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Omega3 and Flax seed oil the full story
Added: (Sat Oct 23 2004)
"One of the most important findings to come out of the research program is that our bodies function most efficiently when we eat fats that contain a balanced ratio of the two families of essential fatty acids -- omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. The ratio in the typical American diet has been estimated to be as high as 20 to 1. One of the few diets in the world to have a balanced ratio of essential fatty acids is the traditional Greek diet. Ironically, I had spent much of my medical career gaining scientific insight into the very diet on which I was raised."
"Although this book is focused primarily on diet, I will also be stressing the importance of physical exercise. Regular physical activity enhances your health in many of the same ways as eating the right balanced of nutrients. When you combine exercise with a healthy diet you have what Hippocrates defined as 'Positive Health':
"Positive health requires a knowledge of man's primary constitution [what we call genetics] and of the powers of various foods, both those natural to them and those resulting from human skill [today's processed foods]. But eating alone is not enough for health. There must also be exercise, of which the effects must likewise be known. The combination of these two things makes regimen, when proper attention is given to the season of the year, the changes of the winds, the age of the individual, and the situation of his home. If there is any deficiency in food or exercise, the body will fall sick."
"In recent years, medical research has shattered many of our simplistic notions about diet. For example, the popular ideas that 'fat makes you fat' and animal fat is 'bad' and vegetable oil is 'good' have been overturned by exciting new discoveries about fat that are helping to fight disease and promote optimal health."
"One of the main conclusions to come from the medical labs is that you don't have to give up fat to lose weight or enjoy better health. Most weight-loss diets and so-called healthy diets throw out the good fat with the bad fat, leaving you with dry, lackluster food. Very few people are able to stay on such a diet, resulting in a sense of frustration and failure."
EFA
"... few people know about the health benefits that come from eating the right balance of 'essential fatty acids,' or EFAs. EFAs are fatty acids are necessary for normal growth and development and cannot be manufactured in your body; you must get them from your diet. There are two families of EFAs, 'omega-6' fatty acids and 'omega-3' fatty acids. Omega-6 fatty acids are most abundant in common vegetables oils such as corn, safflower, cottonseed, and sunflower oils. Omega-3 fatty acids are found primarily in seafood, green leafy vegetables, fish, canola oil, and walnuts. A critical finding is that your body functions best when your diet contains a balanced ratio of EFAs, yet the typical Western diet contains approximately fourteen to twenty times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3s. This imbalance is now being linked with a long list of serious conditions and diseases including:
Heart attack, stroke, cancer, obesity, diabetes, asthma, arthritis, depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, postpartum depression, Alzheimer's disease."
"The traditional Crete diet has an ideal ratio of EFAs, I gathered this insight in a roundabout fashion while investigating the omega-3 fatty acid content of wild plants. ... people from Crete eat large quantities of greens and wild plants, including purslane."
There was "a landmark heart study conducted ... known as the Lyon Diet Heart Study ... 302 heart attack survivors to a traditional heart diet, the 'prudent' heart diet recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA). A similar group was assigned to a slightly modified version of the Crete diet. This new diet was based on canola oil and olive oil, and it had a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids to 4 to 1, much lower than the AHA diet and the traditional Western diet. ... The results of the study made medical history. Just four months into the clinical trial, the researchers discovered there had been significantly fewer deaths in the group on the modified Crete diet than on the AHA diet. This in itself is remarkable because no other heart diet or drug has ever shown a lifesaving benefit until patients have been treated for at least six months. The survival gap widened with each passing month. When the patients had been followed for about two years, the study was halted abruptly because the new diet was proving so superior it would have been unethical to continue the research. Compared to those on the AHA diet, the patients on the Crete diet had an unprecedented 76 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease or suffering heart failure, heart attack, or stroke! Remarkably, the new diet had proven more effective at saving lives than any other heart diet, drug, surgical technique, lifestyle program, or any combination of these elements. These results were deemed important enough to be published in three prestigious medical journals."
"The most important change you will be making is in eating a healthier balance of fat. A combination of olive oil and canola oil will become your primary oils. Just as important, you will be supplementing your diet with foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids while you limit your intake of omega-6 fatty acids, saturated fat, and trans-fatty acids. These changes are easier to make than you might expect. Simply using canola oil as your primary oil, for example, will satisfy most of those dietary requirements. You may be aware that canola oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, but it is also an unheralded source of omega-3 fatty acids as well. The fact that it is low in saturated fat, trans-fatty acids, and lower in omega-6 fatty acids than many other oils makes it one of the healthiest foods in your kitchen."
"Another change you will be making is eating more fruits, vegetables, and legumes. The current USDA guidelines recommend that you eat five or more servings of these wholesome foods every day. On The Omega Plan you will be eating seven or more servings a day, giving you added helpings of vitamins, fiber, minerals, antioxidants, and health-enhancing substances called 'phytochemicals.'"
"Through sophisticated analysis we have learned that the EFAs are not spread uniformly throughout the plant kingdom. Omega-3s fatty acids are concentrated in the green leaves of plants (and in a few seeds and nuts such as flaxseeds, rapeseed, and walnuts), while omega-6 fatty acids are most highly concentrated in the seeds and grains, newcomers to our diet. Or present-day reliance on grain-based products -- cereal, bread, crackers, pastries, cakes, and cookies -- and our minimal intake of greens is one of the reasons that we are so top-heavy in omega-6 fatty acids and deficient in omega-3 fatty acids."
PURSLANE
"Purslane was commonly eaten in Greece, my homeland, throughout most of Europe, Mexico, and Asia, but in the United States it was considered a noxious weed. To help control this 'pest' the U.S. government had gone so far as to import the 'purslane sawfly,' a fly that thrives on the ubiquitous plant and is capable of gnawing it to the ground."
"Purslane is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids. One hundred grams contains 400 milligrams of the plant-based form of omega-3 fatty acids called alpha-linolenic, or LNA [or ALA]. As an added bonus, it is rich in antioxidants. One serving fulfills the daily requirement of vitamin E and provided significant amounts of vitamin C [and] beta-carotene."
"Purslane is very widespread. Ranked as the eighth most common wild plant in the world, it was also one of the first plants cultivated by early humans: Purslane seeds were found in a cave in Greece that was last inhabited 16,000 years ago."
"We now know that purslane is not alone in its bounty of omega-3 fatty acids. Following my discovery, other plants were tested for LNA, revealing that they, too, contained significant amounts of this nutrient. Appreciable amounts of LNA have been found in most dark green leafy vegetables, mosses, ferns, and legumes, as well as in many herbs and spices such as mustard, fennel, cumin, and fenugreek. As the research continues, the list is likely to grow."
