(03-07-16) Omega-3 fatty acids are key to a healthier life

Research shows they promote heart health and reduce pain in people with rheumatoid arthritis. They also may help treat autism, bipolar disorder, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, ADHD and prostate cancer.

April 26, 2010|By Emily Sohn | Special to the Los Angeles Times

For example, Holub says, studies show that for every extra gram of EPA and DHA a person takes per day, triglyceride levels drop by 8%, with benefits showing up in just two weeks. High triglyceride levels are a major risk factor for heart disease in Americans older than 35. Taking 2 to 4 grams of EPA and DHA a day for a couple of weeks could reduce levels in the blood by up to 32% in people with high triglyceride levels.

While EPA and DHA are both essential for heart health — they seem to lower blood pressure, reduce fat levels in the blood, slow the development of clots and avert abnormal heart rhythms, among other things — DHA is the star player in the developing brain and eyes.

Studies show that women who eat at least four servings of fish a week or take supplements of up to 1.1 grams of DHA daily while pregnant have kids with higher IQ scores through age 4. Their babies have lower rates of allergies, better sleep patterns and better vision. DHA-fortified moms also have lower rates of postpartum depression.

How they work

Scientists have yet to work out many of the details about how omega-3s work their magic, but inflammation is probably one clue, at least for some conditions. That would explain why high doses of DHA and EPA on top of more traditional medicines can reduce morning stiffness and joint pain in arthritis patients and can help reduce the amount of pain medication people need to take.

Brain-based disorders are another area of interest. Some studies have found lower blood levels of omega-3s in adults with Alzheimer's and kids with ADHD than in comparable groups without those problems.

"All of these pathologies are about things that have to do with cells misbehaving," says Philip Calder, a nutritionist and omega-3 researcher at the University of Southampton in England. "You can make cells behave more optimally by having enough omega-3 fatty acids. Then tissues behave properly, and you don't have these manifestations of disease."

To some extent, consumers are catching on. In a recent survey of more than 6,000 people who already take supplements, 74% took fish oil or other types of omega-3 supplements last year, making them more popular than multivitamins, found ConsumerLab.com, an independent health-products testing company.

And in 2009, sales of products enriched with omega-3s, omega-6s and omega-9s jumped by 42% compared with 2008, according to market research firm Nielsen.

Looking ahead

To date, however, most Americans don't appear to be getting nearly enough omega-3s.

Americans consume fish an average of only once every 10 days, Holub says, and 50% don't consume fish over a seven-day period. Supplements, meanwhile, are not a universal dietary staple. As a result, he points out, the average intake of DHA and EPA in the U.S. is an eighth of what people normally get in Japan and a quarter of what many experts now think we need.

Food labels aren't especially helpful. The packaging on a box of granola bars or loaf of bread might tout omega-3s even though they contain a form that doesn't do much in the body or their concentrations of nutrients might be too small to make a difference.

And even when detailed information is available, it's not always clear how much a given individual should get.

Regardless, consumption needs to rise, nutrition experts say.

"Why have societies consumed fish for so many centuries?" Watkins says. "I think we're just beginning to understand the benefits."



Fonte: http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/26/health/la-he-omega-3s-20100426/2

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