Fish Oil

There is no doubt that Omega 3’s can not only help your heart and joints but it will also help your brain. Most people are aware of this, but do the benefits of Omega 3’s apply across
the board for all types of Omega 3’s? There are now many Companies in the world market today trying to capitalize on the Omega 3 ‘boom’ with such a wide range of products and so
many claims that it is hard for the consumer to sift out fact from fiction.

The purpose of today’s newsletter is to try and concisely as possible give you the facts about Omega 3.

I will try to explain the most important ones by dealing with each of them individually.

Important Point # 1

Your prime objective for consuming Omega 3 should be to get DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) into your body. The scientific evidence supporting the benefits of DHA is now overwhelming.
It is much more important than EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) which is the major Omega 3 component of most fish oils.

Important Point # 2

Not all Omega 3’s will provide you with DHA and EPA. This is because these essential fatty acids are not present in a lot of Omega 3 products. For example, ground flax seed is an
excellent oil for certain uses and contains Omega 3’s but does not actually contain any DHA or EPA at all. Instead it contains alpha linolenic acid which your body has to convert
to DHA and EPA.

In many people, particularly the elderly this conversion process is very inefficient. To give you an idea, it is estimated that most adults would have to consume 10 - 40 grams
of flaxseed oil to produce just 0.2 grams of DHA.

So, if you want to get the proven benefits of DHA don’t rely on getting your Omega 3’s from vegetable oils such as flaxseed. Note: There is however now some products being
produced from algae which contain good levels of DHA and do not require the body to convert the ALA to the DHA. But, they are still not readily available and they are expensive.

Important Point # 3

The best source of DHA is from fish oil. However, there are
some drawbacks with many fish oils:

1. The amount of DHA is low in most fish oils. A typical level is 12% DHA and 18% EPA. The popular ‘salmon‘ oils (which are not really salmon) are usually of the 12/18 type.

2. Many oils on the market today are from questionable
sources and some have high levels of heavy metals or other
contaminants such as PCB’s. To ensure that you don’t
ingest these contaminants, either use oils which have been
molecularly distilled, or are from impeccable sources with
a reliable certificate of analysis. This basically rules
out any oil which is processed from fish caught in the
Northern Hemisphere.

3. Most fish oils are of the triglyceride form which does not
easily pass through the cell membranes. (More on this
later)

Important Point # 4

Some suppliers of fish oil claim that it does not matter that the EPA is higher than the DPA because the body will convert part of the EPA to DPA. This is indeed true but like the
conversion of ALA to DHA the percentage of conversion is very low. This is due in part to the high consumption of Omega 6 in the typical Western diet.

Enzymes needed for the conversion are in ’short supply’ in the bodies of those people who have a reasonably high level of Omega 6 intake (via vegetable oils). This is because the
enzymes needed are ‘used up’ in having to deal with the processing of Omega 6 oils.

As a result, the conversion in most people is quite negligible which further supports ingesting the DHA directly.

Important Point # 5

As I indicated earlier most fish oils are in the triglyceride forms. A triglyceride consists of 3 fatty acids attached to a glycerol backbone. It does not pass easily through the cell membrane as it is changed. It also requires two enzyme steps to ‘release’ its fatty acids. Sometimes because of the structure of the triglycerides the fatty acids are not released but rather stay attached to the glycerol backbone.

In contrast, if the oil is esterified during the concentration and purification processes the resulting substance can easily enter the body’s cell membranes. The esterified molecule has
no charge and only requires one enterase enzyme to release the fatty acid. (DHA). This enables the body to use it as an immediate energy source, or store it for later use.

In Summary:

To receive the many benefits of DHA you have to consider
ensuring that you do as follows:

1. Find a source of fish oil that is high in DHA or
alternatively be prepared to take much higher doses of
conventional fish oil.

2. Ensure that the fish oil you use is molecularly distilled.

3. Try to find the oil in the Ester form for better
bio-availability.

In conclusion, try to find a quality fish oil supplement that meets these three criteria and your benefits will far outweigh the cost.

