I’m a wellness editor and swear by omega 3 – here’s why it should be top of your Black Friday list

After a conversation with Pamela Marshall, clinical aesthetician, and co-founder of Mortar and Milk, during one of my facials, she reminded me that “skin is both hydrophilic and lipophilic, so for your skin to be at its peak, you need both water and lipid hydration, not just one or the other.” During that visit, my skin definitely wasn’t at its peak. It was peaky. And a bit spotty and red. Not ideal. So on her recommendation, I started researching omega supplements.

I consulted clinical nutritionist Dr Stephanie Moore to ask why it’s so important to prioritise getting enough omega 3. She started with the basics: “Omega 3 and omega 6 are known as essential fatty acids because they play absolutely essential roles in the body, but we can’t make them. They’re involved in many functions in the body from immune regulation to the structure of the cell walls.” That structure bit is important – it’s what Pam was referring to when she talked about the need to increase lipids in the skin. Of course, those cells play a role all around the body, which is why I saw the effect of taking them regularly in myriad ways.

Read more: How to get up to 80% off at Myprotein now

But it’s not as simple as just adding oil – there’s also a relationship at play between omega 3 and omega 6, with the balance being key. Stephanie explained that “the ideal ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 in the diet is generally agreed to be around 2:1 – but many people will be closer to 25:1 in favour of omega 6, so the body is on fire, so to speak, with too much inflammation.”

We all know by now that inflammation isn’t good news (bar, Stephanie adds, when, say, fighting infections and healing wounds, which is where omega 6 comes into play). If that inflammation isn’t controlled, it will lead to all sorts of issues, especially on the skin, where problems like rashes and acne can be a direct result of the balance between omega 6 and omega 3 being off. It’s easy to do: omega 6 is everywhere (it’s massively high in seed oils like sunflower, vegetable, and soy oil), while omega 3 takes a more conscious effort to include in your diet, with Stephanie advising you can get it primarily in the form of “oily fish like mackerel, sardines and wild (not farmed) salmon. Grass-fed beef and lamb also have some omega 3.”

I knew I wouldn’t be able to get the amount needed from my diet often enough to reap the rewards, so I found omega supplements a really simple way to ensure I got the required intake.

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I’ve always dabbled in supplements. I’d take a course of probiotics, followed by maybe some vitamin D come September when the sun started to retreat. If I had a cold, I’d pop a bit of vitamin C magnesium if I couldn’t sleep. And, yes, omegas when I remembered. But around six months ago, after my conversation with Pamela Marshall, I decided to get serious about omega 3.

It took about a fortnight to notice the difference, which came in the form of having to cut my nails shorter; this usually doesn’t happen, as they bend or break before accruing any length, and I then file the broken portion away. But no, this time they needed a good trim with scissors. Next, my skin wasn’t so volatile, getting spotty less frequently and, when it did break out, I found the redness and swelling subsided more quickly. At around the four-month mark, I was convinced my hair also looked shinier and more abundant.

All these months on, I am still taking them because they truly have had an effect. When I told – and showed – Pam the improvements, she wasn’t surprised. She told me that she often sees the quality of her client’s skin change when they start regularly including omega 3 in their diet. Their skin tends to be more supple and healthy, vascular tendencies reduced, and breakouts minimised thanks to the pile-sebaceous unit calming down. What are you waiting for? Time to add omega 3s to your Black Friday basket. And thankfully, it’s currently reduced to just £5.07 (when you use the code “BLACK”), so give them a try today. You may be able to reap the same rewards as me.

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