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Simply put, “fats like fats,” explains nutrition scientist Ashley Jordan Ferira, Ph.D., RDN. “Consuming fat-soluble nutrients (i.e., a lipid) with other lipids is most beneficial for all fatty things,” she adds.<\/p>\n
This is because lipids play the critical role of transporting nutrients and aiding in their absorption in the gut and in cells throughout our body\u2014including dietary fats like omega-3 fatty acids. As it turns out, lipids sometimes even require the assistance of other lipids to optimize their bioavailability. <\/p>\n
This is the case with certain forms of omega-3s found in fish oil (i.e., ethyl esters and free fatty acids) commonly used by some supplement brands. In these formulas, without a high-fat meal, the marine omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA simply won’t be readily absorbed and enter the broader body for the cardiovascular or central nervous systems to utilize. <\/p>\n
“Ethyl ester fish oil products on the market are fine options, but their bioavailability is simply lower. These forms of fish oil taken without a fat (e.g., while fasting) is a lose-lose situation,” says Ferira. “You might as well flush them down the toilet!”<\/p>\n
Ferira goes on to explain: “Specifically, ethyl esters are inferior to triglycerides when not consumed with a fat-containing meal. Ethyl esters are missing the glycerol backbone component of triglycerides, so they have to ‘steal’ glycerol backbone from fats in your diet or in circulation.”<\/p>\n
For optimal bioavailability (aka, a sound investment) there’s one form of omega-3s that’s sure to be readily available for the body to use: their triglyceride form. <\/p>\n
In case you were wondering, mbg’s omega-3 potency+ has you covered here.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n