Essential oils that get from fish

Dietary Fat - Questions and Answers ABOUT FOODS AND CANCER PREVENTION AND SURVIVAL

QUESTION: Aren’t there essential oils that you need to get from fish? Can plant sources provide these essential oils?

ANSWER: Two essential fatty acids cannot be synthesized in the body and
must be included in the diet. Their names—linolenic and linoleic acid—will
never show up on a food label and are not important to remember. What
is important is that these basic fats are used to build specialized fats called
omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are important in the normal functioning
of all tissues of the body. Deficiencies are responsible for a host of
symptoms and disorders including abnormalities in the liver and kidneys,
changes in the blood, reduced growth rates, decreased immune function,
and skin changes including dryness and scaliness. Adequate intake of the
essential fatty acids may protect against these health problems and may
also reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, heart disease, stroke, and symptoms
associated with ulcerative colitis, menstrual pain, and joint pain.

Alpha-linolenic acid, the primary omega-3 fatty acid, is found in
many vegetables, beans, and fruits. More concentrated sources include
flaxseeds, soybean products, walnuts, and wheat germ. Adding flaxseed
oil to your salad or grinding flaxseeds for your breakfast cereal are simple
ways to incorporate extra omega-3 fatty acids into your diet. Corn,
safflower, sunflower, and cottonseed oils are generally low in omega-3
and high in omega-6.

Gamma-linolenic acid, a healthful omega-6 oil, can be found in more rare
oils, including black currant, borage, evening primrose, and hempseed oils.

Some people eat fish and use fish oils to obtain their omega-3s.
However, plant-derived omegas-3s have none of the potential contaminants
that fish contain, nor do they have the fish odor that can be apparent in the
perspiration of people using fish oil. They also tend to be lower in saturated
fats. Between 15 and 30 percent of fish oil is saturated fat, which is about
double that of plant oils. Fish make their omega-3 oils from linolenic acid
in plankton, just as mammals—including humans—synthesize omega-3s
from land plants.17,18