Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Essential fatty
acids (EFAs)
omega-3
omega-6
Significant
sources
Flax, hemp, walnut,
canola, soybean,
blackcurrant
Significant
sources
All vegetable oils,
animal fats
Linoleic acid
(LA) 18:2
α -linolenic
acid (ALA) 18:3
Enzymes
delta-6-desaturase
Borage, evening
primrose, hemp,
blackcurrant
Hemp, blackcurrant,
seafood
Stearidonic acid
(SDA) 18:4
γ -linolenic
acid (GLA) 18:3
-
linolenic acid
(DGLA) 20:3
Dihome-
γ
Mother's
milk
delta-6-desaturase
Seafood, fish
oil, algae
Eicosapentaenoic
acid (EPA) 20:5
Arachidonic acid
(AA) 20:4
Animal
fats
Seafood, fish
oil, algae
Decosahexaenoic
acid (DHA) 22:6
PG3
Prostaglandin series
PG2
PG1
Fig. 16.4. Metabolism of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in humans.
affect the coagulation of thrombocytes. A severe
shortage in omega-3 will shift the balance in
some functions controlled by these prostaglan-
dins - with the above listed health conse-
quences. In addition, the omega-3 fatty acid,
DHA, is abundant in brain tissue and required
for brain development and special neural
functions.
Not all omega-3s are equally 'potent'.
Clinical studies show that even healthy people
convert only a fraction of ingested ALA to the
ultimately needed omega-3s, EPA and DHA,
and their respective prostaglandins. The 'meta-
bolic bottleneck' is the conversion of ALA to
SDA by the delta-6-desaturase enzyme, with
an efficiency of only 20%. This enzyme's effec-
tiveness in producing 'higher omega-3s' is
inhibited further in older people and by diabe-
tes, obesity, excessive omega-6 intake and
elevated levels of insulin, coffee, trans fatty
acids and alcohol. These common conditions
aggravate omega-3 deficiency symptoms fur-
ther, while direct intake of SDA, DHA and EPA
would alleviate them. Unfortunately, only
marine organisms contain DHA and EPA.
These fatty acids are commonly consumed
with fish or fish oil supplements. The predomi-
nant omega-3 fatty acid supplied by plants is
ALA, while only a few seed oils, among them
hemp as the only food oil, also offer SDA, an
omega-3 fatty acid with a 'potency' about
5 times that of ALA.
To summarize the nutritional attributes of
hemp oil: hemp oil offers the two EFAs in a
very desirable LA to ALA ratio of about 3:1
and contains both SDA and GLA in nutrition-
ally relevant amounts, thus making up for a
potentially impaired fatty acid metabolism.
According to the current scientific thinking
about fat nutrition, no other plant-based oil
offers such desirable composition. In addition,
cold-pressed unrefined hemp oil adds flavour
to many dishes - and some people even enjoy
taking an occasional tablespoon of the oil, both
for health and for taste. Cold-pressed oil also con-
tains significant amounts of gamma-tocopherol,
 
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