Heart disease in all its various forms is the number one killer in the U.S. with more than 600,000 deaths per year. That’s about 10% more than are killed by cancer and almost 10 times more than succumb to diabetes. To combat this epidemic, the medical community is doing all they can to educate the public about lifestyle changes that can be made to reduce the risk of heart disease. One of the most frequent warnings is to reduce the amount of fat in your diet.
But not all fats are the same. One class of fats, Omega-3 fatty acids, may very well have definite benefits. Omega-3 fatty acids have only been studied for a few decades and not all is known about how they act in the body. But research strongly suggests that including them in your diet will help reduce the risk of heart disease. Other studies indicate other benefits such as relieving the symptoms of depression and arthritis.
In nature, omega-3 is derived from several different sources. The most well known is probably fish like Salmon and Tuna. These omega-3s, DHA and EPA, seem to have the most beneficial effects on health. Yet another type of omega-3 is known as ALA and is found in botanicals such as Chia seed, nuts, flax seed, and greens with dark leaves like spinach. When the omega-3 is eaten from one of these sources, the body will convert some of the ALA omega-3 into both EPA and DHL. Plus, the ALA has its own health benefits. The human body cannot manufacture omega-3 on its own so it must be obtained through our diet.
The research into all types of omega-3 is showing that the chief aid to health is that it reduces inflammation in the circulatory system, joints and other parts of the body as well. It also appears that omega-3 can lower the possibility of both an abnormal heart rhythm and a higher than optimal heart rate
Omega-3 also appears to lower the levels of triglycerides (fat) in the blood. High levels of triglycerides are a known factor of heart disease. Omega-3 also reduces the amount of plaque buildup inside the blood vessels and so has some effect on preventing stroke. For all these reasons, and more, omega-3s also have a positive influence on high blood pressure.
Besides cardiovascular disease, omega-3 also seems to have positive effects on Rheumatoid Arthritis, depression, and conditions of the brain such as dementia and ADHD.
As promising as these studies are, they are not yet complete. While omega-3 should be in everyone’s diets, they should not be viewed as a cure all for a wide array of conditions.
It is a good idea to not pay attention to all the advertising and marketing noise currently being generated by parts of the food industry. As yet there is no requirement to list the amount of omega-3 added to a particular product and the amount may well be minimal at best.
For best results, get your omega-3 from a supplement such as Chia seed or by adding food types such as fish to your diet.
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