Omega-3s in the News

Latest Omega-3 Articles

Why You Should Avoid Trans Fatty Acids
About Diabetes - Sep 11, 2003
"...You've probably heard it by now: avoid trans fatty acids -- which are in fried foods, margarine and the 'hydrogenated' or 'partially hydrogenated' ingredient you see on the label of that tempting package of cookies or donuts... You can also supplement your diet with omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, nuts and some grains. Omega-3 fats are good fats that reduce the risk of heart disease and can provide a mental boost..."

Rebuilding The Food Pyramid
CBS News -- September 10, 2003
"...The government's food guide pyramid would provide consumers with a formula to personalize their diets based on how much they exercise, their age, gender, weight and height under a new proposal by the Agriculture Department... The department plans to meet recommendations by the White House budget office to discourage consumers from eating trans fatty acids, which are found in many baked and fried goods and can be harmful for the heart. At the same time, consumers will be encouraged to eat foods that are high in omega-3 fats such as fish..."

Proper diet helps keep cholesterol levels low
Western Herald -- September 04, 2003
"...Foods with fats that contain Omega-3 fatty acids such as cold water fish are also recommended, and have shown protective effects against coronary heart disease when eaten twice weekly. Other sources of Omega-3 fatty acids include flaxseed and canola oils... meats such as fish, especially albacore tuna, salmon, mackerel, sardines, lake trout and skinless poultry are recommended for a healthy diet..."

The Truth about Fat
Good Housekeeping -- Sep 2, 2003
"...Reality: Monounsaturated fats found in olive, canola and peanut oils -- as well as omega-3 polyunsaturated fats in fish like white tuna -- are good for you..."

Helpful Facts About Fascinating Foods
Waukon Standard -- August 27, 2003
"...Seafood, including sardines and tuna, is an important source of healthful omega-3 fatty acids... shown in numerous studies to fight strokes, breast cancer, depression and heart attacks..."

Prozac From the Sea Study: Fish Oil Contains Natural Ingredients That Help Treat Depression
ABCnews.com - August 19, 2003
"...Scientists first became interested when they noticed that countries with the highest fish consumption had the lowest rates of depression. They also observed that mothers in England who ate very little fish during pregnancy doubled their risk of developing postpartum depression compared to women who ate fish regularly... Researchers found that omega-3 fatty acids, when fed to piglets, had the same effect on the brain as the antidepressant Prozac: They raised levels of a critical neurotransmitter, serotonin. Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated oils that cannot be made by the body and are derived primarily from seafood. The fatty acid with most direct influence on brain development and function is DHA... Preliminary studies suggest 1 gram a day of omega-3 fatty acids can be an effective treatment, whether in the form of a nutritional supplement available at most health-food stores or simply by eating fish — especially salmon, sardines or tuna — several times a week..."

Eating Fish May Cut Alzheimer's Risk
Associated Press - July 22, 2003
...Researchers found that people 65 and older who had fish once a week had a 60 percent lower risk of Alzheimer's than those who never or rarely ate fish. The meals included tuna sandwiches, fishsticks and shellfish; the amounts eaten were not specified... The researchers found an association between eating fish and a reduced risk of Alzheimer's even after adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity and risk factors like heart disease..."

Memory lapses lead boomers to do exercises for agile brains
Los Angeles Times
...Dr. Gary Small, director of the UCLA Center on Aging, says the juggling of tasks can bring on memory overload. "We end up multitasking, and that's the biggest reason we can't remember," said Small, author of "The Memory Bible: An Innovative Strategy for Keeping Your Brain Young." His research is the basis for UCLA's memory courses. Small says he takes vitamin E, vitamin C and omega-3 fat supplements daily and strives for a diet rich in omega-3 fats, such as fish and olive oil and antioxidants, such as berries and broccoli. He also tackles crossword puzzles and works out daily...

Studies link diet, criminal behavior
Modesto Bee - May 31, 2003
...[Researchers] contend that vitamins, minerals and certain fatty acids nourish the part of the brain that controls anti-social behavior... increasing crime rates over the past century might have something to do with a decline in good eating habits...

Fish Oils In Heart Cells Can Block Dangerous Heart Rhythms
American Heart Association - May 29, 2003
...Eating oily fish like salmon, tuna or bluefish at least twice a week can prevent sudden cardiac death because fatty acids in the fish block dangerous irregular heart rhythms, experts say in a review article in today’s issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association...

Oily fish could prevent heart attacks: study
May 29, 2003 - CBC News Online
...Researchers from Harvard found that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish (n-3 fish oils) such as salmon, tuna and sardines, help block excessive sodium and calcium currents in the heart. These currents can cause dangerous arrhythmias...

White House wants new diet guidelines
May 28, 2003 - USA Today
... The White House Office of Management and Budget wrote the Agriculture and Health and Human Services departments Wednesday urging them to revise current guidelines to distinguish between harmful trans fats that increase the risk of heart disease and beneficial fats such as omega-3 that can lower the risk...

