Essential Fatty Acids: Healthy Joints, Eyes, Heart

essential fatty acidsEssential fatty acids are natural, healthy fats the body cannot make on its own:  hence the term “essential”.

These are called Omega 3 fats and Omega 6 fats. Omega 3 fats are things like fish, fish oil, olive oil, avocado, seeds and green vegetables.  Recent research studies are finding these fats benefit the eyes, joints, heart, lungs, immunity and more.

Omega 6 fats include vegetable oils like safflower oil and corn oil, as well as mayonnaise, fried foods, dairy and beef.  Many people eat more Omega 6 fats than Omega 3’s and when the balance between the fats becomes imbalanced, health problems can occur – particularly high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

One study of people with dry eyes was recently published in the journal “Cornea”.  They were given a daily dose of fish oil and flax oil.  At the end of the 90-day study, 70% of the participants with dry eye had no symptoms and also had an increase in tear production and volume.

In the journal “Proceedings of the Nutrition Society,” researchers analyzed several controlled trials of fish oil use for arthritis.  The trials showed a reduction in tender joint counts and a decreased use of anti-inflammatory drugs with fish oil supplementation.  An important research note was that anti-inflammatory drugs can adversely affect the heart.  Fish oil is known to have a direct, positive effect on the heart.

This natural health news is provided to you by Nutrition Breakthroughs, a provider of nutrition articles and effective natural remedies since 2001. Nutrition Breakthroughs makes the original calcium and magnesium based sleep aid Sleep Minerals II, as well as Joints and More, the natural solution for joint relief, aches and pains, stronger hair and nails and more energy.

New Studies Show Fish Oil Helps the Heart, Stomach and Immune System

fish oil remedy metabolic syndromeThere is an ongoing battle between the healthy and unhealthy fats in our diets.

We’ll win the war by eating higher quality fats and the prizes will be less joint pain, stronger eyes, fewer heart attacks, lower blood pressure, and fewer cases of asthma and migraines.

The healthiest fats include fish and fish oil (salmon, sardines, trout), flax oil, walnuts, almonds, avocados, olive oil and coconut oil.

The unhealthy fats, and the ones that can contribute to conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, inflammation and stomach troubles, are fried food, fast food, processed foods like chips, crackers and cookies and baked foods with hydrogenated oil.

Fish oil is widely known for its benefits to heart health and inflammation, but until now, scientists were not entirely sure about its immunity enhancing effects. A new report appearing in an issue of a biology journal has shown that fish oil enhances the activity of a certain kind of blood cell responsible for immunity in the body.  Fish oil may actually aid immune responses that help clear out various diseases.

Another study was recently done at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York regarding the use of fish oil for the health of the heart and arteries.  Researchers there found that a diet rich in fish oils can prevent the accumulation of fat in the aorta, the main artery leaving the heart. The beneficial actions of fish oil that block cholesterol buildup in the arteries were found even at very high fat intakes.

Scientists at the University of California in Los Angeles compared fish oil with soybean oil for the fat component that was used in feeding tubes for children with stomach failure.  The study was titled “Six months of fish oil reverses liver disease in children with intestinal failure.”  With the fish oil, nearly 80 percent of the patients experienced a reversal of their liver disease, while only 5 percent of the soybean oil patients saw a reversal.  This is a strong statement on the benefits of fish oil for stomach and liver health.

This health news is provided by Nutrition Breakthroughs, maker of the effective natural insomnia remedy Sleep Minerals II.