Omega 3
What is Omega 3?
EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) are the two principal fatty acids found in fish. They belong to a family of essential nutrients known as omega-3 fatty acids. The body can manufacture both EPA and DHA from another essential fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) — found in flaxseed oil, canola oil, soy oil and walnut oil — but only to a limited extent
What is it for?
Omega 3 apparently able to prevent quite a number of disease. Below list few of them..
Cardiovascular Disease:
Increased consumption of fish oil may help slow the progression of atherosclerosis and thereby prevent heart attacks, and also reduce risk of sudden death due to cardiac arrythmias. Omega-3 fatty acids have a number of heart-healthy effects, including reducing triglyceride levels, raising levels of HDL (”good”) cholesterol and, possibly, “thinning” the blood, reducing levels of homocysteine and reducing blood pressure. Fish oils also appear to enhance the effectiveness of statin drugs used to improve cholesterol profile.
Arthritis and Other Inflammatory Diseases:
EPA and DHA have been tried in the treatment of symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis with considerable success (especially in early stages of the disease). These oils may also be useful in the treatment of menstrual cramps, inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease), lupus, and IgA nephropathy.
Psychiatric and Mental Disorders:
For reasons that are less clear, omega-3s seem to help depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, according to a limited number of double-blind trials. Fish oil has also been proposed for attention deficit disorder, borderline personality disorder, dyslexia and cognitive impairment, but as yet the supporting evidence for these uses remains exceedingly preliminary.
Other Diseases:
Other proposed uses of fish oils with some support include asthma, Raynaud’s phenomenon (abnormal sensitivity of hands and feet to cold), chronic fatigue syndrome, cystic fibrosis, osteoporosis, reducing the risk of prostate cancer and preventing weight loss during cancer chemotherapy. DHA is important for normal development and functioning of the brain and retina in the fetus and in infants and may also reduce the risk of premature delivery in pregnant women.
Summary of Recommendations for Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intake
| Population | Recommendation |
| Patients without documented coronary heart disease (CHD) | Eat a variety of (preferably fatty) fish at least twice a week. Include oils and foods rich in alpha-linolenic acid (flaxseed, canola and soybean oils; flaxseed and walnuts). |
| Patients with documented CHD | Consume about 1 g of EPA+DHA per day, preferably from fatty fish. EPA+DHA supplements could be considered in consultation with the physician. |
| Patients who need to lower triglycerides | 2 to 4 grams of EPA+DHA per day provided as capsules under a physician’s care. |
Patients taking more than 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids from supplements should do so only under a physician’s care. High intakes could cause excessive bleeding in some people.
Written by Ting Ting on June 26th, 2006 with
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