Fish Oil

While health experts argue the benefits of some health supplements, the evidence continues to mount in favor of fish oil. Fish and fish oil supplements supply us with the Omega 3 fatty acids that are needed for heart and brain health. Even the American Heart Association strongly endorses the use of fish oil for cardiovascular health. Why? Because those with diets rich in Omega 3 fats are less likely to have high blood pressure or irregular heart rhythms, and are less likely to die from heart attacks or strokes.

Omega 3 fatty acids are also beneficial for brain health. The human brain is more than sixty percent structural fat. But, the type of fat needed for the brain to function properly is Omega 3 fatty acids. According to recent research, decreasing your intake of Omega 6 fats (primarily vegetable oils) along with increasing Omega 3 fatty acids, reduces the risk of depression, aggressive behavior, attention deficit disorder, schizophrenia and lowers your risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Other current studies with Omega 3 fats have shown benefits with regards to cancer, inflammatory diseases, diabetes and other health related conditions.

Of course we all know that there are good fats and bad fats. Any artificially produced fat, called transfats, are not good for us and saturated fats should always be kept at a minimum.

But there is a type of fat called EFA’s (Essential Fatty Acids) that are not only good for you but essential for normal growth and development. Furthermore, your body can’t manufacture them, so you must get them from your diet. Essential Fatty Acids are polyunsaturated and are grouped into Omega 6 and Omega 3’s.

Although both types of Omegas are essential for health, experts agree that our diet ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fatty acids is greatly unbalanced. While our ancestor’s diets consisted of a diet ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 of about 1:1, our modern dietary habits now reflect a ratio closer to 20:1 to 50:1.

According to Dr. Donald Rudin, author of Omega 3 Oils, fatty acids are the main structural components of every cell membrane in the body, and therefore influence every process in the cell. He concludes that a balanced intake of essential fatty acids is necessary for both healthy cell function and a sense of well-being.

The permeability of the cell depends on the essential fatty acids. This allows nutrients into the cell and toxins to escape. When we rely on other fats to do the job required of Omegas 3 fats the structure of the membrane of each cell becomes stiff and unable to remain healthy enough to do its job.

The primary sources of Omega 6 fats are canola, soy, corn, safflower and sunflower oil. These oils are overabundant in the typical diet, which explains our excess Omega 6 levels. Omega 3 fats are typically found in flaxseed, walnuts and fish.

The Omega 3 fatty acids found in cold-water fish, such as tuna, salmon, trout and mackerel consists of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). Omega 3’s in the form of ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) can be found in flaxseed and walnut oils, and seaweed. However, the body must convert ALA to DHA and EPA to derive the heart & brain healthy benefit. This conversion however, is often difficult for some people to make. Therefore getting your Omega 3 fat acids directly from cold water fish or fish oil supplements may be your best bet.

Omega 3 fatty acidsAn important addition to True Healthy Living Now!

Due to personal health issues we have been researching health & fitness for the last five years. The information we have obtained has helped us and our family members get off pharmaceutical drugs and regain a level of health we had never known. Please visit us at http://www.truehealthylivingnow.blogspot.com.

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The endless, immeasurable brain. It does seem like more we discover about it, the more mystery we create.
Perhaps the most intriguing of all is the child’s brain. In certain ways, children are the most brilliant people in the world. They have the ability to absorb more information than we can conceive of as adults.

Divided into two primary spheres which communicate with one other, the brain has numerous parts, each having very distinct functions.
The cerebral cortex is the factory of thought, learning, voluntary movement, language and reason. The cerebellum, the primary hub of the brain, is responsible for movement and balance. The hypothalamus senses heat and hunger while it controls sleep and a variety of other behaviors.
In addition, The brain contains cerebrospinal fluid, which basically keeps the brain afloat. This fluid that travels from the brain all the way down to the spinal cord protects the brain from the damage that can be caused by car accidents and the like.

A child is born with over one hundred billion brain cells, or neurons. These form connections called synapses which make up the actual wiring of the brain. The brain’s growth is largely due to changes in each individual neuron, which often resemble trees.

The first 3 years of a child’s life is quite important to brain development and will determine the strength and function of the wiring system.
Babies thrive on direct interaction in the same way that trees thrive on water and sun. Researchers found that kids who are often spoken to by their mothers learn almost 300 more words by the age of two than kids whose mothers barely speak to them.

Perhaps the primary difference between the child brain and the adult brain is that the young brain is much more impressionable. That is good since it means that young kids’s brains are much more open to enriching things. But it is also bad as it means their brains are much more vulnerable to non-nurturing environments and the mental trauma and developmental problems that come along with that.

For more information about brain function visit Fish Oil, Brain Research to learn more.

Ryan Joseph is a writer and researcher. Fore more info go to http://www.fishoilresearch.com/

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We sometimes hear about ways that we can take care of our organs by the foods we injest. When we think about our diet we cannot help but think about the effect our choices have on our heart, liver and other internal and external organs. And yet, what of the brain? When it comes to our diet, the brain has generally been the most overlooked organ, when the brain is actually affected quite strongly by our dietary choices.
Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids are among the very best brain nutrients. As it turns out, omega-3’s apparently protect the brain. Omega-3 fatty acids are made out of DHA (or docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (or eicosapentaenoic acid).

Perhaps the top asset to the brain is DHA, the principal polyunsaturated fat in the central nervous system. DHA is claimed to have a direct effect on brain chemistry, development and functioning. DHA is vitally important for individuals of all ages, but DHA is as critical to a child’s diet as TV shows are to prime time television. The richest single source of omega-3 fatty acids can be found in fish and/or fish oil.

There are a number of ways that the omega-3’s found in fish oil may manage the brain. Here are a few of them, based on scientific research.
DHA assists in regulating serotonin, a neurotransmitter known for keeping us “feeling good.” Continually sad people often have relatively low levels of serotonin. Research suggests people that injest large amounts of fish are less likely to be chronically sad. Furthermore, a scientific study from Australia confirmed that the most severely saddened participants had imbalances of fatty acids in their cell membranes as well as in their blood.

Fish Oil may also encourage calm thinking. The expression of stress-triggered aggression has proven to be less likely if your brain is under the influence of fish oil, according to an extensive study in Japan. In a test of forty-one adult students, those taking 1.5 to 1.8 grams of DHA (in fish oil) for three months were less likely to become more aggressive at a time of mental stress: final exams. On the other side of the study, students taking dummy capsules displayed sometimes rather explosive moments of social aggression.

This might also explain why fish oil is good for heart health. Stress hormones triggered by anger and hostility may constrict the arteries and accelerate the formation of blockages. Fish oil is claimed to restrict the release of such detrimental hormones.

Babies must get adequate omega-3 oils (from fish oil or other sources) for top brain development. In a study of premature babies, those fed breast milk had eight points higher IQ at age eight than those fed standard infant formula. This seems to suggest that the higher amounts of DHA in breast milk may contribute to superior intelligence. For additional detail visit visit

Fish Oil Facts to learn more about fish oil.

Ryan Joseph is a writer/researcher. For more info visit http://www.pharmaceutical-grade-fish-oil.biz/

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