There’s a new premium Omega 3 supplement available on first release. Not only does it have implications for your better health, but also for your skin.

Super omega 3. Ever heard of it? From time to time you may see references to super omega 3. Some omega 3 products call themselves “super”. However it’s not that easy to know exactly what super omega 3 is.

It would seem reasonable to assume that anything that is supposed to be “super” omega 3 has to be better than regular omega3 capsules.

If that’s the case then the Omega3 capsules from Xtend Life, having up to 2 1/2 times more active ingredient (DHA) than “regular” Omega 3 capsules certainly qualify. However Xtend Life have now introduced a new premium Omega3 capsule that is even better than their regular omega 3 supplements.

Lets have a look at the new premium Omega3 capsules from Xtend Life and see why they are even better than their regular fish oil supplements, which until now have been the best on the market anyway.

Just about all women, as they age, are interested in anti aging skin care. Keeping yourself, and your skin, looking great right into old age is the goal of millions of American women, for good reason. Good looking skin is healthy skin, and Xtend Life have always made the worlds best natural skin care products.

And as they point out on their website taking regular omega 3 supplements is not only good for your general health but is also very good for your skin. The oils in Omega 3 supplements are very similar to the natural oils produced by your skin itself and keeping your skin hydrated and better moisturized by taking Omega 3 fatty acids is an important part of an overall skin care routine and is also very important to your general health as well.

(If you’re interested in the general health benefits of Omega 3 then there’s plenty of information here about those, just read some of the articles under the categories on the right.)

However Xtend Life has decided to increase the effectiveness of their omega 3 supplements even more. Modern research is now uncovering a range of naturally occurring ingredients which have substantial benefits to the skin. An example of this is lycopene. You may have heard of lycopene before. It comes from tomatoes and cutting edge science is starting to discover that lycopene has a range of health giving properties. For example there is now evidence that increasing the intake of lycopene can help prevent prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women.

However it has also been found that lycopene has significant benefits to your skin. For a start it acts as a natural sunscreen, increasing your skin’s resistance to the effects of the ultraviolet radiation in sunlight.

This helps prevent the incidence of what is known as photo-aging. Photo-aging is the technical name for the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation on your skin over time. The more you are exposed to UV radiation and in particular to sunburn the more damage is done to your skin, over time.

Science is now starting to discover that lycopene can help reverse some of the damaging effects of UV radiation on the skin, and can therefore reverse the effects of photo-aging.

Another ingredient in the new premium capsules containing omega3 as well as lycopene, is Astaxanthin. This is an antioxidant and you may have heard of it in relation to krill oil, as it is found in krill oil. Astaxanthin, according to the studies, has a wide range of health benefits, and in particular it also acts as a natural sunscreen and helps reverse the effects of photo-aging on your skin as well.

If you’d like to find out more about the studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of lycopene and Astaxanthin for improved skin health as well as for a range of other health benefits then you can read the studies if you click here.

Xtend Life have now released their premium Omega3 capsules containing omega 3 essential fatty acids, again at about 2 1/2 times the concentration of DHA found in regular Omega 3 capsules, but which also contain lycopene and Astaxanthin. All of these ingredients have a wide range of health benefits but in particular all 3 have specific benefits to the health of your skin and help reduce the effects of sun damage on your skin, the most damaging cause of premature skin aging.

There are obvious reasons why women interested in the best anti aging skin care should be taking the premium Omega3 capsules rather than the regular capsules. But there are also a wide range of other health benefits which science is showing can also be obtained from increasing the amount of lycopene and Astaxanthin in the diet, including, for women, a reduction in the risk of breast cancer. Read the rest of this entry

How do you get your Omega 3 fatty acids if fish is contaminated?

If you’re beginning to find out about the health benefits of Omega3 essential fatty acids you’ll find out that 2 primary Omega3 fats, namely DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), are found primarily in fish oil. And of course fish oil comes from fish. So the obvious conclusion if you wish to increase your intake of Omega3 essential fatty acids is to increase the amount of fish in your diet.

However although Omega3 oils are found in fish there are also some powerful reasons to avoid eating too much fish. One of these risks is Mercury contamination of fish, and for this reason the FDA recommend that many of us should avoid eating too much fish because of contamination with Mercury as well as other toxins.

So today lets look at Mercury contamination of fish, and consider whether fish is your best source of Omega3 fatty acids, or whether taking Omega3 supplements is a better alternative.

A 2009 study was one of the first to seriously examine Mercury levels in our marine environment and in our fish.

The conclusions of the study were concerning. It was found that 40 percent of Mercury exposure in people in the US came from tuna consumption, and that levels of Mercury in the Pacific were rising. The study found that Mercury levels in the North Pacific were 30 percent higher in 2006 than they were in 1996.

The Mercury was present in the form of methylmercury. It was found that the Mercury came primarily from 2 sources, from Asia and also from the atmosphere. It has been known for some time that atmospheric emissions of Mercury can contaminate the oceans, and this is now being combined with other Mercury sources.

Mercury is a serious toxin and can contribute to developmental problems in the fetus and the infant and has other serious health implications as well.

It was found that the methylmercury formed in mid depth water in the ocean and sank to the bottom with the help of algae, and that small organisms then picked it up, and it was then transported up the food chain to the large predators such as sharks and tuna. And of course it is these fish that we eat.

