What makes us different? Read our Declaration of Journalistic Independence Home | About Natural News | Contact Us | Write for Natural News
Search our 25,000 free articles and special reports
omega-3

More Research Highlights the Broad Health Benefits of Omega-3 Fish Oils and Fatty Fish

Thursday, July 19, 2007 by: Jack Challem | Key concepts: omega-3, nutrition and fish oils

Want stories like this e-mailed to you? Click here for free email alerts

Email this article to a friend Printable Version
Research on omega-3 fish oils keeps looking better and better: new studies have found that omega-3s fish oils can help with three catastrophic diseases -- Alzheimer's, heart failure, and cancer.

Ernst J. Schaefer, MD, of the USDA's nutrition research center at Tufts University, Boston, analyzed levels of omega-3s and the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. He and his colleagues measured blood levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, one of the principal omega-3s in fish) in 899 elderly men and women. More than half of the subjects also completed dietary questionnaires, which were used to assess intake of DHA and fish.

Over nine years, 99 of the subjects developed dementia. Schaefer determined that people with the highest blood levels of DHA were about half as likely to develop dementia, compared with people who consumed little DHA. They were also 39 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease.

People with the highest DHA levels consumed about three servings of fish each week, which provided the equivalent of 180 mg of DHA daily.

Fats form about 50 percent of the brain's nonwater weight, and DHA is the predominant fat found in cell membranes of the brain's gray matter.

In a separate study, Alberto U. Ferrari, MD, of the University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy, treated 25 heart failure patients with beta-blocker and ACE-inhibitor drugs. All of the patients had previously suffered a heart attack that left them with a weakened ability to pump blood.

Fifteen of the patients were also given 2 grams of omega-3 fish oils daily, and 10 received placebos daily for four months. The fish oil supplements contained about three-fifths DHA and two-fifths eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, another omega-3 fat).

The omega-3s improved the patients' "baroflex sensitivity," leading to a more stable heart rate, less variability in heart rate, and lower resting heart rate. The benefits, Ferrari noted, were above and beyond the improvements achieved with the medications.

Finally, Alicja Wolk, DMSc, of the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, and her colleagues analyzed the relationship between consumption of fish rich in omega-3 fats and the risk of kidney cancer in women. They drew on data from an ongoing study of more than 61,000 middle-age and elderly women whose health was tracked for an average of 15 years. (www.inflammationsyndrome.com)

Women who consumed one or more servings of fatty fish per week were 44 percent less likely to develop kidney cancer, compared with women who did not eat fish. Women who consumed one or more servings of fatty fish per week for at least 10 years were 74 percent less likely to develop kidney cancer.

References:

Schaefer EJ, Bongard V, Beiser AS, et al. Plasma phosphatidylcholine docosahexaenoic acid content and risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Archives of Neurology, 2006;63:1545-1550.

Radaelli A, Cazzaniga M, Viola A, et al. Enhanced baroreceptor control of the cardiovascular system by polyun-saturated fatty acids in heart failure patients. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2006; 48:1600-1606.

Wolk A, Larsson SC, Johansson JE, et al. Long-term fatty fish consumption and renal cell carcinoma incidence in women. JAMA, 2006;296:1371-1376.

About the author

Jack Challem, known as The Nutrition Reporter(tm), is a personal nutrition coach based in Tucson, Arizona. Jack is one of America's most trusted nutrition and health writers, and has written about research on nutrition, vitamins, minerals, and herbs for more than 30 years. He is the author of The Food-Mood Solution: The Nutrition and Lifestyle Plan to Feel Good Again (Wiley, 2007), Feed Your Genes Right (Wiley, 2005), The Inflammation Syndrome (Wiley, 2003) and the lead author of the best-selling Syndrome X: The Complete Nutritional Program to Prevent and Reverse Insulin Resistance (Wiley, 2000). His next book, Stop Prediabetes Now, will be published in the fall of 2007. He writes The Nutrition Reporter(tm) newsletter and contributes regularly to many magazines, including Alternative Medicine, Better Nutrition, Body & Soul, Experience Life, and Let's Live. Jack's scientific articles have appeared in Free Radical Biology & Medicine, Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, Medical Hypotheses, and other journals. In addition, he is a columnist for Alternative & Complementary Therapies. Jack is a frequent speaker at nutritional medicine conferences and to consumer health groups. Email him via www.foodmoodsolution.com

