The Omega-3 Rage Continues! Today, More Americans Are Eager To Gain The Promising Health Benefits Of Omega-3 Fatty Acids.

By Jean Kelly


Bad fats, good fats ...fatty acids is a balancing act! Are you getting enough omega-3 fatty acids? To help your omega-3 supplements work better, here are some tips:

What about you? Are you wondering how omega-3 supplements can help you? Omega-3 fatty acids were made popular after two major people group studies observed the dietary patterns of the Greenland Inuit tribe and those who followed a Mediterranean diet.

Take your supplements all at once or throughout the day, as you prefer, but stick to a consistent schedule.Your body needs a supply of good fats for energy and the normal development and growth of brain and heart cells.

Omega-3 and omega-6 are essential fatty acids that cannot be manufactured by the body. As such, we must obtain these essential nutrients through dietary sources. Both omega-6 and omega-3 have an opposing effect in bodily functions. Omega-6 produce hormones in the body that are known to support inflammation (garnering an immune response), the clotting of blood, cellular proliferation. Omega-6, on the other hand, produce hormones that regulate these same functions in the opposite direction. The body requires a balance of hormones for optimal health.

Your body uses omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals to form the outer walls of every cell. This healthy cell structure helps maintain vital metabolic functions. And since your body cannot produce DHA or synthesize it from food, you need to add it to your diet or take DHA supplements.

Over the years our dependency on fast and processed foods have increased leading to a high intake of omega-6 and not enough of omega-3 fatty acids. The average American diet contains about 14 to 25 times more omega-6 than omega-3. This imbalance in the essential fatty acids is believed to lead to many major ailments prevalent today. Experts advise getting a higher dose of omega 3 while limiting your intake of omega 6 fatty acids.

The general consensus from scientific research agrees that everyone should get more omega-3 in their diets. We, therefore, need to up our intake of omega 3. Omega-3 are abundantly present in fish like salmon, tuna, halibut and mackerel.

EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid)...EPA helps in the synthesis of hormone-like substances called prostaglandins, with benefits for cardiovascular and joint health.Supportive but not conclusive research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. EPA also plays a role in supporting the natural movement of joints.

Your body uses omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals to form the outer walls of every cell. This healthy cell structure helps maintain normal metabolic functions. And since your body cannot produce EPA or synthesize it from food, you need to add it to your diet or take EPA supplements.

Estimates from studies in Stone Age nutrition and modern-day hunter-gatherer populations suggest that humans have consumed a diet consisting of fish, meat, fruits, and vegetables for thousands of years. This diet was much lower in saturated fatty acids than our current diet and contained small amounts of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, in a 2:1 ratio.

Supports the regulation of normal blood sugar. A few studies show that omega 3 supplements may be used as a proactive nutritional measure to support normal Glycemic levels.

Supports joint health. Since omega 3 fatty acids have an anti-inflammatory effect, many people have found great relief from joint discomfort by taking omega-3 supplements.

Trawling and refrigeration have increased the popularity of white fish, like cod and haddock, over fatty shoreline fish like herring and sardines. White fish contains much lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids.

Production-oriented agricultural practices have decreased the omega-3 content in green leafy vegetables, eggs - and even farm-raised fish - compared to the amounts found in the wild version of these same sources.

Supports healthy skin, eyes and hair. Omega 3 supplements help to promote healthy skin, eyes, and hair.

Omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids can complement each other if they are in a healthy balance with each other. One way to restore the ratio is to increase omega-3 levels.

But studies show that it's equally important to lower omega-6 intake, overall. This was the conclusion of a 1999 Workshop on the Essentiality of Omega-6 and Omega-3 Fatty Acids, which was attended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the World Health Organization, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.




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