"My findings about purslane soon led to another discovery: The eggs of chickens that graze on wild plants are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids. ... my observations about chicken eggs held true for the flesh of free-ranging animals as well: Any grazing animal that is allowed to eat its natural diet of wild plants and greens is far richer in omega-3 fatty acids than an animal kept in confinement and fed an artificial, grain-based diet. For example, the flesh of a wild Cape buffalo that is free to forage in its natural habitat contains one-tenth as much total fat, about half as much saturated fat, but nearly six times more omega-3 fatty acids than a similar cut of meat from a grain-fed steer. It is as if they were different foods altogether."
"A critical insight about the Paleolithic diet had just fallen into place. Whether early humans were eating fish, plants, or land animals, they were being nourished by omega-3 fatty acids. Today, we consume a fraction of this essential nutrient. Surveys show that one-fourth of the U.S. population eats no fish whatsoever. Meanwhile, we eat a third of the amount of green leafy vegetables as our ancestors, and the eggs and meat that we eat comes from animals whose diets are artificially low in omega-3 fatty acids. It has been estimated that we are now eating one-tenth of the amount of omega-3 fatty acids required for normal functioning. Alarmingly, 20 percent of the population has levels so low that they defy detection. The admonishment to 'eat a balanced diet' makes no sense when our food has been stripped of one of its most essential nutrients."
...
"To the same degree that our diet is deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, it is overloaded with omega-6 fatty acids. The main reason for the deluge is our growing reliance on vegetable oils such as corn, safflower, and cottonseed oil, oils that had no place whatsoever in the evolutionary diet." Other oils would be soy, sesame and grapeseed.
ANTIFAT CRAZE
The current antifat craze has caused the final disruption in our fat consumption. Out of irrational fear of fat, people have been avoiding healthy oils, nuts and fatty fish, unwittingly robbing themselves of the few remaining sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Fish suppliers have been quick to capitalize on the trend. Much of the tuna now on the market is very low in fat, containing as little as 0.5 grams of fat per two-ounce serving. Full-fat tuna contains as much as 5 grams of fat. To satisfy your daily allotment of omega-3 fatty acids, you would have to eat five whole cans of low-fat tuna but only one half can of regular tuna!"
FUTURE SHOPPING
"In the twenty-first century, you will be able to shop at an ordinary supermarket and buy meat and eggs from animals raised on omega-3 enriched diets; the produce section will feature purslane and other vegetables that have been hybridized to be high in omega-3 fatty acids; you will be able to buy mayonnaise, salad dressings, and snacks made from canola oil; flaxseeds an flaxmeal will be included in many types of baked goods. To help you select healthier foods, product labels will include information about EFAs and trans-fatty acids.
"Until that day arrives, however, you will have to take matters into your own hands. You will need to avoid products that contain unhealthy fats and go out of your way to find ones that contain health-enhancing fats."
"FATTY FISH"
"Don't be put off by the term 'fatty fish.' Even though some types of fish contain ten times more fat than others, they are still relatively lean. The 'fattest' fish has about the same amount of total fat as the leanest cuts of beef." Some fatty fish are regular tuna, salmon, herring, trout, mackerel, dogfish, sablefish, lake whitefish, and bluefish. Lean fish are low-fat tuna, fresh water bass, halibut, flounder, Atlantic cod, whiting, sole, snapper, catfish, crab, and shrimp.
TUNA
"Make sure that the tuna you buy is water-paced,not oil-packed. ... The oil is likely to be soybean oil, which has a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids of 12 or 13 to 1, tipping the nutritional balance in favor of omega-6 fatty acids.
COD LIVER OIL
"I don't recommend that you use cod liver oil as a primary source of omega-3 fatty acids. As its name states, cod liver oil comes from the liver of the cod, an organ that accumulates high amounts of vitamins A and D. Normally, you would welcome these vitamins. ... In order to get enough EPA and DHA from cod liver oil, you would exceed the recommended doses of these vitamins. Buy plain fish oil supplements instead." [As we'll see later I believe seal oil supplements are better than fish oil supplements].
HOW MUCH SHOULD WE TAKE?
"As a general rule, I advise people to get about one gram of EPA plus DPA each day. This amount can come from food, food supplements, or a combination of both. People with certain health problems such as arthritis, depression, cancer, high blood pressure, and coronary heart disease might want to take more."
SAFE?
"Is it safe to take omega-3 supplements? In carefully monitored clinical trials, these nutrients have been given to pregnant women, nursing mothers, infants, premature infants, children, adults, cancer patients, people recovering from surgery, and very old people -- with no notable side effects. In one study, patients took six grams of EPA plus DPA on a daily basis for seven years. The supplements were 'without apparent side-effects over seven years of medication.' Meanwhile, the patients enjoyed a multitude of 'positive side effects,' including a reduction in triglygerides and an increase in HDL (good) cholesterol."
Adding LNA (ALA)
"In addition to getting an adequate supply of EPA and DHA, you also want to increase your intake of the plant-based form of omega-3 fatty acids -- alpha-linolenic acid -- or LNA. If you foraged your food from the wild, it would be impossible to be deficient in this nutrient because it would be present in everything you ate. Now that LNA has been stripped from the food supply, you need to restore it to your diet systematically."
"How much LNA do you need on a daily basis? Two grams is generally considered adequate. But you'll need to consume several times this amount if you don't eat fatty fish (or take omega-3 supplements) of nutrients. (Your body can convert LNA into the longer chain molecules, EPA and DHA, but it takes about ten grams of LNA to yield one gram of EPA and DHA.)
"Flaxseed oil is the richest source of LNA. ... Flaxseeds, of course, are also a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, providing 3 grams of LNA per tablespoon. One tablespoon also contains 3 grams of fiber. They have a subtle, nutty flavor, so you can grind them into a fine meal and add them to breads, muffins, pancakes, waffles, cereals, and cakes with little change in texture or flavor. Plan to use about one or two tablespoons of flaxseed meal per cup of flour."
CANOLA OIL
"Another way to add LNA to your diet is to use canola oil and canola mayonnaise on a daily basis. (Soybean oil also contains LNA, but only half the amount in canola oil. More important, the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in soybean oil is quite high -- 13 to 1. The ratio in canola oil is 2 to 1.) One tablespoon of canola oil yields approximately 1.5 grams of LNA."
