Omega-3 fatty acids

Today’s article focuses on essential polyunsaturated fatty acids. The key point about these fatty acids is the addition of “essential”, which means that they are a nutrient we must consume because our bodies cannot produce them from other substances themselves. At the same time, the body depends on their presence to function optimally.

In this article, we provide a brief overview of the various types of unsaturated fatty acids, explain where we source the fatty acids from, and provide information on what is important when handling these substances to ensure their quality.

Essential PUFAs

PUFA is the abbreviation for polyunsaturated fatty acids.
The human body is capable of producing all the fatty acids it needs itself. The exceptions to this rule are linoleic acid (LA), an omega-6 fatty acid, and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid. Both must be obtained through food and are therefore referred to as “essential fatty acids”.
Although they are not essential, two further representatives of the fatty acids also enter the discussion: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These two fatty acids are found mainly in fish and algae and are indeed synthesised from alpha-linolenic acid, but only to such a limited extent that additional intake makes sense with a “normal” diet.
The daily requirement for docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is 200 mg. To enable the body to synthesise this amount, sufficient quantities of alpha-linolenic acid are needed. With a conversion rate of alpha-linolenic acid to DHA of 2.2%, at least 9 g of alpha-linolenic acid should be consumed per day. 1,2,3 All BERTRAND varieties contain at least this sufficient amount.
If you consume other powdered nutrition products, please make sure that their nutritional information lists at least 9g of omega-3 fatty acids, unless DHA and EPA are included as individual ingredients.

Fats in BERTRAND

To obtain unsaturated fatty acids, BERTRAND does not use preprocessed fat sources. Unfortunately, it has become almost standard in powder production to process nuts and oilseeds that come from by-products of edible oil production.
For oil production, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, and other ingredients are pressed almost completely. What remains is a solid press cake, which is then ground and used, among other things, in the production of nutritional powders. The only advantage of these flours is that they are inexpensive to purchase. The disadvantages include a loss of fatty acids and, for example, secondary plant compounds. At the same time, the remaining fatty acids are exposed to oxygen for weeks, which in turn promotes oxidation.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids react with light and oxygen through oxidation, causing them to form hydroperoxides, which can have harmful effects on health.

When obtaining fatty acids for BERTRAND, we do not follow this standard.
We process flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, and almonds as whole fruits or seeds, with all the valuable nutrients they contain. Flaxseeds and sunflower seeds are finely ground in our production facility only shortly before mixing and filling. This also has the advantage of effectively protecting the sensitive fatty acids from oxidation, thereby maintaining a high level of quality.