Can the fish oil capsule on your kitchen counter actually reshape your gut microbiome in a week?
Just taking your fish oil may lead to shaping your inner ecosystem.
Think of the gut like a city with neighborhoods (ileum, colon) and apartment complexes (lumen, mucus).
There are different microenvironments or niche’s depending on where you are standing and looking.
Meaning if you are looking in one neighborhood (ie. the Colon) it sure is going to look different then neighborhood uptown (ie. the Ileum). And also if you are looking at dwellings in lumen (tube) of the gut, then it is sure going to look different then the dwellings at the mucus/lining region of the gut.
This important distinction gives us a sophisticated way to explore the fascinating world of microbiome niches/microenvironments in the gut.
It just so happens, that according to research the daily Omega-3 capsules or Omega-3 foods that we consume from our diet change these microenvironments.
Let’s set this understanding up…
Omega-3 Basics
By now most of you know what Omega-3 fatty acids are, but just for the sake of review let’s learn about Fatty acids.
Fatty acids (FA’s) are chain like molecules known as carboxylic acids that are that are comprised of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen atoms. FA’s are a component of lipids present in animals (butter, lard, beef, fish, etc.), plants (corn oil, soybean, peanut, olive, and so on), and microorganisms (algae).
There are three types of fatty acids:
Saturated fatty acids (these are the one’s most talked about in cholesterol discussions)
Unsaturated fatty acids (consisting of mono-unsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats)
Trans fats (these are the also linked to cardiovascular issues as they come from fried foods and processed foods)
The type of fatty acid we are most concerned about today is called a Polyunsaturated Fatty acid (PUFA’s) which means they have more than one double bond (a place where two carbons are connected by a double bond instead of a single bond).
While Mono-unsaturated fats (from Olive oil, Peanut oil, Canola oil, Safflower oil, Sesame oil, Avocado, Peanut butter, and many nuts and seeds) have many health properties and concerns to talk about we will not be talking about them today.
Then there are different types of of PUFAs which are distinguished by a number (ie, 3,6,7,9) which are characterized by the location of their first double bond in relation to the methyl (omega) end of the chain. So for example an Omega-3 fatty acid has the first double bone between the 3rd and 4th carbon from the methyl(omega) end of the chain.
Omega-3: first double bond is 3 carbons away from the methyl end .
Omega-6: first double bond is 6 carbons away from the methyl end
Omega-7: First double bond is 7 carbons away from the methyl end (mainly of concerns in skin health)
Omega-9: first double bond is 9 carbons away from the methyl end (mainly of concern in skin health)
There are two ends in fatty acids: carboxylic acid (COOH) alpha end-initial of the chain and methyl (CH₃) omega end-tail of the chain
Related to Gut health we are most concerned about Omega-3’s and Omega-6’s.
Omega-3 fatty acids come from sources such as Tuna, Salmon, Trout, Herring, Sardines, Flaxseeds and flaxseed oil, Walnuts, and chia seeds .
Whereas, Omega-6 fatty acids come from sources of Safflower oil, Sunflower oil, Corn oil, Soybean oil, Sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds. In other articles I have explored the Omega-6/Omega-3 balance and its relationship to cardiovascular health (link)