"So what's the bottom line on enriching your diet with omega-3 fatty acids" Ideally, you should be eating fatty fish three or more times a week. If not, supplement with fish oil pills. Pills that supply one gram of EPA plus DHA per day should be adequate for most people. Also, if possible, buy omega-3 enriched eggs. To increase your intake of LNA use canola oil and canola-oil-based products on a regular basis; add walnuts to salads and baked goods or eat a few each day as a snack; and eat dark green leafy vegetables every day. For even more LNA, eat approximately one or two tablespoons of flaxseeds or flaxmeal a day. (You can add them to cereal and baked goods or take flaxseed oil or flaxseed oil supplements."
OILS TO AVOID
"... avoid oils that are especially high in this nutrient, including corn oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, soybean oil, sunflower seed oil, and cottonseed oil. You will also want to avoid products made from these oils." Other oils would be sesame and grapeseed.
AVOID TRANS-FATTY ACIDS
"It is difficult to live in the United States and avoid trans-fatty acids because they have infiltrated the entire food supply. Anytime you see the words "partially hydrogenated" on a label, trans-fatty acids lurk within. Take the time to go through the supermarket aisles and read the labels on baked goods, snack foods, and mixes. Virtually everyone contains trans-fatty acids."
Some food high in trans-fatty acids: cakes and cake mixes, cinnamon rolls, cookies and cookie mixes, corn chips, crackers, doughnuts, pastries in general, pie crusts, flavored popcorn, potato chips, shortening, tortilla chips.
OLIVE OIL VINAIGRETTE
Mix together:
1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried mustard
1 clove fresh garlic (finely minced or pressed through a garlic press)
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
[Vary by adding paprika, tarragon, dill, or basil.]
In The Omega-3 Phenomenon Donald Rudin writes, "The thesis of this book is simple: The evidence indicates that the bulk of illness in modern societies is the result of an unrecognized disease cluster that I call the 'modernization disease syndrome.'" Just as societies were plagued with diseases like scurvy, beriberi and pellagra because of a lack of a certain nutrient, today we suffer because we are missing the nutrient omega-3 in our food. We eat food that has been adulterated by the food industry. "... compared to the typical unprocessed local diet consumed in 1850, today we consume, per capita, 100 percent more saturated fat and cholesterol, 250 percent more salt and refined sugar, and 1000 percent more 'funny fats,' ... produced by hydrogenation. All of these act as 'antinutrients,' either blocking the use of our essential nutrients or increasing our requirement for them. But at the same time, we now consume 75 percent less dietary fiber, 50 percent less of certain minerals and B vitamins and 80 percent less of a critical essential fatty acid family called Omega-3.
OLD FASHIONED
"... the medical profession has been misdiagnosing and mistreating the bulk of its cases for fifty to a hundred years or more. The Omega-3 essential fatty acids -- the cold-climate ultrapolyunsaturates that come mainly from northern plants and fish -- turn out to be the essential nutriennt especially required by humans. They are also the unique factor in the cod liver oil supplements of our youth. Consequently, the facts recounted in this book can be viewed as reintroducing and scientifically updating the old-fashioned cod liver oil regimen."
The 20th century was the worst century in history. It was a century of terrible experiments with horrible, so-called modern, ideologies. The experiment of eating processed food has been tragic beyond words. "The evidence indicates that our modern lifestyle diseases are our primary health hazard, costing us more than any world war and now putting our society at risk in many unrecognized ways. Conversely, intelligent action can bring rewards exceeding those resulting from Pasteur's discovery of the cause of infectious diseases and from Goldberger's discovery of the cause of classical pellagra as a B-vitamin deficiency disease." Mankind's ignorance of omega-3 has made our lives a living hell. It is time to restore our diet to the more wholesome diet our ancestors had who had omega-3 in their food and did not eat so much processed food. They also got more exercise than we do.
The leaders we respected and followed in the area of nutrition have been mainly ignorant and sometimes just plain greedy and stupid like those of the cigarette companies who still think there is no connection between smoking and lung cancer. But in the last decade of the 20th century there has been enough scientific studies that are showing the truth about what is good food and what is bad. Even when people hear the truth they often keep their bad habits but in time the truth becomes so overwhelming and so many change and live by the truth that in time every person believes and lives the truth. In time no one will smoke and drink, but we must be patient and use non coercive persuasion to keep teaching until everyone hears and finally understands and then changes their life to live in accord with the laws of health.
Those of us fortunate in being pioneers of health have the good fortune to know the truth, but we are also cursed as all pioneers are with the inevitable task of trying to live the truth in the midst of a world that is addicted to the false. History has always shown that truth hurts and people try to kill the messenger in one way or another. Truth starts slow but it cannot be stopped. Those who fight for the truth have to put up with being called unpatriotic, evil and a danger. They are called fanatics who live a narrow and unhappy life. To take away everyone's addiction to what is false, whether it is a philosophy of life or in this case, McDonalds, is seen as dangerous.
Nevertheless it is our duty to be nonconformists and called names and even persecuted by little minds who cannot think logically. Eventually, there will be no fast food restaurants serving poison that gives a high as wonderful as any illegal drug. Someday the truth will set everyone free from going to Wendy's and then everyone will not get their arteries clogged liked the seemingly nice guy, Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy's who had bypass surgery. To give up addictions is the hardest thing to do. To call Burger King an addiction and say we are not supposed to eat anything from a cow is seen as un-American by millions of people. But the truth is that millions of children are obese because they are what they eat. They eat obese cows and therefore they are obese. The tragedy of kids being abused by well-meaning parents who take them to McDonalds is beyond words to describe. The pain of children now getting diabetes by the millions because parents are ignorant or too set in their ways to change is beyond my ability to express. It is tempting to try to force people to do what we feel is right, but we should not legislate to punish parents who fatten their children and themselves with the poison of Domino's pizza.
Rudin writes that our plague of diseases today from heart attacks to cancer started "when American diets changed from a rural-local food supply focus to a national food supply chain of highly processed and imported foods. As food processing techniques depleted our food supply of vitamins, fiber, and other essential nutrients, food maladies became rampant." The most important thing that has been depleted from our food is "a special group of fats called Omega-3 fatty acids ... absolutely essential to human life ... declining to only 20 percent of the level it held in traditional diets a hundred years ago." He says that flaxseed oil and "fish oils are the best sources of this special fat -- Omega-3 essential fatty acid -- which modern food destroys. But its depletion went unrecognized." He says he treated patients with Omega-3 and cured them of their problems: "I had done for my patients what any good mechanic should do for a car: I changed the oil."
"Essential fatty acids are called that because they are necessary in the diet -- they must be obtained from foods, since the body cannot produce them independently and yet cannot do without them. The amount of essential fatty acids (EFA) needed is small. But even though it is small, the average person still doesn't get an adequate amount."