The FDA has issued warnings in the past about Mercury contamination of fish, although it has also suggested that the negative effects of Mercury intake may be outweighed by the positive effects of the Omega3 oil content of the fish.

However it seems clear that the levels of Mercury, as well as other toxic chemicals, in our fish are rising.

The American Heart Association recommends that we all have a minimum intake of fish because most of us are deficient in Omega3 fatty acids, and we should all be getting a minimum level of Omega3 oils.

Therefore there is a bit of a conundrum for those seeking to increase their Omega3 essential fatty acid intake. Do we eat more fish and risk increasing our intake of Mercury but also increasing our intake of Omega3 fish oil, or do we eat less fish to reduce our intake of Mercury thereby reducing our intake of Omega3?

Or is there another way?

This is of course an individual decision and there are no government guidelines telling us the best way to increase our Omega3 intake. However there are some considerations which should be taken into account.

The first is this. Fish is expensive, and getting increasingly more expensive over time, and fish is a declining resource. It seems quite clear that our oceans are over fished, and only recently there has been a reduction in the legal tuna catch for a number of nations involved in the tuna industry for this reason.

For these reasons, and also because of the risks of Mercury intake, people may choose not to increase their intake of fish if there is a better way to increase their Omega3 intake safely and cost-effectively. Why diminish a declining resource when there is a better way, particularly if you don’t like eating expensive fish that much?

Certainly there is a better way. The best Omega3 supplements, or what are also known as fish oil supplements, are a cost-effective way to increase your intake of Omega3 without eating more fish. The best Omega3 supplements are contamination free and tests show no detectable levels of Mercury at all. For this reason it is both cost effective and safe to take the best Omega3 capsules daily.

Note that not all Omega3 supplements are as good as others. The best Omega3 capsules have 2 1/2 times more DHA than regular capsules. Read our article about how to compare Omega3 supplements to find out more.

However if you like eating fish, and are prepared for the expense of eating more, together with the risks of increasing your Mercury intake, then eating fish is a good way to increase your Omega3 intake. Read the rest of this entry

It may pay to consider what your Omega 3 Omega 6 ratio is.

We talk a lot about Omega 3 essential fatty acids on our website, and for good reason, they’re extremely important to your health, as long as you get enough. But today we wanted to look at Omega 6 fatty acids, and what the Omega 3 Omega 6 ratio is. And how it affects you.

Omega 6 fats are also essential fatty acids. Omega6 is like Omega 3, we can’t make it in our bodies and so we need to get Omega 6 from our diet. However unlike Omega 3 fatty acids, which 90% if us are deficient in, we are not generally deficient in Omega 6 fats. Omega 6 fats are important for a number of reasons, including for maintenance of growth and for good general health. They are important for maintaining the health of the cells in the brain.

Omega 6 fatty acids can also go by the names n-6 fatty acids, w6 fatty acids and linoleic acids.

So whilst we need Omega 6 EFAs in our diet just like we need Omega 3, most of us get enough, if not too much.

Omega 6 fats come from completely different sources than the Omega 3 fatty acids. Omga 6 fats are found in plant sources like many of our oils, particularly corn oil, safflower oil and sunflower oil, sesame oil and peanut oil. Soybean oil is almost all Omega 6 fat.

And because many of these oils are used in the production of many of the processed foods we eat, like margarine, they are also found extensively in a wide range of foods we eat every day.

On top of that our meat is now higher in Omega 6 than it was. In the past our beef came from grass fed animals. Cows that eat grass are higher in Omega 3, because it’s found in grass. But now our animals are mainly grain fed, and as you can see the oils from grains are high in Omega 6. So our meat is now much higher in Omega 6 than it was.

Now on to the Omega 3 Omega 6 ratio. It is thought that some time ago we ate roughly as much Omega 3 as we ate Omega 6, That makes an Omega 3 Omega 6 ratio of 1:1.

However our diets have swung much more in favor of a higher intake of Omega 6, and a much lower intake of Omega 3, from eating less fish and from less Omega 2 in meat.

Some scientists suggest that some of us may have an Omega 6 Omega 3 ratio that is as high as 10 times as much 6 as 3. So as you can see we don’t need any more Omega 6. Some estimates are even that some of us can be eating more than 20 times as much Omega 6 as 3, and we have even seen estimates of a ratio of 30 times as much Omega 6 as 3.

Although not fully understood it is thought that a diet high in 6 and low in 3 can lead to some health problems, and that our Omega 3 Omega 6 ration should be somewhere much lower than it is now, perhaps around 1:3.

A high ratio, it is thought, can lead to thickening of the blood possibly leading to blood clots, a worsening of some autoimmune diseases and an increase in some inflammatory diseases, and more, including cancer. A lower ratio can is associated with a lower breast cancer risk. And there is a wide range of lifestyle diseases that are thought to be susceptible to a high ratio between the 2, including many that are related to inflammation in the body.

So there are 2 things you need to do if  you want to improve your ratio and lessen your risk of various diseases, some serious. You need to lower your intake of Omega 6 by lowering your intake of processed foods and oils, for instance by changing to good oils such as Olive Oil.

And you need to increase your intake of Omega 3 EFAs, by eating more fish and preferably by daily supplementation with high quality fish oil supplements.

Remember, although all essential fatty acids are essential, that doesn’t mean you don’t get enough of them. Read the rest of this entry