Category: Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Vegans Need Dietary Supplements to Prevent Heart Disease

 

fruit and veg
Image via NASA

A healthy diet is essential to maintaining your vision.  Plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are key to the health of the eyes and the body as a whole.  Generally, we do not believe that eating some meat is detrimental to health, but we support the many who people will choose to follow vegetarian and vegan diets.

A new study focuses on how people who follow vegan diets are likely to be deficient in both omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12.  They should take supplements of both to ward off heart disease, researchers publishing in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Vegans can potentially run a higher risk of developing blood clots and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), which can lead to heart attacks and stroke.

Historically, medical research indicates that meat eaters are more likely to develop heart disease than vegetarians and vegans, but if people do not eat meat they often have low levels of “good” HDL cholesterol.  Taking omega-3 and vitamin B supplements can help offset this risk.

Source: Nutraingredients

 

 

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Help Fight Diabetic Retinopathy and Macular Degeneration

Omega-3 & Diabetic retinopathy
image via www.research.gov

A new study further supports what we know about how beneficial omega-3 fatty acids can be, particularly in the prevention of diabetic retinopathy. This new study, performed at Children’s Hospital Boston, describes how these “good fats” most commonly found in fish oil actually work to prevent diabetic retinopathy.

Both diabetic retinopathy and another potentially blinding condition, macular degeneration, are caused by the abnormal growth of leaky blood vessels within the eyes.  Mice whose diets were supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids (which many people on a Western diet do not get enough of) were 50% less likely to have these eye conditions compared to other mice who were given lots of omega-6’s (fats more commonly found in the Western food chain).

This study shows how omega-3 fatty acids actually have  “a direct effect on blood vessel growth (angiogenesis) that selectively promotes the growth of healthy blood vessels and inhibits the growth of abnormal vessels.”

Source: MedicalNewsToday.com

Learn more about how to prevent diabetic retinopathy through diet, lifestyle habits, and other supplements.

See information on natural treatment options for macular degeneration.

Fatty Acids Reduce PMS and Ward Off Eye Disease

Fatty Acids & Diabetic retinopathy
Image via womenshealth.gov

Here’s another reason to include fatty acids in your diet: they may help relieve premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

A study published in the journal Reproductive Health showed that, compared to placebo, women who took one to two grams of fatty acids per day reported an alleviation of PMS symptoms.  Researchers note that taking a daily dose of fatty acids did not increase cholesterol levels.

Source: nutraceuticalsworld.com

Fatty acids, in the form of omega-3s and omega 6-s have been shown to help prevent and improve conditions such as macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.

Ginkgo & PMS

Another study shows that supplementing with Gingko Biloba can significantly reduce physical and psychological symptoms due to PMS. Overall severity of symptoms in the Gingko groups was 34.80% before the treatment and reduced to 11.11% after the treatment.

Ozgoli G, Selselei E. Mojab F. Majd H. A randomized placebo-controlled trial of Gingko Biloba L., in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome. J Altern Complement Med. 2009 Aug:15(8):845-51

 

Mercury in Fish Can Increase Blood Pressure: Find Omegas in Other Sources for Heart and Eye Health

Your new year’s resolutions may well include eating better, both for the health of your heart and the health of your eyes.  The essential fatty acids found in fish can be a great addition to your diet.

In particular, omega-3 fatty acids help to reduce cholesterol and increase circulation to the retina.  Omega-6 fatty acids are important as they protect cells from degenerative changes and reduce inflammation throughout the body. Both Omega 3s and 6s help prevent and even treat glaucoma and macular degeneration.

ocean
image via noaa.gov

A word of caution about your fish intake the effect of mercury which contaminates the larger ocean predator fish (tuna, swordfish, marlin, sharks, etc): too much mercury in the body can raise your blood pressure.

Source: theheart.org/article/1010897.doc

Small fish like sardines are a safe choice, but there are non-swimming sources of essential fatty acids out there too.  Find omega-3s in flax seed oil, black current oil, walnuts and walnut oils, dark leafy vegetables, eggs (preferably from free range chickens), spices (including mustard, fennel, cumin, and fenugreek).  Get your omega-6s from evening primrose, borage and black currant oils.


Learn more about food sources of nutrients and how they can benefit your eyes and your whole body.

Omega-3s Found in Fish Fight Macular Degeneration

fish in ocean
image via noaa.gov

When people between 65 and 84 eat fish weekly they are less likely to develop macular degeneration.

The study published in the journal Ophthalmology credits the intake of omega-3 fatty acids with helping to ward off macular degeneration.  Source: https://www.ophthalmologyjournaloftheaao.com

Dietary supplements are also a good source of omega 3s.

For more research into macular degeneration, click here.