"Northern plants produce more Omega-3 compared to the Omega-6 EFA in response to cold weather, since Omega-3 EFA keep cell membranes fluid, permitting them to function instead of freezing and fracturing. In contrast, southern plants produce very little Omega-3 but a great deal of Omega-6 EFA. "
"... in the ocean, plankton, a microscopic class of ocean plants ... are at the base of the marine food chain. Plankton manufacture large quantities of the EFA alpha-linolenic Omega-3 (ALA). Your body cannot manufacture this type of fatty acid, although you need it.
"Fish feed on the vegetable plankton and in that way get a rich supply of ALA. From this they then build up two additional types of Omega-3 fatty acids found in seafood: docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)."
"These are needed in the human body, and they work faster and better than regular Omega-6 vegetable oils to keep blood thin, to make body functions work better, and to prevent blood clots that would develop because of sticky blood platelets." He says that flaxseed oil is "no less important than the benefits of fish oil supplementation."
At the turn of the century "heavy steel roller milling replaced local stone-grinding of grains. The metal rollers produced white flour, which was inexpensive and had a long shelf life. Unfortunately, valuable vitamins, minerals, and fiber were in the 'waste material' that was discarded. The leftovers also contained the embryo of the plant -- the germ -- a good source of vitamin E, Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, and other vitamins and minerals."
"In addition, modern transportation allowed the use of southern foods and oils in the north. These, too, have little Omega-3. Warm climate oils (corn oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, cottonseed oil, etc.) have displaced our traditional cold climate high Omega-3 containing oils, such as walnut and flax."
"Modern technology is responsible for still another method of loss of Omega-3. This is the process of hydrogenating oils. Hydrogen gas and a chemical catalyst are pumped under high pressure into an oil, forcing the hydrogen atoms to 'saturate' the carbons in the oil, making it a poor source of EFA.
"Why is this done? Because of rancidity, always a big enemy of food oils, especially with our new continental scale feeding technology. Reducing rancidity means eliminating or decreasing spoilage, not only in oils and shortening but in any foods prepared with them. Hydrogenating an oil extends their shelf life. ... Omega-3 fatty acids become rancid most easily and quickly."
DISEASE
Until the last ten to fifteen year, breast, colon, and prostate cancers and heart disease were rare in Japan. The traditional Japanese diet is low in saturated fats from beef and dairy products, low in hydrogenated fats from margarine and shortening, but very high in fiber and Omega-3 EFA and selenium from fatty fish such as mackerel and salmon. However, the Japanese living in the Untied States (and increasingly in Japan itself) share the same high rate of colon cancer, heart disease, and other illnesses of Americans. Similar statements hold for South Sea islanders and many other traditional cultures as their diet modernizes. The opposite can also be true." Atlantic magazine had an article about the devastating effects food like Spam is having in Micronesia. Many are dying an early death there.
"Schizophrenia, like cancer and heart disease and diabetes, tends to appear in members of the same family. However, statistics show that all these diseases are rare in societies where traditional eating patterns include abundant amounts of fiber, minerals, and Omega-3 essential fatty acids."
NORWAY
"The most clearly authenticated study occurred by chance in Norway during World War II. The incidence of schizophrenia, cancer, and heart disease doubled there after 1900, when Norwegians abandoned their traditional diet in favor of processed foods. Suddenly the incidence of all these illnesses declined a startling 40 percent. The decline exactly coincided with the years of privation during the German occupation of Norway."
"What happened to the Norwegian diet during those terrible years? Because of the German occupation, hydrogenated oil and processed and refined foods were scarce, forcing the Norwegians to revert to eating traditional foods. Beans, whole grains, and fish, once staples in the diet, again became daily fare. Scientists who studied the phenomenon found the 40 percent decrease in schizophrenia, heart disease,and cancer coincided with a 50 percent increase in the consumption of Omega-3 EFA in the wartime diet. ... margarine consumption fell very low. After the war, the Norwegians reverted to eating commercial and processed foods; heart disease and schizophrenia soon climbed back to the prewar levels. Nothing like this happened in the United State, Canada and Australia, where the diet changed little during the war years."
"I think nutrient starvation is responsible for many if not most diseases today, just as it was during the earlier nutritional epidemics of centuries past. Today's public is starved of Omega-3 EFA."
BREAST MILK
"Sadly, the breast milk of many mothers in our country reflects the high trans-fatty acid and low Omega-3 content in the average diet. American mothers produce milk that often has only one-fifth to one-tenth of the Omega-3 content of the milk that well-nourished, nut-eating Nigerian mothers provide their infants."
ESKIMOS
"Greenland Eskimos are responsible for some of the excitement about fish oils" because scientists discovered "how Eskimos could eat the highest fat diet in the world without getting heart attacks." The Omega-3 was the key.
NUTS
"Walnuts, hazelnuts, beechnuts and chestnuts are rich in Omega-3. Select northern nuts over southern-grown nuts such as peanuts (not actually a nut, but a legume) and cashews, pecans and Brazil nuts."
SEEDS
"Pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, and other seeds" have Omega-3 but "are best used in small amounts. Eat no more than one ounce of seeds (a large handful) a day."
EAT SLOW
Rudin recommends eating slow: "Eat and drink slowly to give the sensation of fullness time to build (about twenty minutes is needed for your brain to know your stomach is full). Never overeat. Stop at the first sign of fulness."
OKINAWA PROGRAM
The Okinawa Program: How the World's Longest-Lived People Achieve Everlasting Health--and How You Can Too by Bradley J. Willcox says that the people of Okinawa, an island off Japan eat salmon, mackerel or tuna three times a week and this is one of the reasons they are so healthy and live so long. They also use canola oil for their stir frys.
A review at Amazon.com said, "If ever there were a prescription for longevity, the folks of Okinawa, a collection of islands strung between Japan and Taiwan, have found it. Considered the world's healthiest people, residents of this tropical archipelago routinely live active, independent lives well into their 90s and 100s. Their rates of obesity, heart disease, osteoporosis, memory loss, menopause, and breast, colon and prostate cancer rank far below the rates for these illnesses in America and other industrialized countries. In fact, researchers believe many Okinawans are physically younger than their chronological ages. In essence, the Okinawans have found a way to beat the clock.
"How do they do it? In The Okinawa Program, Bradley J. Willcox, M.D., D. Craig Willcox, Ph.D., and Makoto Suzuki, M.D. reveal the islanders' age-defying secrets. Of course, there are really no surprises here: a low-fat diet, exercise, stress management, strong social and family ties, and spiritual connectedness--the same things experts have been recommending for years--all play key roles in keeping the Okinawans youthful. But in this fascinating read, which is peppered with inspiring anecdotes about these remarkable people, the authors provide concrete evidence that adopting these healthy habits pays off significantly in terms of tacking more productive years onto our lives.
