Omega-3 could help you live longer

Tor-Eddie Fossbakk Numerous research projects have shown that Omega-3 fatty acids can help people with high cholesterol and other cardio vascular diseases, inflammations and diabetes.

There are two sources of Omega-3s, one from fish oils (EPA and DHA), and another from plant sources (ALA). Omega-3 from fish oils is recognized by experts as being the most effective as it is easily metabolized and used by the body. Recommended daily intake of Omega-3 is 450 mg for adults and 200 mg for children. A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association describes research about whether the intakes of Omega-3 and Omage-6 fatty acids are associated with the development of islet autoimmunity (IA) in children. The conclusion of this study showed that dietary intake of Omega-3 fatty acids is associated with reduced risk of IA in children at increased genetic risk for type-1 diabetes. When flax oil and fish oil is compared for heart health protection, research shows that fish oil wins over flax oil. The study found that flax oil and alphalinolenic acid (ALA), which does not contain DHA and EPA factors found in cold water fatty fish, was found to be less reliable and did not show the same health benefits as fish oils containing the DHA and EPA factors. Fish oil is well known in conventional medicine to help people with high triglycerides, a type of cholesterol. In fact, there is even a prescription form of fish oil which is FDA approved for this purpose. The effect seems to vary depending on how much you take, from about a 20 percent to a 50 percent drop in triglycerides.