To learn about other ways to prevent and treat macular degeneration visit our website.

Omega Fatty Acids Treat Macular Degeneration, Retinitis Pigmentosa, Diabetic Retinopathy

seafood
image via FDA

Scientists are continually evaluating the powerful compounds found in omega-3 fatty acids to determine further ways they can be used to make us healthier.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association sought to find out whether taking omega-3 supplements could help those who suffer from atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeats caused by the upper chambers of the heart beating out of sync with the upper potentially leading to a stroke).  In this case, the researchers did not find that taking omega-3 supplements over six months helped decrease instances of atrial fibrillation.  Source: https://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/304/21/2363?rss=1

But, there have been numerous other studies that have shown how omega fatty acids can be very beneficial, specifically to those suffering from macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and diabetic retinopathy.

For more research on the eye and overall health conditions that you are most concerned about, visit our research index.

Omega-3s Help Prevent Gum Disease

dentist working
via womenshealth.gov

Let’s add to the list of conditions that can be treated effectively with omega-3 fatty acids: gum disease.

Research published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association shows that omega-3s DHA and EPA can help to reduce periodontitis by up to 20%.  Periodontitis, a chronic inflammation of the gums that causes the gum to separate from the tooth and harbor infection that can result in bone and tooth loss, affects more than 30 million Americans.

Up until now, prevention of periodontitis has generally only included keeping the teeth and mouth clean and applying antibiotics locally.  Researchers are optimistic that the condition can respond to dietary therapy.

Fish oil is the primary source of omega-3 fatty acids.  It can be found in supplement form or you can focus on foods that are high in DHA and EPA:  Cold water fish (including salmon, tuna, mackerel, halibut), flax seed oil, black current oil, walnuts and walnut oils, dark leafy vegetables, eggs (from free range chickens preferred), spices (including mustard, fennel, cumin and Fenugreek).
Source: Nutraingredients

Study of Fish Oil Quality and Content

fish oil capsules
Image courtesy of nccam.nih.gov

Independent testing by a White Plains, NY firm, ConsumerLab.com, has found that 7 of 24 fish oil supplements tested exhibited quality problems.  Some products exhibited multiple issues.

  • Three products contained less of the omega 3 fatty acids EPA and/or DHA than claimed,
  • Three product were spoiled (including a children’s supplement)
  • One enteric-coated product released its ingredients too early
  • One supplement for pets exceeded the contamination limit for PCBs.

We recommend fish oil supplements highly because their Omega-3 fatty acids help improve circulation, integrity of blood vessels, proper brain functioning, flexibility and permeability of cell membranes, and helps protect the retina’s photoreceptor cells.  They help to prevent and treat such conditions as glaucoma and macular degeneration.

You can access detailed test results at ConsumerLab.com

Omega-3s Can Reduce Heart Failure Hospitalizations

Image courtesy of sokhcn.baria-vungtau.gov.vn

Here’s another example of how omega 3 fatty acids can benefit your health: omega-3s can help people suffering from heart failure.

In a study presented at the Heart Failure Society of America 2010 Scientific Meeting, researchers stated that those taking omega-3s over a four year period “demonstrated a minor but statistically significant improvement in LVEF [left ventricular ejection fraction]. . . these effects were also associated with a reduction in hospitalizations for heart failure.”

Source: heartwire

We highly recommend that those wishing to prevent or suffering from such eye conditions as glaucoma, cone-rod disorders, retinitis pigmentosa, or diabetic retinopathy consider taking a daily dose of omega-3 fish oil.  Check with your doctor first, however, if you are taking a blood thinner.

DHA / Painkillers Destroy Cancer Cells

Researchers have recently discovered that the omega-3 fatty acid DHA can kill cancer cells while babies are in vitro.

Scientists tested the effect of DHA on cultured neuroblastoma cells (common cells associated with infancy and childhood cancers) and analyzed them for DHA’s metabolic byproducts. They found that while DHA itself destroyed the cancer cells, the fatty acid’s derivatives were even more effective at killing these cells.

According to Life Extension Magazine, “The current study and previous research show that while DHA has been demonstrated to help protect neural cells from stress-induced apoptosis (programmed cell death), it also induces apoptosis in neuroblastoma cells.” Study author Helena Gleissman PhD says “We hope that this study can provide a deeper understanding of the actions of omega-3 fatty acids and their products in cancer cells, and why they can be of such high importance in treatment of the disease.”

Source: lef.org

Painkillers

Researchers report that common pain killers such as aspirin may be connected to cancer cells self-destruction.

They report that the connection between taking anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin and lower occurences of some  cancers caused them to investigate how one such drug, which is used to treat fever and pain, could have the effect of causing the death of cancer cells.

Researchers:  Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif