(02-05-13) Research: Treat severe flu with omega-3 fatty acids

by PF Louis

(NaturalNews) The more you read the more you discover health benefits from
omega-3 fatty acids. Many naturopaths, chiropractors, physicians and
NaturalNews readers know its value for supporting cardiovascular health,
reducing inflammation, and enhancing cognitive brain function. Now it seems to
fight severe influenza.

Omega-3 is a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) which is not generated from
within the body. Therefore it's an essential oil, meaning it needs to be
supplied from outside sources. There are two types of sources, plant and
animal.

Plant sources include avocados and nuts, but the ones used as supplements are
flax seeds or oils, chia seeds, and hemp seeds. The oils need to be
refrigerated. Flax seeds need to be ground - a coffee grinder works well - and
consumed very soon after.

Chia seeds don't need to be ground or refrigerated. Hemp seeds need to be
refrigerated but not ground.

Animal sources can be eggs or even meats. But the best sources are fatty fish
and fish and krill oils. Fish oil supplements, usually from cod or krill, are
available in health food stores in the refrigerated section, and they must also
remain refrigerated at home or they'll go rancid.

Johanna Budwig, scientist and creator of the Budwig Diet that has had high
success with cancer, insists on using refrigerated bottled oils instead of
capsuled oils. Budwig used flax oil and cottage cheese to promote oxygen
delivery into cancer cells that die off from oxygen.

Recent research discovers omega-3 efficacy at ridding flu infection
A Japanese study recorded in the journal Cell entitled "The Lipid Mediator
Protectin D1 Inhibits Influenza Virus Replication and Improves Severe
Influenza."

The study concluded that protectin D1, the lipid mediator, has both a
preventative and curative potential for even H5N1, the rare so called "bird
flu" that is actually more lethal than any other influenza.

The researchers heavily infected mice with different strains of influenza
viruses. Those fed the protectin D1 from an omega-3 fatty acid source survived
as well as those who were given Peramivir, a powerful intravenous drug given
emergency approval for specific grave influenza conditions in South Korea and
Japan.

Half the mice died with either remedy. But all of the heavily infected mice
given both Peramivir and protectin D1 survived. Further petri dish study
revealed the mechanics of how omega-3 fatty acid's protectin D1 shuts down
viral replication at the cellular level.

Protectin D1 is part of a natural substance, a polyunsaturated fatty acid or
PUFA as omega-3 fatty acid. A blog that's part of Nature Medicine called
spoonful of medicine enthusiastically reported this study as a birth of natural
anti-flu medicines without side the effects that Big Pharma's flu medicines
usually confer.

Under the shadow of the medical mafia - Big Pharma, FDA, and AMA, it's more
likely a pharmaceutical company will consign willing researchers to reverse
engineer the protectin D1 from omega-3 to create a synthetic version of
protectin D1 that can be patented.

But for those of us in the alternative health community, the cat's out of the
bag. We are now aware that omega-3 fatty acids can effectively prevent and cure
any flu.

The plant-based vs. animal-based omega-3 debate
EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) are considered the
optimum movers and shakers for omega-3 health benefits. EPA and DHA are ready
to go in animal omega-3 sources.

Plant sources contain ALA, or alpha linoleic acid (not alpha lopeic acid).
Plant ALA has to be converted by the person consuming it into EPA and DHA. As
one grows older or becomes sickly, the body's ability to make this conversion
diminishes.

So some experts recommend using fish oil supplements. But it's not a bad idea
to use both, actually. There are certain benefits from plant ALA omega-3 as
well.

Sources for this article include
http://blogs.nature.com

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-3-000316.htm

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://www.cell.com/abstract/S0092-8674%2813%2900216-X

News

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In evidenza

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