"Based on the authors' 25-year Okinawa Centenarian Study, this extraordinarily well-written book demonstrates that genetics provide only so much protection against disease. Indeed, the authors often remind us that when younger Okinawans pick up Western habits, their rates of obesity, illness, and life expectancy start to match ours as well. Clearly, when it comes to longevity, healthy lifestyle habits will out. That said, the major message of The Okinawa Program is that we can easily adopt the life-lengthening strategies that have served the Okinawans so well for generations. To that end, the authors pack chapters with suggestions for following "The Way," from eating a low-fat, low-calorie diet packed with fiber and complex carbohydrates (cooking up the book's more than 80 recipes is a start) and learning tai chi to finding time to meditate and relax, developing one's spirituality, doing volunteer work, and building a solid network of friends and family. Rounding out the book, the authors pull their key recommendations into a comprehensive yet doable four-week plan that's meant to get you started. Following "The Way" isn't a free shot at immortality, but it certainly helps stack the deck in your favor. --Norine Dworkin
"From Publishers Weekly: Twin brothers Bradle and D. Craig Willcox, an internist and anthropologist, respectively, and geriatrician Suzuki, fascinatingly recount the results of a 25-year study of Okinawa, where people live exceptionally long and productive lives. There are more than 400 centenarians in Okinawa, where the average lifespan is 86 for women and above 77 for men. Most impressive is the quality of life Okinawans maintain into old age; the book is filled with inspiring glimpses of elderly men and women who are still gardening, working and walking into and well beyond their 90s. The authors point out that while genetics may account, in part, for Okinawans' longevity, studies have revealed that when they move away from the archipelago and abandon their traditional ways, they lose their health advantage, proving that lifestyle is, at the very least, a highly influential factor. The Okinawans' program of diet, exercise and spiritual health apparently lowers their risk for heart disease, osteoporosis and Alzheimer's, as well as breast, ovarian, prostate and other cancers. According to the authors, "the Okinawan Way" is neither elusive nor esoteric. It consists, in part, of a low-calorie, plant-based, high complex-carbohydrate diet. Exercise, the authors maintain, is essential, as is attention to spirituality and friendships. Okinawans, too, lead slower-paced, less stressful lives than most Westerners. The outcome of years of extensive medical research, this book offers a practical and optimistic vision of growing old."
At the website (http://www.omegavite.com/home.html) we read the following about Omega-3:
Omega 3's are a special type of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). They are known as one of the "good" fats. The most important components of Omega 3 are commonly known as EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), and DPA (docosapentaenoic acid), all of which are found naturally in the human body at birth.
Essential Nutrients
Omega 3 is deemed an essential nutrient for maintaining good health, normal growth and development but unfortunately the human body does not naturally replenish the Omega 3 it uses. Therefore, Omega 3 must be obtained through your daily dietary intake or through the use of Omega 3 supplements ....
One of the critical functions of Omega 3 is found in the body's most basic unit - the cell. Human cells absorb various raw materials, process them and then send this processed material to the required destination within the body. The outer membrane of these cells act as a gateway allowing the raw material in and the processed materials out. This outer membrane requires a constant turnover of PUFAs to remain functional. Omega 3s are an essential part of this replenishment. A shortage of Omega 3 reduces the cells ability to efficiently perform their function leading to nutrient starvation and chronic and debilitating diseases.
Omega 3s are also converted into another class of chemical called EICOSANOIDS, the most critical of which are PROSTAGLANDINS. Prostaglandins operate within most tissues to regulate most bodily functions..... cardiovascular, digestive, immune system, etc. If the diet is inadequate, the Omega 3 prostaglandins produced are either lacking or unbalanced, leading to disease in the vital body systems.
Omega 3s have also been found to modulate the movement of cholesterol through the blood system. Some researchers have reported that Omega 3 tends to change the balance of cholesterol in the blood by lowering the "bad" and raising the "good" cholesterol. Omega 3s are therefore believed to be essential to good health and normal development of both the fetus and newly-born infants. Omega 3 PUFA's will remarkably lower plasma triglycerides even in "healthy people".
Many Studies Indicate
Many studies also indicate that the DHA component of the Omega 3 family is essential to early childhood brain development while the DPA component is found in significant quantities in mother's milk. Omega 3s are therefore believed to be essential to good health and normal development of both the fetus and newly born.
Omega 3 Deficiency
Over the past five thousand years, western society has evolved from a hunting diet to one largely based on agriculture. Many nutrients formally consumed in abundance have now become scarce. One of the nutrients still considered absolutely essential for our good health and development, but now largely missing from out diets, is the family of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) known as the Omega 3s.
Coupling this fundamental change in dietary nutrients with our society's rapid adoption of highly processed foods, it is little wonder that western society is experiencing an impressive escalation in diet-based disease. These diseases range from atherosclerosis, cancer, diabetes, obesity, asthma and skin diseases to premature aging.
Diet-Based Disease
It should come as no surprise therefore that during this period of increased diet-based disease, the amount of Omega 3 fatty acids consumed in a normal diet has dropped by up to 80%. About 40 years ago, health authorities strongly recommended that western diets increase their consumption of PUFAs to lower cholesterol levels. This led to a marked increase in the consumption of vegetable oils which provide the essential Omega 6 PUFAs but not the Omega 3s. It has now been found that an excess of Omega 6 interferes with the benefits of Omega 3, thus making an existing Omega 3 shortage more acute.
Diet Is The Prime Link To Good Health
It has long been established that diet is the prime link to good health. When Japan moved from its traditional diet of simple marine food to the western-based diet of processed foods, their rate of heart disease rose dramatically. Conversely, when Norway was forced to return to its traditional diet of marine life during shortages of World War II, the death rate (of heart disease, cancer etc.) dropped by 40%. This rate, however, returned to normal levels as soon as the war ended and Norwegians returned to the western diet. It is of great interest that during the war, the Norwegian decrease of heart disease coincided with a 50% increase in Omega 3 intake.
Another example of the health benefits of a traditional marine diet, high in Omega 3, is to be found with the Inuit of the High Arctic. Despite their large daily intake of fat, the Inuit blood lipids remained within normal levels, their incidence of heart trouble was low and they were realatively free from hardening of the arteries. Like the Norwegians and the Japanese before them, as the Inuit have adopted western diets, their incidence of diet-based disease has risen to the western levels.
Supplementing Your Diet
As our bodies neither produce nor store Omega 3 internally, Omega 3 must be obtained from external sources. As most of our food intake remains highly processed, Omega 3 is often best obtained through supplements ....
