If you have heard about fish oil, omega 3 and heart health a million times before, then you may be tempted to start skimming – well don’t. Because this news may be new. We all know that the omega 3 fatty acids found in fish oil from fatty fish like salmon can be major contributors to a healthy heart, in addition to preventing strokes and possibly even delaying or preventing the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

However, most conventional wisdom about how to get omega 3 fatty acids into your daily diet may actually be a little misleading. For years, health organizations have recommended that you eat fatty fish once or twice a week in order to increase your omega 3 intake. However, since most western diets are so incredibly low in omega 3, this actually may not be nearly enough to effect the positive impact on your health that you are trying to achieve. In fact, you could be doing this already and still actually have an omega 3 deficiency. In reality, you would need to consume almost 2 pounds of fish a day in order to insure that you were getting sufficient amounts of omega 3 fatty acid in your diet. But if that sounds like a little too much fish for you, try a daily dietary supplement instead.

It is getting close to that time of year where many of us simply cave in and plan to pack on a few pounds. After all, the holidays are indisputably one of the most delicious seasons of all, and it can be hard to resist treats that not only taste wonderful, but bring back special memories. But before you unpack your “fat pants” and say goodbye to your “skinny jeans” until January, consider taking some serious action.

Studies show that people who get a healthy dose of omega 3 fish oil each day actually tend to get better results at the gym, which means that you could potentially counteract some of those calories without raising your daily stairmaster quota to 10 hours or something equally unheard of (British Journal of Nutrition 2009). While taking omega 3 will not, all on its own, result in your body transforming itself overnight, the essential nutrient that also plays a major role in brain function and heart health could be a major factor in your diet’s success, or your maintenance of your current level of fitness.

In tough economic times, one of the first things to go can be a personal relationship. This is because when times get rough, stress can cause irritability, lack of patience and even aggressive and unpleasant behavior.

In some cases, it can even lead to clinical or chronic depression, as well as physical symptoms like migraines, muscle aches and general fatigue. If you or a loved one are experiencing these types of issues, do not simply give up and assume that there is nothing to be done. In fact, you can take steps right now to potentially alleviate the problem.

While there are many factors that can contribute to and even cause stress, these factors are often exacerbated by a lack of omega 3, an essential nutrient found in fish oil. Omega 3 deficiencies are actually at the root of many cases of depression and can dramatically reduce your emotional and physical susceptibility to stress. If you have been feeling low or are worried about the toll that stress is taking on your love life, consider starting a daily fish oil supplement today.

If your child is struggling in school, then of course you are probably trying everything you can think of to help them with their studies. However, the root of the problem may actually be a lot simpler than a difficulty grasping algebra or interpreting English literature. Many times, children actually struggle in school simply because they have difficulties staying focused. As you might expect, an inability to stay focused can make studying pretty hard, and in addition it can make long reading assignments or extended mathematics practice pure torture. Fortunately, problems focusing are frequently a direct result of an omega 3 deficiency. Omega 3 fatty acids, which are found in fish oil, improve memory function and contribute to the brain’s ability to stay on task for extended periods of time. They even help people stay alert and positive instead of feeling depressed! If your child is having trouble in school – whether it is a new occurrence or something that has been going on for years – investigate the possibility with your pediatrician that they may need to take a daily omega 3 fish oil supplement. It could mean literal letter grades of difference.

It has long been suspected that omega 3 could play a vital role in the prevention of breast cancer, but now researchers suspect that omega 3 fatty acids could help protect men against advanced prostate cancer as well (Clinical Cancer Research 2009). In the study, 466 men with aggressive prostate cancer and 478 healthy men were studied. The researchers found that men who had the highest intake of omega 3 fatty acids had a 63 percent lower risk of aggressive prostate cancer compared with men with the lowest intake of fatty acids.
While the researchers are simply suggesting at this time that eating fish may decrease a man’s risk of prostate cancer, it is important to remember that some studies indicate that to get enough omega 3 through diet alone you might need to eat as many as 2 pounds of fish a day. If you are not sure that you can choke down that much seafood each and every day, consider simply supplementing your diet with a daily omega 3 fish oil supplement. Even though the results are not considered conclusive, waiting on omega 3 may not be a risk that you can afford to take.

As more and more people are becoming aware of the value of a healthy daily dose of omega 3 fatty acids, food companies are catching on to a brand new type of promotion. Suddenly, very type of food under the sun is available with an “omega 3 boost” or in an “omega 3 enhanced” form. While buying these foods can make you feel healthy and responsible, are they really any better for you than their “un-boosted” counterparts? Unfortunately, the answer is usually no.

