Episode 35: Omega 3’s, The Mom Brain Boost
Welcome to the Beauty of Better Podcast, where we help moms thrive in health and faith.
Hey, mamas, Danielle here.
Welcome to the Beauty of Better Podcast.
We are continuing our series on nutrition and just really breaking down research articles to look at what nutrients are good for our bodies and what foods can we find them in and how do we really thrive in this area.
And today, we're going to talk about Omega 3s, which is a fun topic for us.
And Kathleen has a background in nutrition.
So Kathleen, you think you could just define Omega 3s for us even before we just jump into the article and breaking it down?
Yeah, of course.
Well, nutrition is a complex issue.
And if you just look anywhere in culture, you maybe just feel a little bit upside down at some time.
So we wanted to create this space to just simplify some things.
And so Omega 3s are a group of essential polyunsaturated fats.
So simply what that means is you often hear about saturated fats and then unsaturated fats.
Unsaturated fats are the ones that are a little bit better for us.
That research has shown to be a little bit more beneficial for our health.
And it's a fat that can't be produced by the body.
So we have to take these in through our food or supplementation.
And so there's three main types of Omega 3 fatty acids.
There's animal sources.
There's also plant sources.
So I'll just, you might hear these terms as we talk through this article.
So ALA stands for alpha-linoleic acid, and that's plant-based sources.
So that's like flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts.
You might hear EPA.
That's eicosapentaenoic acid.
I always get boggled saying that word.
That's why we say EPA.
Yeah, yeah.
That's why we say EPA.
And that's primarily found in fatty fish, such as like tuna, salmon, sardines.
And then also DHA is docohexanoic acid.
Once again, DHA.
Also found in fatty fish as well as in breast milk and some algae.
So we're going to talk through this article today because it's a systematic review.
It kind of covers.
There's lots of research out there on different topics, including Omega 3.
So heart health, brain health, eye health, the anti-inflammatory properties of Omega 3s, and also its benefits on immune function.
So today we're just going to be talking about a systematic review specifically in the topic of cognitive function.
So Kelsey, do you want to hop in and share a little bit more?
Yes.
And I actually am going to bounce it to Danielle because I think she's going to explain the article first, and then I'm going to talk a little bit more about cognitive function after she does that.
Perfect.
I'll jump in then.
So as Kathleen mentioned, today our article is a little different than the last one we looked at, where it's a systematic review.
And we're not going to go super deep with this, but what that means is that researchers looked at a whole bunch of articles on Omega 3s, because there's a lot to learn with that.
And what they did was they tried to condense all of that information and run an analysis based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, based on what all of those other researchers did.
So with this specific article, it's called the systematic review and dose response meta analysis of Omega 3 supplementation on cognitive function.
So really, it's just looking at Omega 3s and how does your brain function with them.
And the purpose of this study was really because these researchers realized that there isn't a solid dosage for Omega 3s.
We know we need them.
And as Kathleen mentioned, we know that they're not naturally made in the body, and we know they help our brain health, but at what dosage is good and where do we find them?
And so these researchers looked at an inclusion and exclusion criteria and found a total of 58 studies that they could analyze together in one analysis.
This is really hard to do.
Again, I'm not going to go into the details, but it is a lot of work, a lot of biostatistics, a lot of math.
And something that's important to note is that they had a confidence interval of 95 percent.
And so what that means and why that's important to look for in this article is it means that they accounted for 95 percent of the noise.
So like what we talked about last time with, how do you control the noise around your study to make it as precise as possible and as accurate as possible?
They controlled for 95 percent of the noise.
So it's more likely than not their analysis that's proving this.
So that's why that's important.
Then they looked at a dose of 2,000 milligrams of Omega 3s across these 58 studies and compiled the results.
And what they showed was that there was significant improvement in attention, and in perceptual speed, in language, in primary memory, in visio-spatial functions, in global cognitive abilities.
And so those are really like how your brain works.
And I'm going to like pause there, because I could keep going on why I think that's so amazing with these findings.
But I want Kelsey to just break down, like, what is cognitive function?