The Government of Canada recently recommended that each Canadian between the ages of 25 - 49 should take a total of 1.5 gms of Omega 3 fatty acids daily.
Nutrition Recommendations For Canadians state: "Omega 3 polyunsaturates are essential nutrients for maintaining good health, normal growth and development"
The United States Department of Health and Nutritional Services, The National Institute of Health, the Life Sciences Research Offices of the Council For Responsible Nutrition have agreed that the daily intake of Omega 3 should increase 1 - 3 grams per day. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently recommended that the daily intake of Omega 3 be increased, above that consumed today by mature adults.
It is important to note that, as in the case of Vitamin C, Omega 3s do not store well in the body and therefore must be replenished on a daily basis. An Omega 3 supplement is the best method of ensuring an adequate Omega 3 daily intake.
Individuals in our western society now consume, on average, less than 20% of this required daily dosage of Omega 3s.
The Facts
Omega 3 is an essential and vital fatty acid that is found in the human body at birth.
Omega 3 does not naturally restore itself, therefore it must be obtained from external sources, either through diet or supplements.
Seal Oil contains all three components of Omega 3; EPA, DPA, DHA and in the same proportions that are found naturally in the human body.
About a third of the long-chain Omega 3 fatty acids circulating in human blood is attributable to DPA.
Most fish oils lack one of the critical components of Omega 3; DPA.
Seal oil can provide up to ten times the DPA as fish oils.
Many fish oils are much higher in cholesterol than seal oil.
Seal Oil is "Bio-Filtered" Fish Oil
As seals are much higher in the food chain than fish, seals use their digestive systems to filter out the many natural impurities found in fish. The "bio-filtering" naturally enriches and adds an essential element not found in most fish oils; DPA. The natural purity and quality of seal oil is therefore higher than most fish oils.
What Do We Know About DPA?
DPA is found naturally in the human body at birth. We know that DPA is found in substantial quantities in mother's milk and is considered essential for proper growth and development of the fetus and newly born.
A recent Japanese study also indicates that one of DPA's major functions is to keep the veins and arteries soft and supple, thus helping to prevent the circulatory problems that often lead to the diseases of the heart, stroke, and the pain of diabetes.
What the Experts Say
Dr. Fereidoon Shahidi of Memorial University of Newfoundland, a world renowned scientist on seal product development, provides the following explanation:
"In comparing seal oil with fish oils, assimilation of seal oil into the body is more efficient than fish oils. EPA, DHA, and DPA in seal oil are located primarily in the terminal positions of the triglyceride molecules (as in humans) while they are preferentially present in the middle position of triglycerides in fish oils. The difference in the location of the Omega 3 PUFA is a major reason for the superior effect of seal oils compared to fish oils in disease prevention and potential health benefits."
Heart Attacks and Strokes
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in western society. For men, the risk of heart attack begins very young and remains fairly constant throughout life while the female incidence of heart disease begins to equal and surpass that of men as they reach menopause.
Studies indicate however that Omega 3 can reduce the chance of a primary cardiac arrest by 70% and a second arrest by 30%. This results primarily from the fact that Omega 3 makes the walls of the blood vessels smoother and more elastic thus reducing vessel blockages which are often the cause of heart problems.
Omega 3 also tends to retard the rate of the blood clotting.
Heart muscle damage may still take place from a temporary stoppage of an artery, and Omega 3 PUFA's prevent this damage from interfering with heartbeats.
Studies further indicate that Omega 3 helps reduce a person's blood pressure, also becoming a chronic problem in an aging population.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a disorder characterized by high blood levels of glucose in the blood. Diabetes can damage the large blood vessels increasing the risk of stroke, heart attack, and in the limbs, can lead to gangrene. Many studies now suggest that Omega 3 is invaluable in combating circulation problems associated with diabetes by rendering the walls of the veins and arteries smoother and more elastic.
Arthritis
Many studies have also found that Omega 3's anti-inflammatory action offers great relief to those suffering from arthritis.
A recent study published by Tokyo Medical and Dental University, indicates that the DPA component of the Omega 3 can be more than TEN TIMES AS EFFECTIVE as EPA in helping to heal damaged blood vessels, Seal oil is the ONLY supplement rich in natural DPA.
Another recent study conducted by the University of Washington, concluded that consumption of seal oil five times a week was an effective method of reducing glucose intolerance and diabetes, problems of increasing importance to mature Canadians.
In a new study, the world-respected scientist Sonja L. Connor noted that Omega 3 PUFAs will lower the plasma triglycerides even more remarkably in "healthy" people. For primary prevention, she suggested 2-3 grams of Omega 3 per day!
Helps Prevent Atherosclerosis (Hardening of the Arteries)
Dr.Garth Mulvad and Dr. Henning Pederson of the Department of Medicine, Dronning Ingrids Hospital in Norway recently wrote:
"...the International Atherosclerosis Project... is a project supervised by experts at the Louisiana State University of New Orleans, USA. Among other things, they ... studied the coronary arteries of the hearts of 23,000 deceased persons from 16 different countries. It is in the coronary arteries that the fatal blood clots form. The provisional results show that atherosclerosis is far less widespread among the Inuit than elsewhere in the world ... a seventy year old who has lived on the traditional diet of seal and whale has coronary arteries that are just as elastic as a twenty year old Dane."
Reduces Cholesterol
These doctors also noted that fish eating nations have, on average, a higher cholesterol level than the Inuit. They also reported that a person with a very high cholesterol level went to the National Hospital at Nuuk. He tried various diets (including fish) and medicines without effect. He was then placed on the traditional Inuit diet of seal and his cholesterol level dropped by 70% in one month.
Omega 3's Benefits Have Been Proven Over Thousands of Years
Clinical trials in Canada and experience over the past thousand years indicates that the Inuit diet of seal oil is not only safe but reduces the risk of death from heart and other related diseases.
At the website (http://www.coromega.com/index3.html) we read the following:
Heart and Cardiovascular System Health
The cardiovascular system is a network of veins and arteries, which circulate blood around the body. The heart, acting as a pump creates the movement. Blood is pumped into the arteries for delivery to the cells where it is needed, then drawn back through the veins to the heart to begin the cycle over again. To maintain a healthy cardiovascular system, there must not be any hindrance to the free flow of the blood.
