Ask a Naturopath: What is the Undisputed Best Nutrient for Longevity?
By Gosia Kuszewski Naturopath, Medical Herbalist
The most asked questions in my clinic as a naturopath are: “which of your supplements is the most important and why should I be taking it?” I have many different supplements available and I get to help such a variety of clients, sometimes with complex illnesses. It’s not always easy to decide which supplement is the most beneficial and sometimes there are so many supplements one client could benefit from that it can feel overwhelming for people.
The #1 Nutrient for Your Brain and Heart:
However, research has proven that everyone needs more good fats, ie. Omega 3’s, and to make sure their ratio of fats is balanced. Omega 3 fatty acids are crucial for our brain function and cardiovascular system yet they are almost always deficient in our diet. Good fats, primarily omega 3’s, lower chronic inflammation, improve brain function, eyesight, regulate blood sugar and blood pressure and help to oxygenate the blood.
Most people’s diet has an excess of omega 6 fats in the form of processed vegetable oils which cause congestion within our bodies circulation. Alternatively, omega 3 fats are an essential part of our daily nutritional requirement and function to clear the omega 6 out of our cells.
If you wish to get to the core of your health issues and especially chronic inflammation, my top suggestion would be to test the ratio between omega 6 and omega 3 in your body.
The correct ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 should be 3:1.
I’ve done hundreds of these tests for my clients and what I have seen so far is that everyone has a huge imbalance between omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids. Most of the tests I’ve done are anything from 15:1 – 23:1 or even 38:1. Far from a correct ratio of 3:1. Clearly indicating that omega 6 is almost always in excess, causing chronic inflammation and disease. I see patients that are eating healthy diets and taking high quality supplements but they are not absorbing them properly and they can only absorb the nutrients with a balanced omega 3 to 6 ratio.
I specialise in live blood analysis which allows me to physically see this daily; red blood cells are often congested, and sticky, a prime consequence of lacking oxygen. As a result, people feel exhausted, have brain fog, joint pain, skin issues, have a slow metabolism, often gain weight, the list goes on.
So what’s the answer?
1/Step number 1: Reduce the amount of omega 6 fats; processed oils (eg. Canola, soybean, corn, rice bran oil, sunflower oil) are in almost everything we consume and we must be conscious enough to read every label and avoid fast-food/take away.
2/Step number 2: Increase good fats such as omega 3 in your diet – supplement with high quality omega 3 oils daily, wild caught fatty fish, chia seeds, hemp seeds, or vegan source blue green algae.
3/Step number 3: Test your current ratio and if imbalanced, recheck in 3 months. I recommend the Balance test.
What should I look for to know the omega 3 oil supplement is high quality?
The most important aspect is rancidity. From my research, most fish oils on the market are rancid which can cause toxicity alone. For this reason, I recommend a specific fish oil supplement combined with olive oil which is the best source of polyphenols, protecting the oil from getting rancid. It is sourced in Norway and has all the quality certifications needed for quality control and to make sure it doesn’t have any heavy metals and microplastics.
The best results I’ve seen in my patients taking this oil are in kids with ADHD, autism, behavioural issues, anxiety , depression, foggy brain, eye issues, acne and skin conditions such as eczema and dry skin as well as arthritis and cardiovascular issues.
If you would like to find out more information, please go to my website
Gosia Kuszewski Naturopath, Medical Herbalist.