Omega-3 & Omega-6 are Essential to Good Health

Omega-3 and Omega-6 Nutritional oils are an essential part of our diet. They are known as essential because our bodies do not produce them independently, we must supplement them in our diets. Without supplementation of nutritional oils our bodies simply would not function properly.

Fish oil is an important source of Omega-3 fatty acids. It is often called the thinkers oil because they are rich in two powerful brain fat compounds called EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). These are both important compounds for the healthy function of the brain and retina. Fish oils also have been shown to reduce inflammation, increase blood flow, and help manage blood hormones. Omega-3 oils also reportedly prevent heart disease.

Omega-6 oils have been shown to reduce high cholesterol, blood pressure, inflammation, and arthritis. Preliminary clinical trials have shown possible uses of Omega-6 fatty acids for acne, alcoholism, allergies, attention deficit disorder, eye disease, and diabetes. Used together Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids play a critical role in brain function as well as normal growth and development.

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Natural Anti-inflammatories/Painkillers for Arthritis & Joint Pain

Your “golden” years are supposed to be the best time in your life. You work your entire life away and save money to enjoy the final years in retirement. But, many people can’t enjoy their time to the fullest because of arthritis or some other type of joint-related pain.

A lot of people think their only choice of relief is to take dangerous painkillers like Celebrex and Ultram. This is unfortunate. These types of drugs are sold by companies that put profits first, and patients second.

A recent study published in The Archives of Internal Medicine revealed that drug giant Merck quietly sat on information about heart risks concerning its pain-killing drug Vioxx for 4 years before they recalled it!
The drug was finally discontinued in 2004. Too many patients were dying from heart attack or stroke as a result of these drugs.

Dr. Harlan Krumholz of the Yale University School of Medicine and his team reviewed 30 different studies that were conducted by Merck prior to Vioxx’s withdrawal in 2004. Many of them were made available after the drug was banned by the FDA. Each trial was examined, one at a time. Krumholz found a strong, undeniable link between patients taking Vioxx and increased heart attacks and strokes dating as far back as the year 2000.

This study went through a rigorous peer review process before the findings were deemed “acceptable.” Then, Merck responded by issuing a statement saying, “The article published in The Archives of Internal Medicine… used unreliable methods and reached incorrect conclusions.”

The Wall Street Journal published an investigative article back in 2004 reporting that it had seen internal Merck emails sent between company executives. The emails expressed concern over Vioxx and the increased risk of heart attack. They go back as far as the late 1990s.

The message is clear, Stay away from prescription painkillers and their unwanted side effects.

Even over-the-counter remedies like aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen, are not completely safe.These are all known to potentially cause internal bleeding and liver damage. In fact, the FDA recently required all these pain remedies to come with a clear warning label making consumers aware of these risks. You don’t need to risk your life or your health in order to have a better quality of life. You can live pain-free naturally.

For starters, making small changes in your diet can help. Eating foods rich in omega-3’s like wild caught salmon, egg yolks, and grass-fed beef can help reduce the pain. Omega-3’s are a well-known and have proven anti-inflammatory properties.

You can also supplement with any of these three safe, all-natural pain fighters:

MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) – This is the natural, bio-available form of sulfur. It’s been used for thousands of years to relieve aches and pains. In fact, Trojan warriors would soak in natural sulfur springs to heal their joint pain. No question, it works. Researchers at the Arthritis Health Center in Arizona tracked 50 adults with knee osteoarthritis. One group was given MSM. The other group got a placebo. Those taking MSM had a significant decrease in arthritis pain and improved overall physical function. The daily recommended dosage is 850 mg of MSM per day.

White Willow Bark – The use of this ancient joint remedy dates back to the Greek physician Hippocrates (400 B.C.). Its active ingredient is salicin. The same ingredient found in aspirin. The difference? Salicin is free of side effects. You can find white willow bark at most health-food stores. The daily recommended dosage is 240 mg per day.

GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) – This is commonly found in plant-based omega-6 fatty acids. Common sources include borage oil, evening primrose oil, and black currant seed oil. One study published in The Annuals of Internal Medicine found that patients taking GLA for 24 weeks reported 45% reduction in tender joints and 41% reduction in swollen joints. For maximum benefit, take 300 mg per day.

Click here for information on other Natural Anti-inflammatories/Painkillers.

Fish oil may flow in the fountain of youth

The Spanish Explorer Ponce De Leon spent countless years looking for the fountain of youth. The answer wasn’t the water but what was swimming in it. Yet another study shows that fish oil may be a key to longer life.

Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil may slow the ageing process by slowing the rate that telomeres shorten. Telomeres are the structures at the end of a chromosome that affect cell stability and replication. A growing body of research shows that the longer the telomeres, the longer the life of cells, which ultimately means slower ageing.

“Telomere length is an emerging marker for determining biological age, and many scientists are interested in understanding the impact of influences such as age, exercise, oxidative stress, diseases like diabetes and heart disease, and how interventions like dietary supplements, statins and omega-3 fatty acids impact length,” said the study, which was lead by Dr. Ramin Farzaneh-Far, assistant professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. “We are excited to identify omega-3 fatty acids as a potentially protective factor that may slow down telomere shortening,” he said.

Previous research indicates heart patients with a higher intake of Omega-3s as have higher survival rates. Now researchers may know why. The new telomere Omega-3 research validates this and other studies on the importance of Omega-3 with regards to life expectancy. A study published in the April 2009 edition of PLoS Medicine, an online journal, showed that Omega-3 deficiencies may contribute to as many as 97,000 deaths annually.

“We know that daily doses of Omega-3 EPA/DHA can help with many conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, and we’re committed to increasing consumer awareness about the drastic Omega-3 EPA/DHA deficiency in the Western diet. However, these recent studies validate that Omega-3 EPA/DHA is more than just part of a healthy diet … it’s a matter of life and death,” said Lori Colvert, Ocean Nutrition Canada’s Vice President of Marketing and Communications.

For the telomere study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers evaluated 608 patients with stable heart disease (from the Heart and Soul Study from September 2000 and December 2002) and followed up on their status for a median period of six years.

Researchers evaluated participants for Omega-3 fatty acid levels at the start and throughout the study. They also isolated DNA from the blood and evaluated the length of the telomere of the leukocyte, a type of blood cell. Telomeres in patients with the lowest Omega-3 levels shortened 2.6 times faster than patients with the highest levels of Omega-3s. The study only looked at blood levels of Omega-3s, not dosage.

Cardiologists note that this study was the first to look at telomere length over time. The question remains whether the study results apply to healthy people because the researchers only looked at patients with heart disease. Though according to Farzaneh-Far, telomeres shorten in everyone, so Omega-3s could indeed benefit most people.

By Kimberly Lord Stewart @ functionalingredientsmag.com
For more on telomeres, see Nobel Prize News
For more information on Omega-3 fatty acids please visit our website at www.AmericanNutrition.com