A Nutritional Supplement / Fish Oil

Nutritional Supplement / Fish Oil

Greetings Everybody!!

I pray that God blesses us not only with things (physical) to help us
to better enjoy life (i.e. a nice home, a good running car, a pool, a
boat, diamond earrings etc.) but also that God blesses us with the
kind of life (spiritual) to better enjoy our things. For the record,
I also pray that God is merciful and graceful towards us. For all the
unbelievers out there.... humor me. There are for worse things than
having someone beseech/implore the blessings of an all-powerful
Creator on your behalf.


The Herb-Of-The-Week for this week is a fantastic nutritional
supplement that is literally in out face everyday.

We've all heard the expression that fish is brain food. It seems that
there is a lot of truth in this because of the particulat kinds of
oils found in fish. All fats and oils do not contribute to high
cholesterol levels and clogged arteries. There are good fats and there
are bad fats. Artificially produced trans-fatty acids (HYDROGENATED
VEGETABLE OIL WHICH IS PRESENT IN ALMOST ALL OF OUR PROCESSED FOOD)
are bad in any amount and saturated fats from animal products should
be kept to a minimum. The best fats or oils rather, since they are
liquid at room temperature, are those that contain the essential fatty
acids so named because without them we die. Essential fatty acids are
polyunsaturated and grouped into two families, the omega-6 EFAs and
the omega-3 EFAs.

Seemingly minor differences in their molecular structure make the two
EFA families act very differently in the body. While the metabolic
products of omega-6 acids promote inflammation, blood clotting, and
tumor growth, the omega-3 acids act entirely opposite. Although we do
need both omega-3s and omega-6s it is becoming increasingly clear that
an excess of omega-6 fatty acids can have dire consequences. Many
scientists believe that a major reason for the high incidence of heart
disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, premature aging, and some
forms of cancer is the profound imbalance between our intake of
omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Our ancestors evolved on a diet with
a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 of about 1:1. A massive change in
dietary habits over the last few centuries has changed this ratio to
something closer to 20:1 and this spells trouble.


Primarily there are two main types of cholesterol within your
bloodstream.

HDL which is "good" and LDL which is "bad". Omega-3 fatty acids work
to reduce the amounts of LDL (the "bad" cholesterol) in your
bloodstream. Fish contain high concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids.
The best fish are cold-water fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel,
sardines, and herring. Strangely, the kind of fish that are usually
sold in a can. Tuna and mackerel contain more than other fish.

The predominant omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish and fish oils
are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The
most beneficial and active of these fatty acids are EPA and DHA.
Alpha-linolenic acid (from vegetable sources like flaxseed) can be
converted to EPA and DHA in the body, but the conversion is quite
inefficient especially in older people.

A high intake of fish has been linked to a significant decrease in
age-related memory loss and cognitive function impairment and a lower
risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. A recent study found that
Alzheimer's patients given an omega-3-rich supplement experienced a
significant improvement in their quality of life.

Several studies have established a clear association between low
levels of omega-3 fatty acids and depression. Other studies have shown
that countries with a high level of fish consumption have fewer cases
of depression. Researchers at Harvard Medical School have successfully
used fish oil supplementation to treat bipolar disorder
(manic-depressive illness) and British researchers report encouraging
results in the treatment of schizophrenia.

Clearly fish, namely fish oil, contributes to optimum mental health.


BUT THAT AIN'T ALL:
Researchers at the University of Sydney have found that children who
regularly eat fresh, oily fish have a four times lower risk of
developing asthma than do children who rarely eat such fish. They
speculate that EPA present in the fish may prevent the development of
asthma or reduce its severity by reducing airway inflammation and
responsiveness. Researchers at the University of Wyoming have found
that supplementation with 3.3 grams/day of fish oil markedly reduces
breathing difficulties and other symptoms in asthma patients. Other
research has found fish oil to be beneficial in the treatment of other
lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis and emphysema.