###

Related Articles

Brain health dramatically improved by intake of omega-3 fatty acids and fish oils

The Right Type of Fats for Health and Longevity

Fatty Acid Blood Tests Help Assess Risk for Heart Disease

Adequate Amounts of Omega-3 Oil May Help Prevent Heart Disease

Research shows that seeds and nuts are "brain foods" that can also stabilize your mood

Additional Resources:

omega-3
nutrition
fish oils

Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com

Email this article to a friend

Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us

Permalink to this article: http://www.NaturalNews.com/021939.html

Reprinting this article: Non-commercial OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link.

Receive our Natural Health Newsletter for FREE

Subscribe now (it's free!) to win. We randomly choose a subscriber each month to send $100 in eco-home products or a RealGoods.com gift certificate (our choice). Plus, you'll receive FREE news, articles and action alerts from NaturalNews.com editors and join over 800,000 monthly readers who report extraordinary health improvements after becoming a subscriber!
  • Receive breaking news alerts on natural health solutions, renewable energy, the environment, global warming and more.
  • Receive a free instant download of our $29 Secret Sources guide that reveals top sources for little-known health and diet solutions.
Your Email Address:
Free Subscription Code:
Enter the numbers you see:
100% free of charge. Unsubscribe anytime.
Absolutely no spam. We respect your email privacy.

Recommended Special Report:

Seven Words that can Change the World
by Joseph R. Simonetta

Read this special report now...

"Seven Words That Can Change the World reveals the astonishing, simple truths that have the power to forever transform our world for the better while freeing our minds from the enslavement of limiting beliefs. This is not a text for the simple-minded; it is a guiding philosophy for the mindful, intelligent few who are wise enough to seek out -- and recognize -- the higher simplicities of truly purposeful living." - Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, editor of NaturalNews.com

More on NaturalNews.com:

Streaming Health Ranger Videos
CounterThink Cartoons
FREE Special Reports
Podcasts

Also Posted Today

The Politics of National Health Care Reform: Why no Popular Presidential Candidate can Solve Our Health Care Crisis (transcript)

Big Pharma "Doomed" if it Doesn't Change, Says Eli Lilly Chairman

The Poisoning of America's Water Supplies

Rickets on the Rise as Vitamin D Deficiency Surges Among Expectant Mothers

The Many Benefits of Coconut Oil and Coconut Butter

Beat Disease With Juice Feasting!

NEW 6-CD audio set reveals amazing new protocol for reversing cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart disease and more. Click to learn more.

Own Health Ranger Report Podcasts on Audio CD

Own the first 8 Health Ranger Report audio programs on 6 CDs. Covers weight loss, ADHD, vaccinations, processed meats, bone health and more. Click to learn more.

Featured Videos

Short clip on Aspartame
A short clip on aspartame from the documentary All Jacked Up.
Click here to view now...

Exclusive video on Aspartame
The dangers of aspartame! Exclusive interview footage from Cori Brackett of Sweet Remedy.
Click here to view now...

Exclusive Footage from All Jacked Up!
See interview footage featuring the Health Ranger in the upcoming junk food film, All Jacked Up.
Click here to view now...

Drug Ad Parody
See the Health Ranger's satire parody of Merck's cholesterol drug ad.
Click here to view now...

Free Health Reports!

Amazon Herb Company review
The pH Nutrition Guide to Acid / Alkaline Balance
Pet Food Ingredients Revealed! (shocking)
Medicine From Fish
The Water Cure
The Healing Power of Sunlight and Vitamin D

Featured CounterThink Cartoons

Honeybees Go on Strike


The Plan for the Food Supply


Processed Meat for Christmas


Health Product Companies We Recommend

Read recommendations on supplement companies, health food manufacturers and personal care product makers that you can trust. Our 100% independent review list tells you who to trust and who to avoid in the natural health industry. Click to read.
This site is part of the Natural News Network © 2008 All Rights Reserved. Privacy | Terms All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing International, LTD. is not responsible for content written by contributing authors. Truth Publishing sells no health or nutritional products and earns no money from health product manufacturers or promoters. The information on this site is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. Your use of this website indicates your agreement to these terms and those published here. All trademarks, registered trademarks and servicemarks mentioned on this site are the property of their respective owners.