Consumers have been using omega 3 fish oil for heart issues for a long time. They do it because it is effective. Many of the most recent studies show why it works so well and offers new directions on the daily amounts of omega 3s that should be considered.
Knowledgeable consumers are taking omega 3 fish oil for what is in it. That would be the two essential fatty acids, DHA and EPA. Essential means that our bodies cannot make them. Any supplement that tries to claim any benefits of fish oil for heart health has to have these two fats in it.
Initial reports of the heart health benefits of these marine fatty acids were reported in the early 1970s by Danish researchers in The Lancet and The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. They tried to discover how Greenland Eskimos, [the Inuit] could eat a high fat diet and still have one of the lowest death rates from cardiovascular disease on earth.
Fast forward 40 years to a recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The researchers analyzed levels of EPA and DHA in red blood cells in a cross-section of 357 Yup'ik Eskimos in Alaska. They found that the data showed EPA and DHA represented an average 2.8 and 6.8 percent, respectively, of the total fatty acid content of red blood cells.
In other words, these two omega 3 fats were 10% of the total fat in red blood cells. Notice also that the DHA content was twice that of EPA. I suspect you know what happened next.
Just as in Greenland, forty years ago, the fish oil for heart health connection was very strong - lower triglycerides and lower LDL [the "bad"] cholesterol. Increased levels of DHA were positively linked with more HDL [the "good"] cholesterol.
Team leader, Dr. Zeina Makhoul from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle said: "Increasing EPA and DHA intakes to amounts well above those consumed by the general US population may have strong beneficial effects on chronic disease risk."
It does not take much omega 3 to exceed that of the "general US population." However, to reach the type of DHA/EPA levels that the Yup'ik Eskimos have can realistically only be done by supplement.
The AHA and FDA both big jumped on the fish oil for heart health bandwagon years ago. However, they caution against consuming more than three grams per day of DHA /EPA without at least consulting doctor.
Last, do your own investigating. The fish oil I take for heart benefits is a clean product whose omega 3 proportions are just like those discussed in the study. My website will provide more help in this area.
Author Resource:
Get my free five-part mini course on the benefits of omega 3, including critical information on why you should take omega3 fish oil .
To sign up for the course and get more tips on the importance of omega 3, visit my website: http://www.omega-3-guide.com/
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