Omega 3-fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are a group of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). ALA (Alpha Linolenic Acid) is an essential Omega-3 fatty acid. The body cannot make ALA itself, this makes ALA an essential fatty acid. It must be taken from food. The body uses ALA to form DHA and EPA, but this conversion takes place very limited in practice, so this actually makes DHA and EPA also essential fatty acids.

Estimates of the percentage of ALA that can be converted into DHA and EPA range from 0.3% to 10% for EPA, the conversion into DHA is much less, probably about 0.01% of the taken ALA.

ALA is a vegetable Omega-3 fatty acid. DHA and EPA are mainly found in algae and via the algae also in fish.
Sadly large numbers of fish is being caught to be processed to Omega-3 oil and fish meal. Testa Omega-3 thinks this is completely unnecessary, because we can get the Omega-3 directly from Algae.

DHA
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an Omega-3 fatty acid that is a primary structural component of the human brain, cerebral cortex, skin, and retina.
Docosahexaenoic acid(DHA) is a poly unsaturated fatty acid that belongs to the Omega-3 fatty acids. DHA’s structure is a carboxylic acid (-oic acid) with a 22-carbon chain (docosa- is Greek for 22) and six (hexa-) cis double bonds (-en-);[2] with the first double bond located at the third carbon from the Omega end.

EPA
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; also icosapentaenoic acid) is an Omega-3 fatty acid. In physiological literature, it is given the name 20:5(n-3). It also has the trivial name timnodonic acid. In chemical structure, EPA is a carboxylic acid with a 20-carbon chain and five cis double bonds; the first double bond is located at the third carbon from the Omega end. Eicosapentaenoic acid can also be formed from alpha linolenic acid, but this conversion does not seem optimal. It is the precursor of important physiological substances in the body, the series 3 eicosanoids: prostaglandins, leukotrienes and thromboxanes

The European and American Food Safety Authorities have approved Health claims for DHA with EPA for Heart Health and DHA for Brain and Eye Health.
(read Testa’s health claims here).

The Omega 3 : Omega 6 ratio
Our nutrition contains too much Omega-6, which is the Omega-3 counterpart. The ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids in current nutrition is close to 1: 20. The main cause is  the use of soy, sunflower and corn products as livestock feed, and finally ending up in our milk and meat. Many vegetarian products also use these Omega-6 sources. The ratio should actually be 1: 3 to 4.

Many experts consider this ratio to be very important. The eye, brain and heart function needs a healthy ratio. Problems occur when this ratio Omega- 3 – Omega-6 is out of balance, because this causes many more Omega-6 hormones to be produced in the body than from Omega-3. And where the Omega-6 produced hormones promote inflammation, they are inhibited by the Omega-3 hormones.

The molecule structure of the fats
Ethyl esters are made with concentrated fish oils, making it possible to achieve higher concentrations of DHA / EPA.
However the algae oil is a natural product so the Omega-3 fatty acids are present in triglyceride form.

Visual material can be seen via the link below:

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/macromolecules/lipids/v/molecular-structure-of-triglycerides-fats