Warren Matthews is the Chairman of Xtend Life Natural Products, the manufacturer of a pure molecularly distilled fish oil ester with NO CONTAMINANTS and with exceptionally high levels of DHA! It is caught in the pristine Southern Ocean and is naturally free of contaminants.

XTEND-LIFE’s ‘Omega 3 / DHA Fish Oil Esters’ is available at
http://healthybody.xtend-life.com/default.asp?id=270030

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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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Fish oil is a great source for Omega-3 fatty acids. Most of the fats we eat are omega-6 or other types of fat, but cold water fish, nuts, and seeds contain Omega-3 fats. There are literally hundreds of studies and articles in the medical literature documenting the benefits of fish oil supplements. Of course eating a diet that is naturally high in Omega-3 fats is good, but these foods may be high in calories, which are not good for weight issues, or may contain heavy metals or pesticides, which if eaten too often can be harmful. So the literature recommends fish oil supplements for most people. And if you have high triglycerides, high cholesterol, vascular disease, a previous heart attack or stroke, attention deficit disorder, depression, or any inflammatory condition such as arthritis or colitis, fish oil can be a part of your treatment.

How much fish oil do I take? Well, if you are interested in maintaining good health and not treating any particular condition, the answer seems to be at least 1,000-2,000 mg per day of the Omega-3 fats. This dose reduces mortality from heart attacks, and reduces arrhythmias. Now the dosing can be confusing since each fish oil capsule contains 1,000 mg of fish oil but lesser amounts of the Omega-3 fats. To determine the amount of omega-3 content, you must read the fine print on the back label which will tell you how much EPA and DHA are in each 1,000 capsule. EPA and DHA are the specific Omega-3 fats. It will contain “x” amount of EPA and “y” amount of DHA. You must add these 2 numbers together to get the total amount of Omega-3 fats present in each fish oil capsule. If these numbers add to 300, a relatively low amount of omega-3 fats, then it will take 4-7 capsules a day to get at least 1,000-2,000 mg of omega 3 fats. This is the amount needed for those wishing to prevent certain problems long term but not treating any particular condition.

If you are trying to treat a specific condition, you need at least 2,000-7,000 mg a day of Omega- 3 fats. This may require 7-24 caps a day, which is too many for most people. So you must find a fish oil supplement that has more Omega-3 fats than 300 mg per capsule. Occasionally pharmacies such as Walgreens or CVS will carry them, but more often you must go to a health food store, a vitamin store, or find it on the internet. There is also a prescription fish oil called Omacor, which is high in Omega-3 fats, containing 840 mg per capsule of omega-3 fats. Four capsules a day will provide 3360 mg a day and is recommended for lowering triglyceride levels. Some doctors will recommend up to 7,000 mg a day of the Omega-3 fats for certain things, but you should do this only on the advice of a physician familiar with high doses of fish oil. Fish oil does “thin” the blood so that cuts will bleed a little longer than usual, but holding steady pressure on a minor cut for 5-10 minutes usually will stop the bleeding.

It is also important to buy a fish oil that is microfiltered to remove all the heavy metals. Salmon and other cold water fish are near the top of the food chain, and their fat accumulates any toxins, such as heavy metals, that are in the algae or smaller fish that they eat. We accumulate the same toxins in our bodies that we consume, so to avoid this, the fish oils are treated to remove such toxins. Also, salmon, or fish oil derived from farm grown fish, has been shown to have higher levels of pesticide residues from food and fertilizers in the water, so farm derived fish oil should be avoided. Ideally a pharmaceutical grade supplement is best if you choose not to take the prescription form. There are several good such supplements available. Ask your doctor for advice if you are not sure what to purchase.

http://www.essential-nutrients.net/

To learn more about supplements available that help prevent vitamin, mineral and essential nutrient depletion that are caused by the prescription or over the counter drugs you are taking:
http://www.essential-nutrients.net/store/PPF/Category_ID/11/products.asp

C. Donald Ford, MD, Diplomate of the American Board Internal Medicine. http://www.essential-nutrients.net/aboutus.htm

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