Heart and cardiovascular health was the first area investigated with regard to the health impact of Omega-3 fatty acids. It was noticed in the early 1970s that the Inuit people of Greenland had a high fat, high cholesterol diet, yet were able to maintain a healthy heart and cardiovascular system. Subsequent investigations concluded that this was due to the high level of Omega-3 fatty acids in their native diet of fish and marine animals. Since then several other studies, including two large American studies in 1997 and 1998 have revealed the same thing: that heart and cardiovascular health is enhanced among weekly fish eaters when compared to those who ate fish only infrequently. *
Omega-3 may help increase the flexibility of the red-blood-cell membranes, thus making the blood less sludgy and more fluid. This not only helps maintain healthy circulation everywhere in the body, including the brain, but may make it easier for the heart to do its job of continuous pumping.*
Numerous studies have found that a diet that includes a serving of fatty fish, especially those rich in Omega-3, provide a health benefit to the heart and cardiovascular system. And even a diet that includes a fish serving only once per week has been shown to provide this benefit. In a 1998 study of 20,551 male physicians aged 40 to 84 years, and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, it was found that eating fish at least once a week helped to maintain a healthy heart and cardiovascular system when compared to those who only ate fish less than once a month.*
Another study published in the same journal in 1995 found similar results: researchers found that the intake of just one portion of fatty, Omega-3-rich fish per week helped people maintain a healthy heart when compared to controls, even after adjusting for age, smoking, family history of heart attacks, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, physical activity, education, and cholesterol level. The researchers believe that consumption of fatty fish, fish oil, or linolenic acid increases the levels of the Omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, in the membranes of the red blood cells, and confers the healthy heart benefits. This was confirmed by blood samples taken from the comparative groups.*
A healthy diet that includes a serving of fatty fish rich in Omega-3 at least once a week is just one factor that may help a person maintain a healthy heart and cardiovascular system. It is also prudent to take other "heart healthy" measures, such as a diet low in saturated fats and high in fruits and vegetables, regular exercise, and abstinence from cigarettes and alcohol.*
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease
Mental and Nervous System Health
In fact, the most polyunsaturated of the Omega-3 fatty acids (DHA) makes up a large portion of the gray matter of the brain. The fat in your brain is the type that forms cell membranes and plays a vital role in how our cells function. Neurons in the brain, the cells that transmit chemical messages, are also rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, there is more DHA in our neurons than in our red blood cells. DHA is also found in high quantities in the retina, the light-sensitive part of the eye. A typical Western diet, however, generally is deficient in Omega-3 fatty acids, especially DHA.*
Research in the last few years has revealed that diets rich in Omega-3 fatty acids may help promote a healthy emotional balance and positive mood, and may help us maintain a healthy mental status in later years. Researchers speculate that a diet rich in the Omega-3 fatty acid DHA, found in fish oil, may help promote a healthy emotional balance and positive mood in part because DHA is a main component of the synaptic membranes in the brain. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 62, July 1995, pp. 1-9.) Researchers in another study found that people with a healthy emotional balance and positive mental outlook tended to have higher levels of DHA in their red blood cells. (Biol Psychiatry 1998; 43(5): 315-9.)*
A Danish team of researchers compared the diets of 5,386 healthy older individuals and found that the more fish in a persons diet, the longer the person was able to maintain a healthy mental status. (Ann Neurol 1997; 42: 776-82.)*
Pregnancy and Neonatal Health
There is accumulating scientific evidence to demonstrate the importance of Omega-3 in the development of the unborn child in the womb and the newly born infant. Required throughout pregnancy, the Omega-3 fatty acids are particularly important during the last 3 months and during early infancy for the proper development of the brain, eyes and nervous system. Since the unborn baby cannot make its own Omega-3, its' needs must be met by its' mother. To ensure an adequate supply of Omega-3, evidence suggests that a women should eat oily fish several times a week or take a daily fish oil supplement early in pregnancy or even before conception. Omega-3 supplementation while breast- feeding results in Omega-3-enriched milk, which passes to the baby.*
Researchers at the University of Milan report that infants whose formula contains long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (especially DHA) have healthier brain development than children who did not receive DHA in their formula. The observation supports earlier findings that there is a direct correlation between the DHA concentration in the red blood cells of infants and their visual acuity. The researchers recommend that infants who are not breast-fed be fed a DHA-enriched formula. The researchers report that breast milk already contains the fatty acids necessary for healthy brain development. (The Lancet, Vol. 346, September 2, 1995, p. 638.)*
Researchers also believe that breast-fed infants may develop higher intelligence. A meta-analysis of 11 published studies reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (October, 1999) showed a 60% gain in intelligence in breast fed infants over those who were formula-fed, measured by IQ scores. The researchers suggest that the higher IQs are attributable to the nutritional value of breast milk, which contains certain Omega-3 fatty acids such as DHA. These Omega-3 fatty acids have been associated with brain development and are not found in most formulas. All the studies the researchers examined were "retrospective," analyzing the IQ development of babies who were breast-fed. However, the superior performance of breast-fed babies could be due to other factors, including the fact that women who breast-feed their babies tend to be of a higher socioeconomic class.*
The content of the Omega-3 fatty acid, DHA, of women who were pregnant for the first time and their children was found to be higher than those who had previously been through 1 to 6 pregnancies. Additionally, the DHA level in the umbilical cord of first-born infants was found to be higher than in children whose mothers had been pregnant before. This study provides evidence that with each subsequent birth, mothers may need to supplement their reserves of DHA. (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1997, 51: 548-53.)*
Skin Health
We all desire clear, youthful skin that radiates health and vitality. But, many of us think that healthy skin comes from creams and lotions. The fact is, the food we eat has a major impact on skin condition. Your skin is the largest organ in your body, protects underlying tissues, and plays a major role in temperature regulation, immunity and metabolic functions. The best diet for healthy looking skin emphasizes plenty of fruits and vegetables, and minimal amounts of saturated fats (found mostly from animal products). Drinking eight glasses a day of water (more if you exercise regularly) is also essential to maintaining skin health.