And why is this important for us to know these results based on a 2,000 milligram dose of Omega 3s?
Yes.
Okay.
So cognitive function, it talks a little bit about this in the article, but it's referring to continually learning.
So if we think of ourselves as lifelong learners, we've talked about that in other episodes and how important that is.
But cognitive function is actually talking about just the continuous process of learning throughout your life and mental abilities that go along with that.
So being able to remember things as you're going throughout your day, how well you can pay attention to a specific task that you're trying to get done, your reasoning capabilities, how well you can solve problems, make decisions, things like that.
So these are all things that are associated with cognitive function.
And I'm sure you've probably heard this before, but cognitive function is something that declines with age.
So unfortunately, for most of us, we are on the downhill of the mountain, but we can slow the rate of...
We can slow the rate of it.
We can slow the rate of the decline.
It's just like exercise.
It helps slow the rate of a lot of things.
But yeah, we can still have really good cognitive function as moms.
And so Omega 3s are a big piece of what allows us to have good cognitive function.
There's a lot of other studies that also talk about...
There's a bunch of other benefits that come from Omega 3s and consuming Omega 3s.
Just a quick overview of some of the big things that Omega 3s do.
I just talked about your brain and cognitive function.
So a couple of other things that are associated with that are like age-related cognitive decline diseases like Alzheimer's, Dementia.
I know for me, Alzheimer's and Dementia run in my family, and so that's something that's very on the forefront of my mind, and I definitely want to make sure I'm being proactive in getting enough Omega 3s in my diet.
But Omega 3s also affect your cardiovascular system, they affect your eyes and your skin, and they have anti-inflammatory effects, and there's lots of research on Omega 3s.
But today, in this specific review, it does focus on cognitive function, which I think can be a really relevant thing for us as moms, because we have a lot of things that we're trying to remember, and sometimes it just feels kind of hard.
So yes, very, very important to just note that cognitive function matters for moms.
Especially, you know, just moms in general, like you need your brains working.
And then if you're a working mom and you're trying to balance a million things, like you really need your brain working.
So I feel like even for me, if this didn't even help me long term, which it will, right?
I would still like make sure I'm getting my Omega 3s now, just because I need to function today.
I need to function as sweet.
I need to like be as present as I can be for my family and for my job.
So these are just so, so important.
I can't stress that enough.
But yeah, maybe we can talk about where we get them.
Yeah.
Yes, I would say.
I was going to say, I was going to echo like the preventative side of this, right?
So like a lot of times we're talking about function.
But then another piece of it is like, these are building blocks that your body needs, like in terms of your neurons or your brain, or like things function better when they have the tools.
And so we have to give our body the tools to be able to be at its optimum.
And sometimes it's easy to feel like, oh, it's just normal to feel foggy or slower reaction speed, but something as simple as giving your body the tools so it can think better and react better.
I think about that as a test of sports, right?
Athletes are always looking for an ergogenic aid to get that edge.
Moms, we need that little boost to give us the edge to be able to tackle what we have on our tasks for today.
Being a mom is like a professional sport.
Yeah, it definitely is.
It should be considered to be a sport.
You know, it reminds me when you say the building blocks and prevention.
We had an episode, number 16, on proteins, and just talked about how those are building blocks also.
And just, I feel like proteins and Omega 3s, they're two things that you really have to be intentional about and think about, and really make sure that you're getting every day.
Whereas like carbs and other things like you might just naturally get on your own, but proteins and Omega 3s, you really got to be on top of that.
Towards, yeah.
Sometimes I, with my kids, we talk about what are the superpowers in this food?
And thankfully, all my kids like fish.
I'm so thankful that they do, because I know that can be pretty tricky for some people and their kids are opposed to that.
But talking about those healthy fats that are in those, and I think when you talk about the superpowers that are in foods, so then my kids will say, what's the superpowers in Oreos?
I'm like, well, I'm going to order any.
I'm like, well, some foods are just treats that are fun, but they don't really have superpowers.
These ones don't really help us grow super strong like the other ones do.
The other ones have the superpowers to make us into superheroes, but these ones don't.