Omega 3 is present in many types of food, but generally in fairly low amounts. Any food can be an “omega 3 rich” food if it contains any omega 3 at all because conventional American diets are so low in this vital nutrient. Even if a manufacturer has actually supplemented a food with some form of omega 3, that is no guarantee that your body will be able to process those important fatty acids. Since your body cannot make this nutrient on its own, but has to have it, it is important to eat forms of omega 3 that are ready for use. These forms of the fatty acid are found mostly in fatty fish like tuna, mackerel and salmon. It is still up for debate whether the popular sources krill and flax actually contain much useable omega 3. So before you shell out big bucks for a false omega 3 boost, consider simply supplementing your daily diet with omega 3 salmon fish oil capsules and leaving the boost on the shelf.

One of the most controversial topics in children’s health is attention deficit disorder (ADD) and its companion, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Many parents feel that their children who have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD are being unfairly treated in schools and do not have a real disability, but rather a natural, childlike inclination toward high energy and a short attention span. Other parents, however, consider their child’s diagnosis and treatment to be a lifesaver, and feel that they would be seriously handicapping their offspring should they elect to leave the issue untreated.

There are strong cases to be made on both sides of the aisle, but the fact remains that regardless of where one stands on medication, ADD and ADHD medicines are high-risk because they are also frequently used as recreational drugs and can cause serious heart problems. Studies indicate, however, that an omega 3 fish oil treatment regimen may be the natural alternative that many parents and kids are looking for (Nutritional Neuroscience, vol. 10, no 1-2, 2007). If you are hoping to deal with your own or a loved one’s ADD or ADHD in a natural manner, consult your doctor or dietician about adding omega 3 to your diet immediately.

Most people are aware that omega 3 fatty acids can play a major role in helping maintain health health, memory function and general immune competency. However, because few doctors will officially prescribe this dietary supplement – although many freely admit that they take it themselves – many people are reluctant to add omega 3 fish oil to their daily vitamin and supplement routine. As a result, studies are constantly being conducted on the safety of fish oil supplements and the beneficial effects of an omega 3 routine.

One of the most recent studies took the investigation to a new level by tracking how omega 3 impacted triglyceride levels in patients and how omega 3 might potentially benefit HIV positive patients by improving their immune function (Clinical Infectious Diseases, vol. 41, pp. 1498-1504, 2005). The study, concluded that the results were so promising that further investigation was warranted, and more involved studies are currently underway. These results demonstrate just how powerful omega 3 supplements can be: they actually could improve the functionality of mortally compromised systems. If you want to boost your own immune system, then talk to your doctor today about adding omega 3 to your daily dietary regimen.

You probably already know that omega 3 fatty acids play a critical role in your health. After all, they are good for your heart and your memory. They can help alleviate or eliminate depression and some forms of ADD and ADHD. They probably prevent strokes and they likely can prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. And that does not even take into account the improved muscle condition, easier weight loss, younger-looking skin and decrease in migraine frequency.
However, now there is another benefit to add to the omega 3 fatty acid list: improved liver health. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism released a study this October (2009) in which scientists drew a direct association between lower occurrences of liver disease and reduced liver fat1. Why does this matter? Because omega 3 fatty acids can reduce liver fat.

The study monitored 25 women who were considered already prone to liver disease. The results indicated that omega 3 fatty acids had a beneficial effect on liver fat content. In short, they reduced it. As a result, the women who took the omega 3 supplements were less likely to encounter problems with liver disease because at the end of the study, their livers contained less fat.

It should be noted that this was a small study, and the results, by the scientists’ own admission, require further study. However, the indications of this study are clear, and if you are not already taking an omega 3 supplement for heart health or any of the other myriad benefits of this vital nutrient, then you can add one more thing to the list of reasons that you need to find yourself a good, effective omega 3 fish oil supplement today.

Learn more about how omega 3 can improve your health and learn how to select an omega 3 supplement that is right for you at http://www.omega-3.us.

1 http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/94/10/3842

If your joints are in chronic pain due to rheumatoid arthritis, then you might want to take a close look at your oil consumption. For years, olive oil has been one of the common homeopathic remedies for rheumatoid arthritis, but studies initiated as early as 1990 and reconfirmed in the past year show that in fact fish oil, which is high in omega 3 fatty acids, is actually more effective at alleviating pain and inflammation caused by rheumatoid arthritis (Arthritis and Rheumatism, vol. 33, no. 6).

While both types of oil did improve the state of the patient’s joints and muscles, omega 3 fish oil appeared after 24 weeks to result in markedly better improvements in the number of tender joints, swelling and immune function in general. While it may not be advisable to replace all of your current rheumatoid arthritis treatments with an omega 3 supplement, it would certainly be wise to investigate the benefits of adding such a treatment to your current plan. This simple addition could result in dramatic improvements in lifestyle and mobility.