The Hemp Connection:
Martek

I recently read a blog entry about omega-3 fatty acids, in which it suggested that adequate DHA could be obtained from spirulina and chlorella, two supplements

found in most health food stores. I was surprised to read this, as I'd never run across any information in all the DHA research I've read to suggest that these were appropriate sources.

Total DHA content of pure algae, by percentage total fat, is as follows:

Life’s DHA™ from Schizochytrium – 37%
Life’s DHA™ from Cryptocodidium cohnii — 40.0%
Isochrisis galbana 17.16%
Chlorella vulgaris 13.32%
Spirulina platensis 7.53%

As far as total DHA content, it is clear that the Schizochytrium and Cryptocodidium cohnii provide more bang for the buck; the total volume needed of the former is far less than isochrisis, chlorella, and spirulina. Whichever supplement used, the total amount of DHA consumed is important.

Another benefit to using schizochytrium and cryptocodinium is that Martek has FDA approval to sell their DHA to companies who then incorporate it into foods.

By making a few simple changes in your grocery list, you can increase your DHA intake without having to use a supplement. If you want a supplement, those are available as well. A list of available foods and supplements can be found at this link.

Thanks to colleague Connye Kuratko, Ph.D., R.D. of Martek Biosciences, for being able to find a study (referenced below) that helped clarify this issue. Martek's Life's DHA marine algae supplement, found both in capsules and in foods, contains Schizochytrium or Cryptocodinium cohnii.

Ö. TOKUS¸OGLU AND M.K. ÜNAL Biomass Nutrient Profiles of Three Microalgae: Spirulina platensis, Chlorella vulgaris, and Isochrisis galbana. Journal of Food Science 68:4, 2003, 1144-1148.

Senanayake SPJN and Fichtali J. Single Cell Oils as Sources of Nutraceutical Specialty Lipids: Processing Technologies and Applications. in Shahidi F Nutraceutical and Specialty Lipids and Their Co-products. CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group, Boca Raton, FL, page 268.

A significant percentage of the women I counsel, whether their issues are officially related to PCOS or not, are vegetarian. They get in trouble with their vegan lifestyle because it eliminates the essential nutrients DHA and EPA.

Not any more!

Marine algae is an up and comer in the omega-3 world. It's been increasingly incorporated into foods, which I've written about before. Now, the people who developed this ingredient are reporting that this algal DHA is as effective as salmon in increasing the body's DHA levels.

You can either take it as a supplement, or you can find it in popular foods. The best place to go in order to get the list of foods you can use is the Martek website. I'm also including the"Life's DHA" logo here, because it's on the packaging for these products for easy identification.

No more excuses, all you vegans! You can make choices that help you to be healthier while honoring your culinary code of ethics.: )

Arterburn LM, Oken HA, Bailey Hall E, Hamersley J, Kuratko CN, Hoffman JP. Algal-oil capsules and cooked salmon: nutritionally equivalent sources of docosahexaenoic Acid. J Am Diet Assoc. 2008 Jul;108(7):1204-9.

I hope I got your attention! Because, yes, algae can be a very important part of a diet for PCOS.

It's becoming increasingly clear, as our baby counter ticks up and up and up, that omega-3 fatty acids ARE the answer for a lot of women out there who may not have found fertility success.

But I also know, from being in this business for over two decades, that there are some people, no matter how much you tell them that fish is good for you, simply aren't going to eat it. Whether it's because of taste, allergies, or vegetarian practices.

That's where algae comes in. The innovative people at Martek Biosciences have been culturing a species of algae, Crypthecodinium cohnii, that is naturally high in DHA, one of the omega-3 fatty acids. Don't worry, I stink at Latin, too. Just remember,"omega-3 algae" and you have all you need to know.

Martek has figured out how to take this algae, extract the DHA, and put it into a form that can be incorporated into foods that you and I actually eat. The examples I found today on Martek's website include (in alphabetical order):

Beech-Nut® Stage 2® DHA plus+™ Jars — a product of Beech-Nut
Beech-Nut® Stage 2® DHA plus+™ Cereals — a product of Beech-Nut
Bellybar™ Nutrition bars — for pregnant and nursing women from NutraBella Challenge Dairy Spreadable Butter — a product of Challenge Dairy
DHA plus+™ Yogurt Blends with Juice — a product of Beech-Nut
Crisco® Puritan Canola Oil with Omega-3 DHA — a product of the J.M Smucker Company
Fujisan Sushi — a product of Fuji Foods Products, Inc.
Glucoburst™ Diabetic Drink — a product of PBM Nutritionals Gold Circle Farms® Eggs — a product of Hidden Villa
Horizon Organic® Milk — a product of WhiteWave Foods
Kids-Pro Nutrition Drink — a product of British Biologicals
Little Einstein's Disney Milk — a product of Stremick's Heritage Foods
Minute Maid® Enhanced Pomegranate Blueberry Juice — a product of the Coca-Cola Company
NuGo Organic Nutrition Bar — a product of NuGo Nutrition
Odwalla's Soy Smart™
Oh Mama!™ Nutrition bars — for pregnant and nursing women from Vincent Foods, LLC Oroweat Whole Grain 9 Grain Bread — a product of Bimbo Bakeries USA, Inc.
ProSource NutriPure Supreme — a product of ProSource
Rachel's® brand, Rachel's® Wickedly Delicious Yogurt — a product of WhiteWave Foods
Rico's® Cheese Sauce — a product of Ricos Products Company
Silk® Soymilk — a product of Whitewave
So Good™ Omega DHA Milk — a product of Soyaworld
Stremicks Heritage Foods™ Organic Milk — a product of Stremicks Heritage Foods
Vitasoy® Soymilk — a product of National Foods
Yoplait Kids™ — a product of General Mills
ZenSoy Soy on the Go™ — a product of ZenSoy
Yo on the Go® — a product of Whitney's Foods, Inc.

Bottom line, if you can't or don't do fish, you can still do omega-3's.

One note, it's still important to have a diet that overall, is balanced in fat, carbohydrate, and protein. So if you're loading up on one option here that is sweetened, you may not get the optimal effect of the DHA. It might be worth downloading this list and showing it to your dietitian so the two of you can work out a game plan that incorporates these foods with the best chance of benefitting from them.