And so then they're like, oh.
You know, but yeah, you know, there's so many ways to just find one of my personal ways of incorporating Omega's is sardines.
And I know it sounds like weird, but honestly, like you make it like you would tuna, like try it with your kids.
They might be surprised, but like, or I'd have that with crackers, like mix it up with some mayonnaise and like even some onion in there and like, I know, right?
Don't kiss your husband after that.
I'm like, ah.
But, you know, so I do that.
And then, you know, our kids, I try to always like one night a week prepare like fish, just like white fish or salmon.
Some of them do like salmon, but I also put in ground flaxseed into a lot of our baking.
Like it's an easy way to sneak that into like banana, chocolate chip pancakes or muffins, or I literally sneak it into all the things because it actually makes a really nice texture.
I had a period of my life where I was a baker at a cafe, and so I've learned a little bit about baking, but it actually really makes a nice texture to baked products.
And so that's a sneaky way you can throw stuff in there.
But, you know, tuna in your kids' lunches, I know, Cristiana, you said your kids love tuna.
Also, you know, walnuts.
You can also ground walnuts and put that into baking.
Like, I'm a pro at sneaky chef stuff, like just sneaking stuff into my kids' that are like, what?
I ate that?
And you snuck it in.
But, you know, so those are some things.
Also, even eggs, you know, it's got eggs have DHA in them.
You know, that's a good source.
Also, you know, I have a little list here, but stuff even like refried beans, you know, it doesn't always have to be fancy.
There's an, yeah, salmon mentioned that.
That's a really good source of both DHA and EPA.
Yeah, those are some things, some just quick suggestions for mamas.
Yeah, black beans are one of our go-tos.
It's easy to just like open, I don't boil them, right?
But, you know, open a can, rinse it out, like put that in something like wild rice too.
Like that's an easy one.
Grabbing walnuts on the go, like, but I think part of what we're talking about today too is it's hard to, with all the things that we're managing, to make sure we're getting as much in as we need, right?
So part of it is being aware of what are our sources, but then how can we actually make sure that, you know, like the study is saying is that we're getting close to this recommended amount as well, because maybe naturally, you know, if we wouldn't grab these or maybe our kids would be more resistant to them as well.
I think Kale has Omega 3s too, doesn't it?
Kale, I'd have to look that up again.
Okay.
It might be.
Maybe.
Okay.
Yeah.
I feel like, yeah.
That's awesome.
Yeah, so if you guys want to share a little bit more about how this article can just help guide us in, like, maybe amounts that we should have.
I'm not sure if it gives, if it actually gives that though, does it?
Well, so the article was created because there isn't really a strong, like, suggested dosage.
So the FDA suggests 5,000 milligrams or less.
Like, that is kind of like the limit.
You don't want to go over 5,000 because there's research to suggest that that could be more of an overdose, which would cause tummy problems.
So we just want to be aware of that as our limit.
So this study didn't go quite as high as 5,000.
They looked at more of a reasonable amount of 2,000.
Most supplements come in a form of, like, 1,000.
So you could take it once a day if you felt like you didn't get enough or twice a day if you wanted to hit that 2,000 mark.
And you're like, man, I really didn't get fish or any nuts or beans in my diet today.
And I think something else that's kind of a challenge with Omega 3s, and you guys can speak to this too, is it's not like a typical food label where they talk about carbs, fats, and proteins, but it's just like, oh, how much am I really getting?
Right?
And I even wonder if we could break that down.
Sorry, I'm giving us work without even talking in advance, but if we could break that down to like looking at like, what does a handful of walnuts give us for Omega 3?
Can we find that?
And can we post that on our social media so moms can be aware?
So maybe when this episode comes out, we could post a couple tips.
Have the printed out sheet with the amount.
Kathleen's got it.
She's got it.
So we could give some tips on that just so that we can like have an idea of how to even gauge that and what we're getting.
So I don't know if anybody else wants to speak to that or what else you eat to get your Omega 3s.
I definitely, I personally take a supplement and also try to eat.