Fish Oil Prevents Irregular Heartbeats
May 27, 2003 - HealthScoutNews
...The body requires two types of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in order to function: n-6 and n-3. Both must come from the diet, because the body does not produce them. Since 2000, AHA dietary guidelines have recommended that healthy adults eat at least two servings a week, especially fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon...

Calcium intake might affect prostate health
May 27, 2003 - Contra Costa Times
...A number of nutrients show promise in helping prevent prostate cancer, including vitamin E, selenium, lycopene and omega-3 fatty acids. Lycopene is present in tomatoes, and omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish such as salmon and tuna...

Fish, Pregnancy And Depression
May 28, 2003 - InteliHealth
...Eating certain kinds of fish may help women avoid depression before and after giving birth. That's the finding of a study released this week at the American Psychiatric Association's annual meeting. The study found that women who ate lots of fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids -- including salmon, sardines, herring and tuna -- in the third trimester of pregnancy were less likely to experience major depression before or for eight months after childbirth...

Nothing fishy about healthy fish facts
May 25, 2003 - New Orleans Times-Picayune
...It's important to eat fish at least once a week because people who eat fish often are at a lower risk for cardiovascular disease, according to health experts. Fish has "heart health" fats called omega-3 fatty acids...

Omega-3s: Fishing for Happiness
Psychology Today Magazine - May 23, 2003
Fish may be the food to eat for pregnant moms... The study tracked 14,541 women for signs of depression from their eighth week of pregnancy until their babies were 8 months old. Study author Joseph Hibbeln, M.D., from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, says that babies require omega-3s for brain development. And if they can't get such fatty acids from the mother's diet, they take it from the mom herself...

Report shows value of omega-3
Associated Press - May 21, 2003
...Pregnant women might be able to lower their risk of becoming depressed before or after giving birth by eating fish, a study suggests...

Dr Dan's diagnosis
May 20, 2003 - Bega District News
...For many years now we have been hearing about the positive effects of eating fish with regard to heart disease. This particularly applies to the oily fish such as salmon and tuna... Some researchers in Sweden have now shown that men who eat no fish have 2 to 3 times the rate of prostate cancer when compared to men who regularly eat moderate to high amounts of fish. These results come from a very big study (6,000 men followed over 30 years) and was published in no less a journal than that veritable bible of western medicine; the Lancet...

How you can lower your blood pressure
May. 19, 2003 - Miami Herald
...Don't panic, but your blood pressure may need your attention. That's the message South Florida cardiologists say should be gleaned from last week's new government guidelines on treating hypertension -- commonly known as high blood pressure... Get regular exercise, reduce the sodium in your diet, quit smoking and eat more foods containing calcium, potassium, magnesium and omega 3 fatty acids found in fish oils...

Eating to Compete: Nutrition plays role in fueling top performances
May 8, 2003 - FresnoNeighbors.com
...When a person is at rest or exercising at a low to moderate intensity, fat is the primary fuel source. As the intensity increases, the body uses more carbohydrates for fuel. There are several kinds of fats. Saturated fats are always solid at room temperature and are prevalent in meat, poultry, fish and dairy; they are the worst kind of fat. Monounsaturated fats are found in plant foods such as avocados, olives and nuts and in peanut, olive and canola oil; they are the healthiest of the fats. Polyunsaturated fats include two essential ones: omega-6 and omega-3, which are found in walnuts, sunflower seeds, certain oils (sunflower, safflower, sesame seed and corn) and fatty fish such as tuna and salmon...

Older Articles of Interest...

"Study in 43,000 men touts benefits of even a little fish" USA Today, 12/24/2002

"Fatty Acids From Fish Can Ward Off Heart Attacks" USA Today, 11/19/2002

"Those With Heart Disease Should Eat Fish" InteliHealth News Service, 11/19/2002

"Get the skinny on fatty foods" MSNBC News, 11/8/2002

"Eating Fish Cuts Risk of Dementia" WebMD, 10/24/2002

... And a few Omega-3 websites of interest

Comprehensive information about Omega 3s is available through a number of outstanding websites on the internet, including:

"All About DHA" website by David Lin, M.S.: this website answers basic questions about how DHA can maximize mental development, promote healthy hearts, and much more.

Omega-3info.com provides an excellent introduction to Omega 3s, a comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) file, and a complete library of PDF files with abstracts from relevant clinical trials regarding Omega 3s and arthritis, heart disease, psoriasis and eczema, and neurological disorders.

Fats For Health website includes news updates, a newsletter, and literally dozens of articles on Omega 3s and EFAs (Essential Fatty Acids); sample titles include "Getting Thin on Fat," "PMS: It's Not Just in Your Head," "Menopause Naturally - How to Deal with Hormonal Changes," "Fish Helps Alzheimer's" and "Fatty Fish Cuts Risk of Death From Heart Attack in Elderly."

Fats of Life website provides an introduction to fatty acids as well as the highly respected PUFA Newsletter.

"THE A-Zs of OMEGA-3's" from the Bipolar Child Newsletter includes a general introduction along with a discussion of the role Omega 3s can serve for mood stabilization in children

Nutrition for a Living Planet website includes an excellent article on EPAs as well as an overview of Omega-3 fatty acids