EPA and DHA Are Essential to Your Brain Health

Most people know that omega-3 fatty acids are good for us because of their benefits to heart and joint health.

But did you know? Omega-3 fatty acids are crucial for brain health—and here’s why.

What is EPA and DHA?

Omega-3 fatty acids are comprised of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Every living cell in the body needs these essential fatty acids. They are required for rebuilding and producing new cells.

While both EPA and DHA are components of cellular membranes throughout the body, they each have specific functions in our health. EPA plays a critical role in supporting the healthy regulation of cellular inflammation, while DHA is the most abundant omega-3 found in the brain and is important for maintaining nerve cell structure and function.

This makes EPA and DHA the essential building blocks for healthy cell membranes. These cell membranes provide critical support for the brain connectivity that supports:

  • Healthy memory
  • Healthy cognition
  • Emotional well-being

Additionally, DHA and EPA promote healthy blood flow, which is essential to optimal brain function and memory retention. Think of omega-3 fatty acids as high quality motor oil for the finely-tuned engine that is your brain.

Watch this short video featuring Dr. Amen and BrainMD Health’s Chief Science Officer, Dr. Parris Kidd, to learn more about how a daily intake of omega-3s with high levels of EPA and DHA is essential to brain health.

 

The EPA and DHA Ratio to Omega-6

The optimal ratio between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids is 2 to 1, and not higher than 3 to 1.

Most people get far too little omega-3s in their diet. In fact, research consistently indicates that the majority of Americans have just slightly more than half the amount of EPA and DHA in their tissues than they need for optimum brain and body health. This is partly due to a high dietary intake of unhealthy fats combined with an inadequate intake of EPA and DHA.

BrainMD Health’s very own Omega-3 Power makes it super easy to get the right amount of brain healthy omega-3s. Each serving provides 1,440 mg of DHA and EPA from ultra-purified, high-quality fish oil. Omega-3 Power’s high potency helps to ensure having healthy tissue levels of DHA and EPA within weeks to a few months of taking it.

Omega-3 Power is sourced from anchovies, sardines, and mackerel. These fish roam mostly in the mid-level of the ocean and have relatively short-lived lifespans. Because of this, they tend to accumulate fewer toxins. In addition, the fish oil in Omega-3 Power is put through the most thorough purification processes available. It includes screening for more than 250 potentially toxic chemicals, and at the same time, eliminates the “burpy” effects of crude fish oils. The result is the highest quality omega-3 supplement available on the market today.

“Omega-3 fatty acids play such an important role in brain and body health that I suggest most people take them every day, regardless of their brain type or age. Taking Omega-3 Power is insurance that your body gets the nutrients it needs to be at its best.” -Daniel G. Amen M.D.

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Joe Thorpe

Why did Dr Kidd go from being well known for many years for endorsing DHA products (with little to no epa) to now endorsing your fish oil product (with far more EPA than DHA)? There are many articles on the internet where he clearly states there is no need to take any EPA as long as you take sufficient DHA.

Amen Clinics

Science is dynamic, not static, and as scientific understanding advances scientists sometimes have to modify their positions. Dr. Kidd’s position on EPA and DHA has now changed due to advances in the clinical and basic scientific research. Though the brain carries predominantly DHA and very little EPA, clinical trial results clearly indicate EPA has benefit for mood and probably other higher brain functions. At the basic science level, it has become clear that both EPA and DHA, not DHA alone, are required for the brain to make new nerve cells. Dr. Kidd very closely monitors the research on EPA and DHA, and as his understanding changes his formulation recommendations can also change. BrainMD’s Omega-3 Power has an EPA-DHA ratio that very closely corresponds to the ratio effective in clinical trials.

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