I think nuts is like the main one that I use every single day, just because it's fast and convenient and doesn't require me to prepare it.
So I definitely use that.
And I also wanted to share just a really powerful, like real world type of incentivizer for taking Omega 3s.
There's another study that we didn't talk about specifically today that was done in 2021.
And it actually showed that people who take Omega 3s, so they have a mortality risk similar to people who've never smoked, which is basically saying it's predicting longevity as much as not smoking is, which is really crazy because most people know, I remember in high school, the dare be against tobacco and drugs and smoking and all this stuff.
But it's being recognized as a powerful predictor of longevity, just like not smoking is, like taking enough Omega 3s is going to help you live for longer.
And I really enjoyed learning about ways to improve longevity.
So that's kind of a powerful statistic, I think, that I remember when I taught nutrition and would share that with my students, they would always like, jaws would hit the floor because they could just not believe that taking Omega 3s or making sure you have enough Omega 3s is basically the same as not smoking.
That's such, you know, that's such a simple thing that you could just be aware of and try to do in your own life.
So that's good.
That's love that.
Mm hmm.
Yeah.
You know, one of my favorite foods, I try to incorporate a lot that has Omega 3s is avocados.
I feel like living in Southern California, we have an abundance of those.
A lot of times I'll mix them with tuna, which isn't my favorite, but I'm trying to like it more.
And so I'll add like spices to it, mix it with an avocado, and then I'll use like seeded crackers to eat it.
So then it's like you're getting seeds, you're getting avocados, and you're getting fish all in one snack or meal, depending on how much you have.
That's one of my go-to's, just to make sure I'm getting it, getting enough of it.
I try to cook fish, but as Kathleen mentioned, like two of my boys don't like fish.
So I actually tricked them last night.
I was eating fish with my oldest son, and I made chicken for the rest of the family.
And I was like, you guys just ate fish, and you didn't even know it.
And they did it.
But I had to trick them, and they were freaking out.
They were like, no way.
No, I didn't.
I haven't figured out how to get my younger boys to eat fish yet.
I have one daughter who doesn't like fish.
And so we do an easy weeknight meal that we do with salmon bowls.
And she's not a fan when she sees that on our menu.
But what we've done is she doesn't mind sushi.
So if I buy seaweed, and then she gets to pick the amount of quinoa or rices on there, and then she will get to pick the avocado, then she can have tiny pieces of salmon, and she'll wrap it, and she'll actually eat it.
So that's broken as of the last month.
But she saw seaweed at the store and one time got so excited.
And I'm like, oh, well, let's try this.
You're 13, I know that's an adjustment, but every kid's a little bit different.
So that was one word for her, might not work for your voice.
No.
But quinoa also has some Omega 3s.
So quinoa and salmon, I'm not sure about seaweed.
I haven't looked that up, but.
I think seaweed has Omega 3s in it.
It does, some.
It's not a lot, but it's got a little.
My boys love seaweed.
I'm always shocked by that, but they do.
They eat it right out of the container, and they just love it.
Well, like algae, that's where the fish get their Omega from, and then we get the Omega is often more from the fish.
But like vegan supplements would be made from algae sources.
But I did want to just say, and I'm not trying to get aside, but just speaking the importance of Omega 3s with women's health is Omega 3s also serve as like a hormonal precursor for key hormones, like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.
And so it's really important, especially if you're like myself coming into my 40s, you know, experiencing hormonal changes.
It's really important, like these fats really help kind of stabilize stuff in our bodies, and realizing that like, you know, we can do things to help empower ourselves.
We don't just have to take things as they come to us.
It's like, oh, this is just a stage of life.
I have to suck it up and get through.
It's like, we can actually be empowered in like, you know, fueling ourselves well to help balance and stabilize those hormones.
And Omega 3s can really be a way to help with that as well.
So that's another reason these are important.
Absolutely.
Well, mamas, we hope you have taken some good tips away from this episode today on not only the importance of Omega 3s, but also ideas on how you can boost the amount that you consume, whether it's via dietary sources or whether it's coming from a supplement.
But we hope that this just encourages you and empowers you to be a little bit better.
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