The Omega 3 supplement industry started as a way to repurpose industrial oils that were once used as paints, varnishes, and wood finishes.
Once chemists had figured out how to make these paints and varnish out of petroleum for much cheaper, they had to find other ways to use all these oils for profit. The same thing goes for corn oil, soybean oil, and other seed oils.
Around the 1940s and 1950s, farmers started to experiment with feeding livestock these oils and crops from the paint industry and found that they could fatten up their animals much easier, using much less food - saving money & time.
What was really happening is that the animals are consuming these highly unsaturated fats, the fats are oxidizing in the body and causing metabolic dysfunction, suppressing their thyroids, and blocking their ability to properly use sugar as energy, and then resulting in massive weight gain.
This is parallel to what has happened in humans, who since the 50s have been increasingly fed these oils which only exist as a result of industrial farming and processing. Instead of blaming the increased Omega 3 & 6 PUFA intake, they tell us that the massive rise in obesity, diabetes, and heart disease is due to the increase in the consumption of sugar.
Meanwhile, the average PUFA consumption continued to climb as the population was gradually swayed away from eating animal fats, meats, and butter, into margarines, and liquid oils for cooking. From real dairy milk to soy, almond, and plant-based alternatives. These oils are present in almost every food product in the grocery stores, and then on top of that we're told to supplement Omega 3 fish oil for our health.
Once you dig a little deeper, you realize it's not sugar at all, and in fact, sugar is one of the things that can protect us against the damage of these unsaturated fats. When we eat foods with high amounts of Omega 3 & Omega 6 PUFA, these oils are highly susceptible to oxidizing in our bodies that are filled with heat and oxygen. When they oxidize, they form a plastic-like material that clogs up and suffocates our cells (lipofuscin).
Beyond that, they cause a host of breakdown products that contribute to a domino effect of slowing the metabolism, estrogen increase, cortisol increase, inflammation, fatigue, depression, and so much more.
Vitamin E is our primary defence against the damage done by the accumulation and oxidation of PUFAs.
Once you understand the history and the function of these oils, the bigger picture gets a lot more clear.
To dive deeper into the topic, check out my other blog post Omega 3s are Toxic
