Omega-3 fatty acids
See also :
- Essential Fatty Acids
- DHA
- EPA
- flaxseed
- Camelina
- Sacha Inchi
- Fish Oil
- Oil
- Omega-6 fatty acids
- Omega-9 fatty acids
- Omega-7 fatty acids
Special Precautions of Omega 3 fatty acids
- Omega-3 fatty acids can interfere with the blood's ability to clot, thus increasing the risk of hemorrhagic strokes. By inhibiting clotting ability, it can also raise the risk for internal bleeding. Supplements should not be taken by anyone on anti-coagulant medication, anyone who has a bleeding disorder, or anyone with uncontrolled high blood pressure, a condition that already places them at greater risk for a stroke. Fish oils also should be discontinued two weeks before having surgery and one week after, to prevent complications from the blood's decreased ability to clot.
- Omega-3 acids are fats, and like all fats they contain large amounts of calories. Following some of the recommended dosage guidelines would add 200 calories a day to a person's diet. People taking supplements rich in omega-3 fatty acids may need to change their diet to ensure they don't include too much fat, which could also cause health problems.
- Avoid fish with high levels of mercury, such as wild swordfish, tilefish and shark.
The benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids are
- Cholesterol : Omega-3 has been shown to decrease triglyceride and cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure.
- Atherosclerosis : It thwarts atherosclerosis by inhibiting the development of plague and blood clots that clog arteries.
- Skin Diseases : But to put it plainly it does makes sense since the heart is the pumping center of the body, so if the heart is healthy, the other organs would simply be healthy as well. If the heart is pumping healthy blood surely, it provides healthy blood all throughout the body. It has been believed that Omega-3 prevents the drying of the skin and even helps solve your problem of eczema and psoriasis.
- Cancer : Scientists have discovered that when cancer cells are subjected to omega-3, cancer cell apoptosis (self-destruction) increases. Omega-3 also inhibits an anti-inflammatory enzyme that advances breast cancer, and activates two genes—BRCA1 and BRC2 (breast cancer genes 1 and 2)—that help prevent cancer development.
- Skin Cancer : Omega-3 supplements can prevent skin cancer
- Depression : According to studies, consuming a diet high in omega 3 fatty acids causes significant improvement in severely depressed persons, even better than what anti-depressants may give.
- Inflammation : This may explain some of the more specific health benefits that omega-3 supplementation provides, such as relief of seasonal asthma (an inflammatory condition). Omega-3s have also been shown to provide some relief to the symptoms of lupus, and may reduce the severity of inflammatory bowel conditions such as Crohn's disease enough to allow patients to reduce their doses of anti-inflammatory drugs or even stop taking them altogether.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) : studies showing that rheumatoid arthritis patients taking regular fish oil supplements experienced less stiffness and joint pain, to a degree comparable to that from over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs.
Dietary Sources
When it comes to increasing your omega-3 fatty acids intake, don't worry about bringing your calculator to the kitchen. All you have to do is to focus on bringing more omega 3 rich foods into your diet.Eating fish and seafood such as salmon, halibut, tuna and scallops a few times a week is an easy way to increase your omega-3 intake. Plus you'll get all of the other nutritional benefits that these foods have to offer.As noted, walnuts and flaxseeds can be important contributors to an omega-3 rich diet. To increase your intake of these foods, adding this nut-seed combination to salads, baked potatoes or granola is just one of the many ways to easily incorporate these foods into your meal plan. Additionally, if you grind nut butters at home, they could also be used in the above ratio as a nut-seed blend. (Although it is somewhat difficult to clean, a standard coffee bean grinder usually does fairly well as a nut-seed grinder than can produce a very creamy buttery blend.) If you like your nuts roasted, do so gently - in a 160-170 degree oven for 15-20 minutes - to preserve the omega-3 fats.In addition, incorporating more beans, winter squash, and extra virgin olive oil to your meal plan is easy.
| Food | Serving | omega-3 fatty acids | % DV | Density | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flax seeds | 0.25 cups | 7.0 g | 156.4 | 17.6 | Excellent |
| Walnuts C | 0.25 cup | 2.3 g | 50.4 | 6.3 | Very good |
| Chinook salmon, baked/broiled | 4.0 oz-wt | 2.1 g | 46.4 | 3.6 | Very good |
| Scallops, baked/broiled | 4.0 oz-wt | 1.1 g | 24.4 | 3.3 | Good |
| Soybeans, cooked | 1 cup | 1.0 g | 22.9 | 1.6 | Good |
| Halibut, baked/broiled | 4.0 oz-wt | 0.6 g | 13.8 | 1.8 | Good |
| Shrimp, steamed, boiled | 4.0 oz-wt | 0.4 g | 8.2 | 1.5 | Good |
| Snapper, baked | 4.0 oz-wt | 0.4 g | 8.0 | 1.1 | Good |
| Tofu, raw | 4.0 oz-wt | 0.4 g | 8.0 | 1.9 | Good |
| Winter squash | 1 cup | 0.3 g | 7.6 | 1.9 | Good |
| Tuna, yellowfin | 4.0 oz-wt | 0.3 g | 7.3 | 0.9 | - |
| Cod, baked | 4.0 oz-wt | 0.3 g | 7.1 | 1.2 | - |
| Kidney beans | 1 cup | 0.3 g | 6.7 | 0.6 | - |
Reference : He K, Lio K, Daviglus ML et al. Intakes of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and fish in relation to measurements of subclinical atherosclerosis. Am J Clin Nutr 2008 Vol. 88(4):1111-1118.
