Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Non-benefical Without a Specific Gene

Since the 1970s, society was led to believe that omega 3 fatty acids, found in fish oil, help prevent heart disease. Now contrary to that belief, new studies show that the original study was incorrect and few people can actually metabolize omega 3. According to a New York Times article, "Inuit Study Adds Twist to Omega-3 Fatty Acids’ Health Story", those of Inuit descent have a specific gene which allows them to metabolize omega 3 fatty acids. Since the Inuit people lived in the Arctic for many generations and their only source of food was fish and meat, their population had to adapt to survive. Thus, the entire population eventually acquired this gene due to natural selection. This gene which is only found in 25 percent of the Chinese population and 2 percent of the European population, is now in almost every Inuit.

It is amazing to see an example of natural selection in homo sapiens; in first world countries it is easy to forget about natural selection because of the technologies which are used to prolong the lives of those with genetic defects. This is exemplified by artificial insemination; people who cannot have kids because of faulty genes are now able to have children because technology is advanced enough to bypass natural processes. I also find it interesting that Danish scientists concluded that fish oil prevents heart disease just because the Inuits have a low heart disease rate. There could have been many genetic factors to create this low rate, but despite all possibilities they decided fish oil was the true cause of the low rate. The Inuit people did not all originally have this gene; the number of those who possessed this gene was probably similar to those of China (25%), but after many generations of living without vegetation, the only Inuits which were able to survive were the ones with this gene. This event depicts a perfect example of natural selection in homo sapiens.