Vegetarian/vegan health – by choosing the right oil you may shift the fat

Usually when we want to lose a few pounds, we cut the calories intake and automatically choose the low fat food options. However, it’s not so simple as not the amount of fat that you eat can influence weight gain or loss but rather the type of fat. Especially one type of omega-3 fat – EPA can help you burn the fat you consume rather than store it. Is it really possible? EPA is a fatty acid usually associated with anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular health properties. However, within the body, it plays an important role in switching on/off various genes that are involved in the metabolism of our food as well as various pathways within the body that are associated with regulating food intake. It means that EPA enhances fat burning, inhibits the process by which fat is stored, has a positive impact on our mood and mental well being. It can also help us to not over eat once we are full.
So what is EPA exactly, and in what food can we find it? EPA is known as ‘long chain omega-3 fatty acid’ and is normally associated with fish and fish oil supplements. The consumption of ‘pre-formed’ EPA in the form of fish oil supplements is an easy and efficient way of increasing the omega-3 index (providing information on our overall health). You may wonder if vegetarians or people who just don’t like fish may get EPA from food or supplementation. Is there a comparable to EPA vegetarian omega-3 oil? Up until recently, they have had to rely on plant oils such as flaxseed as their source of omega-3. However, the plant sourced omega-3 ALA doesn’t have the same heath benefits as those omega-3s found in fish. The reason for this is that the body has to turn ALA into EPA in order to provide any significant health benefits. There are three steps to this process, and the very first step is so inefficient in humans that only a tiny proportion of ALA makes it through this pathway to become EPA. Therefore plant oils such as flaxseed oil won’t impact favourably on the omega-3 index. In contrast, however, echium seed oil, whilst also a plant source of omega-3, does raise the omega-3 index to a point where there is a significant positive impact on our health. This is because echium seed oil (unlike flaxseed oil) contains a novel omega-3 called SDA, which is the direct product of the first step to making EPA. So basically, this first step is bypassed, leaving the body to manufacture EPA both simply and effectively. What is also interesting is that SDA is being recognised as an extremely beneficial omega-3 in itself, having similar qualities to that of EPA, and possibly making it the ‘fish oil’ of the plant world. Whilst no plant oil can give exactly the same benefits as those provided by fish oil, taking echium seed oile in the form of Echiomega, unlike other plant oils, will provide considerable benefits to heart, body and mind, and may even help shift the unwanted body fat through its ability to significantly increase EPA levels.