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Feed animals better for better health

To eat well, it is not enough to carefully choose the products that will fill our plate. A study by INRA (National Institute for Agronomic Research) reveals that to be in good health, it is necessary to feed animals better.

Meeting human needs

A change that notably involves increasing the intake of omega-3s in farms, by introducing, for example, flax or microalgae, rich in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Integrated into animal feed, these fatty acids can meet human needs, which are 2 g per day for alpha linolenic acid and 500 mg for long-chain derivatives (DHA), according to ANSES (Agence nationale de food safety). Problem:we only consume 800 mg and 200 to 250 mg respectively, as explained by Jacques Mourot, biochemist, specialist in human and animal nutrition at INRA in Rennes.

The ratio between omega-3 and omega-6 is also to be reviewed. While nutritionists advise not to consume five times more omega-6 than omega-3, human beings ingest 15 to 30 times more. An overabundance that favors the appearance of cardiovascular diseases. Rebalancing these intakes would restore all of their benefits to these fatty acids.