What’s the Scoop on Omega Fatty Acids?

What’s the Scoop on Omega Fatty Acids?

You’ve probably heard of omega fatty acids, but there’s a lot of hype and a lot of conflicting information out there! Let’s sort through the facts:

What are omega fatty acids?

Omega fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats: a long string of carbon atoms with two or more double bonds in the chain. Omega 3s have the double bond and carbon atom number 3 and omega 6s have the double bond at carbon 6. If you have seen omega 9 supplements advertised, you may be guessing that they have the double bond at carbon number 9 and you’d be correct! These types of fatty acids are called essential fatty acids and that is because the body cannot make them, they must be consumed in the diet. There are three types of omega 3 fatty acids that must be provided by the diet and one type of omega 6. If you’re wondering about those omega 9s, they are considered partially essential because the body can make some of them itself.

Types of omegas

Omega 3 fatty acids are probably the best known omegas because there is a lot of advertising around them. The three major omega 3s are ALA, DHA, and EPA. We can convert ALA to the other two types, and so can horses, but it’s not a super efficient system. DHA is the major polyunsaturated fat found in the brain and is important for its development and function. EPA is converted to hormone-like compounds called eicosanoids. LA is the essential omega 6 that must be provided in the diet, and it is converted to a longer chain fatty acid called AA which can then be converted to eicosanoids.

Eicosinoids

Eicosinoids regulate body functions like cell division, growth, blood clotting, and muscle activity as well as affecting our response to injury and infection. The omega 3 called EPA forms an eicosanoid that tends to decrease inflammation and they are thought of as protective from things like heart attacks, strokes, and inflammatory diseases like asthma, arthritis and autoimmune conditions in humans. The omega 6 AA forms eicosanoids that increase the inflammatory response through processes like clotting, restricting blood vessel size, reducing bleeding and containing infections.

Inflammatory/Anti-inflammatory

But wait- I don’t want my horse to have inflammation! That sounds really bad! While we do not want excessive inflammation in the body, some inflammation is a good thing and critical for the body to begin the healing process. Omega 6s have gotten a bad rap in internet forums and Facebook groups because people hear “inflammation” and think it’s always a bad thing. We do not want to overload the body system with inflammation or omega 6s, but at the same time it is important to understand that omega 6s are still essential to the body and that inflammation is what starts the healing process as well as increasing muscle size and strength. Omega 3s are touted as “anti-inflammatory” but just providing them in the diet doesn’t clear the body of inflammation. It is more helpful to view these two things as essential parts of the daily diet that help the body function as it is supposed to. I also think it is helpful for horse owners to consider the ratio of omega 3 to 6 in the overall diet. To oversimplify things, think of omega 3s and 6s as canceling each other out. At the end of the day, you want to supplement more omega 3s than 6s. There’s no researched, published ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 for horses, but based on research in other species, some nutritionists and vets recommend a daily intake of omega 6 to omega 3 to be between 5:1 and 10:1 ratio. You’ll need to account for the entire diet when tallying those numbers up: grass, hay, feed, supplements etc.

Sources

Where can your horse get these essential fatty acids? The easiset source is grass! Grass contains a nice ratio of omega 3 to 6 fatty acids, and when consumed as the majoirty of the diet, easily provides enough to meet horses’ needs. While a horse eating solely forage does not take in a lot of fat- 2-3% normally- the fat in fresh grass is as much as 55% Omega 3s. Omega fatty acids are not very heat stable, so most hay will have considerably less than grass but the amount of omega 3 will still be higher than 6. Some oil seeds like flax contain a high amount of omega 3 fatty acids. The plant sources of omega 3s provide the type called ALA. The horse’s body must then convert it to DHA and EPA using enzymes. Researchers have shown these enzymes are present in horses, however, horses who need some extra help from omega 3s due to disease states or injury, feeding a source of omega 3s that are already in the DHA and EPA form can be helpful. Fish oils and algae supplements are the easiest source of DHA and EPA to add to the diet. You can buy supplements specifically created for horses, or you can use human supplements fed at an appropriate amount. When shopping for supplements, pay close attention to the amounts of omega 3 and 6s provided. If the supplement contains more 6s than 3s, it’s probably not a good purchase. Omega 6s are typically plentiful in the diet if the horse is eating a commercial feed or supplement because the main sources for it are common vegetable oils like soy, canola, safflower, sunflower, and corn and the grains/seeds those oils come from.

Who benefits?

All ages of horses benefit from appropriate omega supplementation. Young horse’s brain development could be optimized with enough omega 3 fatty acids, performance horses benefit in the muscle and tissue recovery period, COPD/heaves horses can see benefits in breathing, aged horses can see improvements in arthritis symptoms. Sufficient essential omega 6 in the diet helps horses recover from injury and illness; beginning the inflammatory response that slows bleeding and contains infection. There are equine-specific studies showing benefits of omega 3 supplementation in arthritic horses, lower airway disease, equine metabolic syndrome and insect hypersensitivity.

Stallions specifically

Omega 3s have been researched in reproductive process also. Since this is the stallion issue, we will let them have the spotlight here: omega 3 supplementation has been shown to positively affect stallions whose semen is primarily collected for cooling and freezing for later AI. Goedde et al found that feeding a DHA-rich algae supplement fed for 60 days improved sperm motility in fresh and cooled semen samples. Texas A&M researchers, Adams et al, reported omega 3 supplementation could be beneficial for -increasing post-thaw sperm progressive motility. Schmid-Lausigk/Aurich published in the journal Theriogenology that supplementation with linseed (flax) decreased the natural decline in mobility and integrity of the fatty membrane around sperm cells in cooled semen.

How to feed them

Research has shown that feeding a higher amount over a shorter duration has more positive benefits than feeding a lower dose over a longer amount of time. This could be helpful for horses with diseases or exercise changes that are short term, or for where management situations require a decreased cost per day. For most horses though, daily feeding of a good source of omega 3s is ideal. For horses who are not metabolically challenged, a great source of omega 3s is fresh grass. For horses who are unable to be on grass full-time, adding something like ground flax could be an economical and simple addition. Approximately 3-4 oz of ground flax daily will provide a similar amount of omega 3s to grazing on pasture for 24 hours. For horses with inflammatory disease states, adding a fish oil or algal oil supplement could provide higher levels of DHA and EPA.

Take home messages:

All horses require essential Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids in their diet

Omega 6s are not always bad

Fresh grass, flax, and chia are good sources of the omega 3 called ALA, which the body can convert to DHA and EPA

Fish oil and algae are good sources of DHA and EPA, which do not require further conversion

Research has shown benefits of omega 3 supplementation for horses specifically, and also many other species including humans

When purchasing supplements, check the amounts of omega 3s and 6s guaranteed on the label, and skip ones with higher omega 6 numbers

Omega 3 supplementation is helpful for stallions who are being collected for AI

Acronym decoder:

ALA- alpha-linolenic acid

DHA- eicosapentaenoic acid

EPA- docosahexaenoic acid

LA- linoleic acid

AA- arachidonic acid