Omega-3 fatty acids have been found to be beneficial for the heart. Benefits include anti-inflammatory and anti-blood clotting actions, lowering cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and reducing blood pressure. Consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids may also reduce the risks and symptoms for other disorders including, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, stroke, certain cancers, and mental decline.
Back in 1970, scientists made one of the first links between omega-3s and good health while studying the Inuit (Eskimo) people of Greenland. In whole, the Inuit people suffered far less from certain diseases such as heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis & diabetes mellitus then their European counterparts. This was puzzling because their diet was very high in fat from eating whale, seal, salmon and other fish. So why would there be less of these diseases? Researchers found out it was due to the type of foods they consumed - and all were rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which provided actual disease reducing benefits.
Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to improve heart health. They play a part in keeping cholesterol levels low, stabilizing irregular heart beat (arrhythmia) and reducing blood pressure.
So what is it that makes Omega-3 fatty acids so beneficial? In essense, these fatty acids are natural blood thinners. They reduce the “stickiness” of blood cells (known as platelet aggregation). This “stickiness” leads to such complications as blood clots and even stroke.
A matter of fact, two papers coming from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention along with researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, have shown that the higher the levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the body, the less likely the risk for coronary artery disease and stroke.
Initial research from the University of California, Los Angeles, point to the fact that omega-3 fatty acids may help maintain healthy breast tissue and prevent breast caner.
Also, in a recent study, participants who supplemented their diet with fish oils produced fewer quantities of a carcinogen associated with colon cancer than did a placebo group.
In a study from Frankfurt, Germany, researcher Angela Jordan has found that omega-3 fatty acids may offer protection from colon cancer. During the colon cell trials, omega-3 was found to stop all malignant growth in 72 hours and included some malignant cell death in a highly aggressive cancer cell line.
Omega-3 has also shown positive effects against prostate, breast and pancreas cancer cell lines, Jordan said.
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