycerides. The triglycerides contain three fatty acids, saturated and the two unsaturated fatty acids, DHA and EPA. Fats with a high content of saturated fatty acids are solid at room temperature, butter and fat from red meat, for example. Fats with a high content of unsaturated fatty acids are soft or liquid at room temperature, for instance, soft margarine, plant oils and fish oil.

The terms saturated and unsaturated refer to the chemical structure of the fatty acids. Unsaturated fatty acids have one or several double bonds. In omega-3 fatty acids, the double bonds start at the third carbon atom counted from the Omega end. In omega-6 fatty acids, the double bonds start at the sixth carbon atom.

Although animals and humans are not able to produce them naturally, polyunsaturated fatty acids are essential for normal life functions. They are therefore characterized as essential fatty acids. Polyunsaturated fatty acids are produced by various plants. They reach man through the food chain, either directly through the consumption of fruit and vegetables, or by eating the flesh or eggs of animals, birds or fish that have eaten plants containing the polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Essential polyunsaturated fatty acids can be classified as belonging to one of two "families", the omega-6 family or the omega-3 family. Fatty acids belonging to these two families differ not only in their chemistry, but also in their natural occurrence and biological function. Omega-6 fatty acids are typical of the polyunsaturated fatty acids found in terrestrial plants and they will be present in that part of the food chain. Omega-6 oils are found in cooking oils such as corn oil and soybean oil. Omega-3, on the other hand, is produced by marine plankton and is heavily represented in the marine food chain. The most important source is fat fish.

The nutritional gap
While the recommended daily intake of marine omega-3 fatty acids should be in the range 0.6 - 1 gram per day, a "normal" diet in the Western world only satisfies about 10-15% of this requirement. The remaining requirement, the "nutritional gap", can be covered by increasing one's consumption of fatty fish or by using suitable dietary supplements.

"The dietary ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 should be from 1:1 to 4:1."

The biological importance of polyunsaturated fatty acids
Polyunsaturated fatty acids play a central role in the cell membrane, the "wall" surrounding all living cells. The composition and structure of the cell membrane is very important for maintaining normal cell function. All nutrients and waste substances have to be transported through the cell membrane. The same happens to biological products produced by the cells, i.e. hormones or other substances used by other cells in the body.

Another important function of polyunsaturated fatty acids containing 20 carbon atoms (C20) and particularly arachidonic acid (omega-6) and eicosapentaenoic acid (omega-3) is that they can be converted to locally functioning transmitter substances. Among these transmitter substances, prostaglandins and leukotrienes are the best studied.

Another important function of polyunsaturated fatty acids is that they are vital components of brain tissue and other nerves. The omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), is particularly important. A normal adult brain contains more than 20 grams of DHA!

Fat fish is the primary source of marine omega-3
Research among native Greenlanders in the early 1970s opened the eyes of the medical and nutritional world to the importance of a "new" dietary factor: marine omega-3 fatty acids.

One of the first countries to start performing significant research along these lines was Japan. Unlike the diet in Greenland, the Japanese diet is low in fat. Similar to the diet in Greenland, however, the Japanese diet has a relatively large proportion of fish and seafood. Consequently, it is high in marine omega-3. The incidence of cardiovascular disease is very low, making Japan among the world leaders in terms of life expectancy.

The acceptance of marine omega-3 fatty acids as benefiting health in general is increasing worldwide. As a result, products containing omega-3 fatty acids are registered as pharmaceuticals or natural medicines in a number of countries.

WIN markets and sells its Omega-3 product as a supplement, not as a drug.  But also note that the FDA itself has approved a qualified health claim about the constituents of Omega-3, and a reduced risk of heart disease.  Please see below.

Supportive but not conclusive research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. One serving of WINOmeg3complex provides 1400mg of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids.

Marine Omega-3 Oils and the Health Authorities
Generally, a daily intake of 0.6 - 1 grams of omega-3 fatty acids in the form of EPA and DHA is recommended as a dietary supplement. Based on views expressed by international experts at a recent meeting in Washington, D.C., this recommendation confirms an adequate intake of the various fatty acids.

Why do we need EPA and DHA?
Healthy adults have a certain ability to metabolize alpha-linolenic acid to EPA and DHA. Babies do not have this ability and are entirely dependent on receiving these essential elements through what they eat. The ability to metabolize EPA and DHA may also be reduced in elderly people.

Omega-3 and the medical profession
Research into the biological and clinical effects of marine omega-3 fatty acids was originally initiated by physicians. The medical profession is still working to learn more about the importance of essential fatty acids for a healthy life.* To date, clinical research has resulted in more than 6,000 scientific publications worldwide, and the research continues.

Safety Research:

Several thousand patients and healthy people have used the product since mid-80’s meaning that the concentrates are very well documented regarding safety. A special issue on safety has been published in a medical journal (1).

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Reference:

1) Schmidt EB, et al. Safety aspects of Fish Oils. Experiences with an omega-3 concentrate of re-esterified triglycerides. Drug Invest. 1994;7(4):215-220