Fish oil beneficial for many health problems, incuding ADD

[Guest guest]

Yes, Omega-3 fatty acid in the form of pharmaceutical-grade fish oil

is apparently beneficial for many health problems, including ADD,

heart disease, hyperetension, depression, inflamatory problems such

as arthritis, and many more. Dr. Barry Sears points out, though, that

if you need to take high doses to deal with problems like these, you

should take pharmaceutical-grade fish oil, which offers more EPA and

DHA per gram of oil, as well as higher purity.

 

You can learn more about the important differences between

pharmaceutical-grade fish oil and health-food-store-grade fish oil at:

 

http://www.authentic-breathing.com/fish_oil.htm

 

, lynnatcs@c... wrote:

>

> Here's something I found on omega-3....

>

> Fish and Nuts Are Brain Foods

> Contain essential fats that improve memory

> By Ross Grant

> HealthScoutNews Reporter

>

> TUESDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthScoutNews) -- The essential fats found in

fish and nuts help more than your heart.

> They can also reduce memory loss and strokes, claims a new study.

> " When we don't have enough omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in our

system, it can lead to a heart attack or a stroke. You're not getting

enough oxygen to your brain, and you are overloading your heart, "

explains study author Vallie Holloway, a researcher at Loyola

University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill.

> Those two fatty acids, which are found in fish, nuts, seeds and

some oils, are needed for a long list of body functions. However,

while the human body manufactures most of the fats it needs, it does

not make these two elements, requiring people to get them from their

diets.

> A string of recent studies have linked these essential fats to

healthy hearts and blood vessels, but Holloway's study also targeted

the effects of one of them, omega-6, on brain function.

> " I would like to either stop or retard Alzheimer's disease, " says

the researcher, who was to present her findings today at the American

Physiological Society's convention in San Diego.

> Holloway studied 180 rats for a year to examine how their diets

influenced their blood pressure and memory. Half of the rats were

bred to have high blood pressure, and the other half were bred for

low blood pressure. While all of the rats were given a normal diet

and a regular regimen of maze-running, half of each group also got a

supplement of omega-6 fatty acids.

> The results were striking. The hypertensive rats that didn't get

the omega-6 supplement saw their blood pressure increase as their

brain function decreased. At four months, the rats had already

forgotten part of the maze, and at six months their memory functions

were badly deteriorated.

> " It was like they were aging before your eyes, " Holloway says.

> By contrast, the hypertensive rats that got the supplement realized

a drop in blood pressure and held onto their memory functions much

longer. Rather than four months, these rats started forgetting parts

of the maze at six months.

> Holloway explained her results by focusing on the fats that clog

blood vessels. In the feeder blood vessels in the brain, plaque

buildup can cause clotting, which leads to strokes and Alzheimer's.

At the same time, clogging of the arteries forces the heart to work

harder in pumping blood, leading to possible heart failure.

> Ironically, the body has a mechanism to limit this buildup, but

poor nutrition often stands in the way, she says. When the brain

senses an increase in the blood pressure, it sends a signal through

the blood vessels to dilate the vessel walls, thereby allowing more

blood to pass through. However, the process requires omega-6 and

omega-3 fatty acids, which are often in short supply in the body,

especially in old age.

> " Basically your body doesn't produce enough of the chemical to

dilate the blood vessels, " Holloway says. " When we get older we need

lots of things, and this is one of them. "

> Ann Yelmokas McDermott, a researcher at Tufts University's Friedman

School of Nutrition Science and Policy in Boston, argues the broader

issue is finding the proper balance between these two fats. People

can't just take supplements of both because they compete for the same

enzymes within the body, she says.

> " The omega-6 takes care of one set of problems, and the omega-3

takes care of another set of problems. We need them both. But the

ratio has to be correct, " McDermott says. " The American diet is very

high in omega-6 rather than omega-3 fats. It's thought that it should

be the inverse for optimal health. "

> She argues that we should take in one part omega-3 fats to four

parts omega-6 fats. Yet the ratio for most American eaters is 9-1. In

Japan, where more people eat fish and live longer, the ratio is 1-1.

In some European diets, the ratio is 12-1, McDermott says.

> To find a better ratio, people can make a few simple substitutions

in their diets. For example, instead of safflower oil, which has 77

parts omega-6 to one part omega-3, try canola oil, which is 2-1.

Instead of margarine, 13-1, try butter, 1.5-1.

> " What does this research mean to human beings? It shows that food

can affect health and have medicinal properties, " McDermott

says. " Our bodies can't create these fatty acids themselves. So

they're a big deal to our health. "

>

> " Heartwork " <Heartwork@b...> wrote:

>

> >

> >> Second is taking omega-3

> >>fatty acid in the form of pharmaceutical-grade fish oil.

> >

> >For veggies and vegans omega 3 fatty acids are found in flax seed

oil.

> >

> >BB

> >Jo

> >

> >

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