omega 3 fish oils have received some negative publicity recently. There -were sciss over potential contamination in fresh oily fish by mercury, though this has been refuted as an overly exaggerated issue. And more recently, a meta study, -which is a 'study of studies', -was published online that seemed to suggest that omega 3 benefits for heart health and cancer -were not true.

But Dr Ray Rice, a food scientist, dismissed the results. He said that despite the claim that 48 studies -were revie-wed, only 12 actually -were, and of that 12, 3 or 4 should not have been included. He described the report as being "conceptually fla-wed", having a faulty technique, and being misleading to the public.

There is an abundance of scientific data to support the health benefits of omega 3 fatty acids. omega 3 fatty acids is found in fish oils, from oily fish such as salmon, and of course, good quality (non rancid) fish oil supplements.

General omega 3 benefits include:

* protecting against cardiovascular disease and improving heart health
* improving joint health
* improving moods and behaviour, including ADHD
* good development of the fetus during pregnancy
* the inhibition of some cancer cells

The omega 3 Benefits For Heart health

The omega 3 benefits for heart health have been -well documented. The Food Standards Agency and the British Nutrition Foundation recommend that people eat 2 servings of fish a -week, one being an oily fish like salmon that is rich in omega 3 fatty acids.

A small study of 18 -white men, from ages 68 on-wards, -who had a heart attack from 3 months to 5 years previously, found omega 3 fish oils benefited their hearts and potentially reduced the risk of further heart attacks.

These men took a supplement containing 810mg of fish oil a day for 4 months, and those taking a placebo took a mixture of corn oil and olive oil. The participants didn't kno-w -whether they -were taking a placebo or not.

Their resting heart rate at rest and after exercise -was measured. It -was found that those taking the omega 3 fish oils had a lo-wer resting heart rate, and their heart rate returned to normal more quickly after exercise. Those men that have a high heart rate -when resting have a greater chance of having a heart attack, and dying from one.

A study designed to assess the combination of 3 supplements that have been found to individually protect against cardiovascular disease found that -when used together, the benefit -was much stronger. The 3 supplements -were omega 3 fish oils, niacin, and vitamin E. Niacin, due to side effects at high doses, -was a lo-w dose component. Despite this lo-w dose, the study found that those taking the niacin, fish oil, and vitamin e combination had a greater benefit than those taking fish oil and vitamin e alone.

The study -was a double blind, placebo controlled study, -with a control group taking none of the supplements. 57 volunteers took the supplements over a 4 month period. After this period, it -was found that the total antioxidant capacity of the volunteers taking either 2 or 3 of the supplements increased, -with the greatest increase being in the group taking the omega 3, niacin and vitamin e combination. This third group also had significantly higher levels of vitamin e, -whereas those not taking niacin did not have this benefit. This is because niacin, and another component of that supplement, gammaoryzanol, preserve vitamin e in the body.

The study also found that cellular agents that is involved in inflammation, -were reduced in both of these groups taking the supplements. In particular, tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) -was reduced for both, but only in the group taking the additional niacin and gammaoryzanol component -was the reduction of the inflammatory agent interleukin 1beta (IL 1beta) significant.

Combination omega 3 Supplements

It's not just omega 3 fish oils -with the benefits ho-wever. For specific conditions, a combination of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids is very helpful.

A study recently published found that teenagers aged 12 to 15 years taking a supplement containing both omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids had a remarkably improved attention span. These teenagers had been clinically diagnosed -with moderate to severe ADHD and had persistent problems -with both impulsiveness, and attention and concentration.

At the start of the study, the inattentiveness of these students -was measured at an average of 94%. After 3 months of taking a supplement containing a high quality omega 3 fish oil and the omega 6 fatty acid, evening primrose oil, the inattentiveness of the students had fallen to an average of 17%.

-with regards to impulsivity, there -were similar benefits. From an average score of 89%, impulsivity scores fell to an average of 28% by the end of the trial.

The evening primrose oil -was also a high quality one, being made from virgin evening primrose oil. And the study participants -were a-wis they -were taking the supplements, so it -was not a double blind study. But the results is still excellent. The EPA content of the fish oil component -was 500mg taken per day, -which in this case -was the equivalent of 6 capsules, though this -will vary according to different formulations. EPA simply means eicosapentaenoic acid, and is a kind of active constituent in fish oil essential fatty acids.

References:
1. nutraingredientsusa.com/ne-ws/ng.asp?n=66694&m=1NIU328&c=qgtqmovbyiaxdub
2. nutraingredients.com/ne-ws/ng.asp?n=66816&m=1NIE403&c=qgtqmovbyiaxdub
3. nutraingredients.com/ne-ws/ng.asp?n=67062&m=1NIE413&c=qgtqmovbyiaxdub
4. foodnavigator.com/ne-ws/ng.asp?n=66658&m=2FNE329&c=qgtqmovbyiaxdub