鱈魚肝油、魚油、Omega-3─有什麼不同？

我們都知道Omega-3的好處，但每天服用鱈魚肝油又有什麼好處呢？那就是Omega-3嗎？而鱈魚肝油和魚油一樣嗎？這三個詞經常交替使用，難怪我們會感到困惑。但它們並不完全相同。

Omega-3是一組多元不飽和脂肪酸的專有名詞。鱈魚肝油和魚油是兩種不同魚類產品的名稱，鱈魚肝油是提取自鱈魚肝，而魚油則是從整條魚所提取的。

鱈魚肝油和魚油都天然富含Omega-3脂肪酸。Möller’s睦樂膠囊含有從鯷魚和沙丁魚中提取的魚油，而這些魚油經過了額外的濃縮，因此含有比天然還要更多的Omega-3。

鱈魚肝油和魚油均含有EPA與DHA

許多植物中都含有Omega-3脂肪酸：硫辛酸（alpha lipoic acid，ALA），但只有海洋中才有長鏈Omega-3脂肪酸：二十碳五烯酸（eicosapentaenoic，EPA）和二十二碳六烯酸（docosahexaenoic，DHA）。研究表示，我們應該多攝取來自海洋的長鏈Omega-3脂肪酸，因爲已被證實有益於大腦、心臟和視力的正常運作。

人體會產生Omega-3嗎？

答案是，‘是’也‘不是’。DHA脂肪酸存在於人體的許多細胞膜中，在某些器官中的含量也高於其他器官。人體可以將ALA（植物性Omega-3）轉化爲EPA和DHA，但這些過程並不是很有效。長鏈EPA和DHA脂肪酸的是由海洋中的微藻所形成。隨著小魚吃微藻、大魚吃小魚，這些脂肪酸在食物鏈中向上移動。對人類來說，這些脂肪酸的來源通常是較大的Omega-3多脂肪魚類，例如鮭魚、鯖魚、鯡魚，以及從鱈魚肝所萃取的鱈魚肝油。

鱈魚肝油和魚油作爲Omega-3補給品

透過日常飲食和補給品來補充Omega-3脂肪酸，例如Möller’s睦樂鱈魚肝油和Möller’s睦樂補給品，對於確保人體攝取充足的長鏈Omega-3脂肪酸而言是非常重要。我們可以從植物油、穀物和某些堅果等常見的食物獲取植物性Omega-3。

鱈魚肝油中含有多少Omega-3？

之所以經常一起提到鱈魚肝油和Omega-3，是因爲鱈魚肝油是海洋性Omega-3的最佳來源。這並不意味著其他來源較差或其所含有的脂肪酸品質較低。這只代表鱈魚肝油每單位的脂肪酸含量較高。一茶匙Möller’s睦樂鱈魚肝油（5毫升）含有高達1.2公克的Omega-3脂肪酸，其中DHA佔0.6公克，EPA佔0.4公克。

What is good health?

Body changes in later life call for changes in your diet

Do you have a good lifestyle?

Lifestyle simply means the way in which you live. Health and lifestyle go hand in hand. You might feel you have a good lifestyle if you are physically active, eat healthily and generally experience a sense of wellbeing. Conversely, if you want good health you should also have a good lifestyle.

Physical activity is the major contributor to a good lifestyle, but diet, drugs, stress, sleep and social conditions are also play an important role. Being able to use the body properly to avoid injury also affects lifestyle. Physical activity can also prevent depression and help you to recover more quickly from mental illness, both of which obviously affect your lifestyle.

How does the aging process affect your immune system?

Diet can be a difficult topic for many. Perhaps you eat too much or too little or maybe you find it hard to know what foods to combine to have a balanced diet. It’s also important to eat food that contains important vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre, omega-3 and antioxidants. On top of all this, you also need to get enough energy, protein and the correct fatty acids. The requirement for these nutrients changes throughout your life. When you are older you also have different requirements than children and younger adults. Women also have different requirements than men. Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers also have special requirements.

When you get older, you lose muscle mass and your body requires less energy and therefore less food. You may lead a less active life than you did before, which is why you require less food. However, your need for minerals, vitamins and other nutrients remains the same. Of course, there are plenty of healthy and active older people, but when you reach 70 to 80 years of age, it’s easier to become ill, especially during flu season.

Some steps you can take to improve your lifestyle and health are to:

eat a healthy and varied diet
stay active
watch your weight
avoid too much alcohol and don’t smoke
get enough sleep
think positive
practise good hygiene

What is good quality of life?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines quality of life as a state where the individual can realise their potential, cope with normal stressful situations, work in a rewarding and positive way, and be able to contribute to others and society.

Quality of life is a wide and somewhat diffuse concept that includes joy in, and a desire for, life. These are values that are rather felt than measured, which in turn are based on personal environment and choices. Quality of life doesn’t necessarily depend on being healthy or sick. It’s the moments between worries, sorrows, problems and ailments that matter. For example, if you have a chronic illness, a feeling of mastery can be important when talking about quality of life.

To sum up, quality of life is a combination of health, lifestyle, networks and social support. It’s about experiencing joy, meaning in life, satisfaction, security and a sense of belonging, as well as being able to use your strengths. It’s also about feeling interest in life, coping with everyday situations and a being committed to something or someone. If you have good quality of life, you will be able to cope better with the inevitable stressful situations in life.