Omega-3 fatty acids are another component for healthy skin cells, and daily dietary intake is suggested for optimum skin health. Around each and every cell in the skin is a membrane that normally keeps moisture inside the cell. Omega-3 fatty acids form a part of the skin`s cell membrane, and help keep it moist and strong. They do this by encouraging the production of strong collagen and elastin fibers, and may help the skin to look younger for longer.*
Research suggests that Omega-3, along with vitamins A, D and E, and the mineral zinc, may help protect teenage skin from simple acne, spots, blackheads and whiteheads when combined with other healthy diet measures such as eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, drinking sufficient quantities of water (8 glasses per day) and regular exercise.*
Immune System Health
A healthy immune system is one that knows "when to attack, what to attack, and when to hold back". A few studies have found that a diet enriched with Omega-3 fatty acids may help you maintain a healthy immune function. For instance, in cultures of normal human blood, only blood incubated in the Omega-3 fatty acid, DHA, significantly decreased the amount of white blood cell surface molecules needed in the immune response of normal, healthy humans. (American Journal of Nutrition, 1996, 126: 603-610.)*
Joint Health
Omega-3 fatty acids may serve to block some of the body`s processes that limit joint health and freedom of movement. More than a dozen studies in the last 10 years have found that a diet with a more balanced intake of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids may help maintain healthy joints. Researchers point out that humans evolved on a diet which had an approximately 2:1 ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids. Modern diets not only contain a vast excess of Omega-6 fatty acids (50 times more than required), but also have a highly unfavorable 25:1 ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids. Some researchers feel that there is now enough evidence to recommend that joint health can be enhanced through the emphasis of a diet high in Omega-3 fatty acids as found in fish oil and Omega-3 rich seeds and vegetables, and through the avoidance of foods rich in Omega-6 fatty acids. (British Journal of Rheumatology, Vol. 36, May 1997, pp. 513-14 editorial) *
Appropriate Dosages of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
In April, 1999 a Workshop on the Essentiality of and Recommended Dietary Intakes (RDIs) for Omega-6 and Omega-3 Fatty Acids was held at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD. The workshop concluded with the development of specific recommendations for Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids for healthy adults and pregnant and lactating women:
[Table 1: see article for table.]
Source: Simopoulos, AP, et al., Workshop on the Essentiality of and Recommended Dietary Intakes for Omega-6 and Omega-3 Fatty Acids, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD (April 7-9, 1999).
1.Although the recommendation is for AI, the Working Group felt that there is enough scientific evidence to also state an upper limit (UL) for LA of 6.67 g/d based on a 2000 kcal diet or of 3.0% energy.
2.For pregnant and lactating women, ensure 300 mg/day of DHA.
3.Except for dairy products, other foods under natural conditions do not contain trans-FA. Therefore, the Working Group does not recommend trans-FA to be in the food supply as a result of hydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acids or high temperature cooking (reused frying oils).
4.Saturated fats should not comprise more than 8% of energy.
5.The Working Group recommended that the majority of fatty acids be obtained from monounsaturates. The total amount of fat in the diet is determined by the culture and dietary habits of people around the world (total fat ranges from 15-40% of energy) but with special attention to the importance of weight control and reduction of obesity.
CANOLA AND OMEGA-3
At the website (http://www.canola-council.org/pubs/omega3.html) we read:
Canola is a Good Plant Source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Canola oil contains alpha-linolenic acid, an essential omega-3 fatty acid that reduces risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. Health Canada recommends that adults consume about 1 g of omega-3 fatty acids every day. For an adult on a 2000 kcal diet, this is the amount of alpha-linolenic acid found in one tablespoon of canola oil.
Cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks and strokes, are the number one killer of adults in North America today. While many factors contribute to the risk of cardiovascular disease,for example, smoking, being sedentary, being male, and having a high blood cholesterol level.New research suggests that increasing our intake of omega-3 fatty acids may help reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Dietary Sources of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 or n-3 fatty acids are a family of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The parent compound of the omega-3 family is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). ALA is essential in the diets of humans because our bodies cannot manufacture it. ALA is found in the fats and oils of canola, wheat germ and soybeans; flaxseed; nuts such as walnuts, pecans and pine nuts; and red and black currant seeds. ALA constitutes about 11% of the fatty acids in canola oil. Canola oil is a major contributor to the total ALA intake of North Americans because it is widely used in salad and cooking oils, margarines and shortenings.
ALA can be converted to two important long-chain omega-3 fatty acids: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These long-chain omega-3 fatty acids are present in human breast milk and in fatty fish such as mackerel, salmon, herring, trout, sardines and blue fin tuna. Indeed, with the exception of these fatty fish, most species of fish are poor sources of EPA and DHA, and they contain very little ALA.
Healthy Actions of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids protect against heart attacks and strokes in several ways. They enter the body's cell membranes, where they make membranes more fluid and flexible. They improve blood lipid levels, make platelets in the blood less sticky and help maintain a regular rhythm of heartbeats. These actions help maintain the health of arteries and the cardiovascular system, thus reducing the risk of fatal heart attacks and strokes.
Boosting Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intake
Hunter-gatherers who lived 10,000 years ago consumed more omega-3 fatty acids in their diets than North Americans do today. Part of the reason for this difference is that North Americans eat ample amounts of cereal grain such as wheat, maize (corn) and rice, which are low in omega-3 fatty acids. Today's consumers also eat meat derived from livestock fed cereal grains in their feed. In short, North Americans do not consume enough omega-3 fatty acids.
One way to increase omega-3 fatty acid intake is to use canola oil and canola margarine regularly in cooking and baking.
Omega - 3 / n-3
The term omega-3 refers to the chemical structure of the fatty acid. Sometimes the letter n is substituted for the word omega. So, alpha-linolenic acid is an omega-3 or n-3 fatty acid.
ALA Protects Against Heart Disease
Studies carried out in the early 1970's found that Inuit who ate traditional diets high in fish and fish oil had lower levels of total cholesterol and LLDL-cholesterol than Danes of the same age and ssex. (LDL-cholesterol is the "bad" cholesterol). Dozens of studies completed since the 1970's have confirmed that populations such as Alaskan natives and Japanese fishers who regularly eat marine animals and fatty fish have low rates of coronary heart disease. Now there is evidence that the ALA found mainly in plants also protects against coronary heart disease.
One of the first studies to report a unique effect of ALA was the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT). In this primary prevention trial involving more than 12,000 men aged 35 to 57 years who had a high risk of developing heart disease, death from coronary heart disease and all causes was lowest in those men with the highest intakes of ALA. Similar findings were reported for 43,757 men who participated in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and for the more than 80,000 women involved in the Nurses' Health Study.
In a now-famous trial of adults who had already survived one heart attack participants were randomized to either a control group, who ate their usual diets, or an intervention group, who ate a Mediterranean-type diet that contained canola and olive oils. Participants in the intervention group ate a diet rich in ALA derived mainly from a canola oil-based margarine and increased their ALA intake by 68%.
The intervention group had lower blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and higher HDL-cholesterol levels, compared with the control group who ate a low-ALA diet. (HDL-cholesterol is the good cholesterol.) In fact, consuming a diet rich in ALA was associated with a 70% reduction in coronary events and cardiac deaths. The study findings were so compelling that the trial was halted for ethical reasons, allowing participants in the control group to benefit immediately from the study results.
Researchers with the Lyon Diet Heart Study found that th