THERE'S MORE:
An enormous amount of medical literature testifies to the fact that
fish oils prevent and may help to ameliorate or reverse
atherosclerosis, angina, heart attack, congestive heart failure,
arrhythmias, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. Fish oils help
maintain the elasticity of artery walls, prevent blood clotting,
reduce blood pressure and stabilize heart rhythm. [1-4,


<<SUPLEMENTING YOUR DIET WITH FISH OIL... MORE THAT CAN BE COVERED
HERE.>>>

It is estimated that 85% or more of people in the Western world are
deficient in omega-3 fatty acids and most get far too much of the
omega-6 fatty acids. Vegetarian diets, for example, tend to be very
high in omega-6.

The recommended daily intake of EPA plus DHA is about 650 mg rising to
1000 mg/day during pregnancy and lactation. The benefits are not
instantaneous, just as the benefits of eating brocolli are not evident
after a single serving. Whith herbs and nutritional supplements it is
common to allow 90+ days for a noticeable improvement. But the
improvement may be more permanent in nature than those benefits
derived from pharmaceutical "cures".

Like most anything else in life, pay good money for your herbs and
supplements. Avoid dollar store supplements. The processing and
packaging of the fish oil are crucial in determining its quality. Low
quality oils may be quite unstable and contain significant amounts of
mercury, pesticides, and undesirable oxidation products. High quality
oils are stabilized with adequate amounts of vitamin E and are
packaged in individual foil pouches or other packaging impervious to
light and oxygen. Some very recent research carried out at the
University of Minnesota found that emulsified fish oils are much
better absorbed than the straight oils in gelatin capsules.


Cod liver oils and fish oils are not the same. Cod liver oil is
extracted from cod liver and is an excellent source of vitamins A and
D. Fish oils are extracted from the tissues (flesh) of fatty fish like
salmon and herring and are good sources of EPA and DHA. Fish oils
contain very little vitamin A and D, but cod liver oil does contain
EPA and DHA. However, you would probably exceed the recommended daily
intake of vitamins A and D if you were to try to obtain therapeutic
amounts of EPA and DHA from cod liver oil.

Supplementing with fish oils has been tracked and found entirely safe
even for periods as long as 7 years and no significant adverse effects
have been reported in hundreds of clinical trials using as much as 18
grams/day of fish oils. Fish oil supplementation does, however, lower
blood concentrations of vitamin E so it is a good idea to take extra
vitamin E when adding fish oils to your diet.


FYI......FLAXSEED OIL has much higher concentrations of omega-3 fatty
acids than fish oil. But flaxseed oil requires lignan to be properly
digested. Flaxseeds contain lignan. But flaxseed oil does not.
Flaxseed oil with added lignan may be purchased at health food stores.
But again,
alpha-linolenic acid (from vegetable sources like flaxseed) can be
converted to EPA and DHA in the body, but the conversion is quite
inefficient especially in older people.



But, of course...IT'S YOUR HEALTH. Why take our word for it? You can
research anything mentioned on this site yourself. Good search engines
are www.mamma.com or www.google.com. or www.dogpile.com or ww.ask.com.
Just enter one or more keywords and do your own research.

Until next time remember, most illness (upwards of 80% according to
experts) can be attributed to FOUR important factors that can weaken
your immune system and your ability to fight off disease:

1. Anxiety, depression, anger, guilt and other STRESS factors. LEARN
TO FORGIVE AND LET GO.

2. Improper and/or inadequate NUTRITION habits. LEARN TO AVOID
PROCESSED AND/OR REFINED FOODS.

3. A sedentary lifestyle that does not include enough EXERCISE.
FIND SOME KIND OF PHYSICALLY ENGAGING ACTIVITY IF IT IS NOTHING BUT
MORNING OR EVENING WALKS.

4. Not enough rest and quality SLEEP time. GO TO BED. "EARLY TO BED
AND EARLY TO RISE; MAKES A MAN HEALTHY, WEALTHY AND WISE".


LEGAL DISCLAIMER - Required by the FDA. The statements on this page
have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and these
statements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any
disease.

Until next time,