Why does every health freak freak out about this? In short: Omega-3's are Omega. They help keep your heart beating, arteries clear, eyes seeing, and.....makes you happier?
In long: There's some science. Omega-3's refer to Omega-3 fatty acids which are a class of molecules that help orchestrate the necessary chemical actions in your body. In English, that means Omega-3's are tools your body uses to get certain tasks done. They are the shovel for digging, the keyboard for typing, and the deodorant for dating.
There are many types of molecules that are classified as Omega-3's and each has their own benefits. The two main Omega-3 molecules humans need are: DHA and EPA (I'll spare you the actual long names).
You can get both DHA and EPA from natural foods such as salmon, herring, and others. However, many H freaks take fish oil supplements for Omega-3's because fish gets old (or rotten?) after a while. When it comes to dosage, you can get benefits from 500mg/day supplement. A salmon for dinner usually has about 1000mg/day. For more information about specific dosages, WebMD and the NIH are good sources.
The main reason why fish oil is such a big deal in the US is because of our diet. The western diet is filled with Omega-6's, but has barely any Omega-3's. The research shows that when you have one type of omega fatty acid in much higher concentration than the other, several problems can occur. In some western diets, there is almost 16 times more Omega-6's than Omega-3's. That's like calling 16 bowls of cereal and one apple "all part of a balanced breakfast." When you balance your Omega's out, you get less inflammation, decreased cancer risk, and more smiles.
There are some downsides to fish oil that we all should be aware of. WebMD writes how fish oil can thin your blood, which can be serious if you do not clot very well. There are a range of other effects caused by fish oil such as drug interactions, nausea, heartburn, and more that you should check first with your doctor.
© Nicholas Shah and Learning More Than Living, 2013. Please note that the material included this was not written by a licensed medical professional. Therefore, please consult your physician before trying anything suggested in this article. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicholas Shah and Learning More Than Living with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Thank You.
(Omega) 3 things to think about...
ReplyDelete1. http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-3-000316.htm is like this article, but quite more informative; Mentioning important issues such as interference with diabetes medication and raising blood glucose levels.
2. That chart is misleading at best. The "MAY help" in the title should be clarified as some of these have more evidence than others. The article linked above mentions mixed result for depression, and how Omega 3s (specifically ALA) can worsen eye diseases such macular degeneration. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/993.html has a complete list for strength of evidence for conditions, as well as listing what there is insufficient evidence for, such as helping with Crohn's Disease.
3."They help keep your heart beating, arteries clear, eyes seeing, and.....makes you happier?" I agree the question mark should be there.
Some fat points...
ReplyDelete1. This post isn’t supposed to be the end all be all of information about these supplements and doesn’t claim to be. It’s just a bit informative and raises awareness.
2. There has been some observational data at least for all the claims there, and Chron’s disease isn’t even on the chart so why bring it up? Probably an inside joke of sorts but no need to bring it up in a public forum.
3. As mentioned there is observation data, and omega-3s wouldn’t hurt any of these things.
-A Random Guy on the Internet