Are you missing the essential ingredient to your health?

Posted on Sun, 25 Apr 10

To ensure good health it is essential that you obtain enough omega-3 fatty acids from your diet each day, yet if you are like most people you are not getting as much as you need. A daily fish oil supplement, naturally rich in omega-3, can support the health of your heart, brain, immune system and skin and prevent life threatening disease. Are you getting enough?

Most people are omega-3 deficient

The average person in the consumes less than half the recommended amount of omega-3 from oily fish each day, and only 1 in 4 people consume any oily fish at all (1). However, like vitamins and minerals it is essential to your health that you get enough omega-3 daily. Fish oil supplements are a simple way to safeguard your health.

The benefits of omega-3

Beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acids have been reported across a wide range health of concerns including;

• Ensuring a healthy pregnancy and breast feeding
• Supporting healthy child development
• Improving diabetes
• Preventing cardiovascular disease and death
• Relieving arthritis pain
• Improving skin health
• Relieving depression, aggression and anxiety
• Improving attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
• Preventing dementia (2).

How much do you need?

The best guidelines for omega-3 come from studies in cardiovascular disease prevention. Current guidelines for established cardiovascular disease recommend fish oil supplements containing omega-3 in a dose of approximately 1000 milligrams daily (or 4 oily fish meals a week) and for those without heart disease 500 milligrams of omega-3 daily (or 2 oily fish meals a week) to reduce future risk (3).

References

1. Ian Givens D, Gibbs RA. Current intakes of EPA and DHA in European populations and the potential of animal-derived foods to increase them. Proc Nutr Soc. 2008 Aug;67(3):273-80.

2. Riediger ND, Othman RA, Suh M, Moghadasian MH. A systemic review of the roles of n-3 fatty acids in health and disease. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009 Apr;109(4):668-79.

3. Lavie CJ, Milani RV, Mehra MR, Ventura HO. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and cardiovascular diseases. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2009 Aug 11;54(7):585-94.