Lets examine exactly what Omega 3 supplements are and what they do.

DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is one of the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids known as essential fatty acids. It is, however, not the only essential fatty acid. Others include EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) and ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), and more. These are known as Omega 3 fatty acids.

They are known as essential fatty acids because scientists and health professionals who research our health consider them to be essential for the maintenance of good health, and to help prevent, or ameliorate a range of common health problems.

We have been brought up to believe that fats are bad for us. And in some cases this is true. For example saturated fat, most commonly found in animal products, is not good for our health. However it’s not true that all fat is bad for us and the Omega 3 fatty acids, particularly DHA and EPA, are considered essential to good health. They are polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Unlike some nutrients our bodies are unable to create DHA, or the other essential fatty acids, itself. Rather we must rely on dietary intake for our supply of these Omega-3 fatty acids.

Whilst in the past there was a range of sources of DHA in our diet these sources have reduced over the past hundred years. Fish oil from oily fish was the single biggest source of DHA in our diets, however during the last century the amount of fish in the average American diet has reduced dramatically.

However there are other sources of DHA as well. For example meat has been a good source of DHA and EPA in the past, however is now not so. This is because most of our meat is now sourced from grain fed animals, and grain fed beef is low in these Omega 3 essential fatty acids. Grass fed beef is much higher in Omega3 fats however grass fed beef is now relatively rare in our diets.

Over the last 30 years research has established clearly that adequate supplies of  DHA and EPA, the 2 most important of the omega 3 essential fatty acids, is essential to a wide range of health issues. Research has shown that the average American diet is inadequate in Omega 3 intake and increasing our intake can offer a wide range of health benefits including a reduction in heart disease, including fatal heart attacks, a reduction in the risk of stroke, a wide range of brain benefits including improved memory and brain function and a wide range of other improvements in our health.

However to make the statement that Omega 3 supplements are possibly one of the most important health measures of our generation might be drawing a long bow. Or is it?

A study published in April 2009 performed by a group of Harvard University researchers the study examined your likelihood of dying from one or other of a series of various lifestyle factors.

Various mathematical formulas we used to estimate how many deaths occurred in one year (2005) as a result of each of these various lifestyle factors.
Lifestyle factors examined included smoking, obesity, lack of exercise, high blood pressure, heart disease, alcohol consumption, stroke, diabetes and more.

It was estimated that approximately 467,000 deaths were caused by tobacco smoking. High blood pressure accounted for approximately 395,000 deaths. Overweight, lack of exercise and high blood glucose accounted for roughly 200,000 deaths.

But one of the interesting results of the study related to Omega 3 deficiency. There are probably not many health professionals who would list Omega 3 deficiency as one of your major risk factors, as one of the most likely causes of death.

Yet at number 12 on the list,  just behind a low intake of fruit and vegetables, came low dietary intake of the Omega 3 fatty acids. In other words a deficient intake of the Omega 3 essential fatty acids is a risk factor for dying, and one of the biggest risk factors.

Lifestyle diseases are often extremely difficult to address. Just ask any smoker how hard it is to give up smoking. Ask any drinker how hard it is to give up alcohol.

However addressing a deficiency of the Omega 3 essential fatty acids is not difficult at all, and simply involves eating more of the right type of fish or taking Omega 3 supplements. It’s simple, relatively inexpensive, and might save your life.

And when considered this way we don’t think it’s unreasonable to say that Omega 3 supplements may well be one of the most important health measures of our generation.

There’s no doubt that increasing the amount of Omega 3 essential fatty acids in your diet is good for your heart. It’s well known, and it’s confirmed by the American Heart Association, that maintaining a minimum intake of the Omega 3 essential fatty acids helps reduce your risk of heart disease and dying from a heart attack.

But new research is showing that there are other aspects of heart health that may also benefit from some more of those good essential fatty acids in your diet.

One of the reasons why the essential fatty acids are considered good for the heart is because it is now understood that these fats help thin your blood.

This is good because one of the causes of major cardiovascular incidents is blood clots. For example a stroke is caused by a blood clot.

And in fact most people who have suffered from a stroke are put on medication to help thin their blood to reduce the risk of another blood clot causing another stroke.

And it’s not only strokes, patients suffering from a range of other heart disease is can also be put on blood thinning medication.

A new study just released has shown that the effectiveness of blood thinning drugs can be improved by adding a dose of Omega-3 fatty acids to the diet in conjunction with taking the blood thinning drugs.

This study was undertaken at Jagiellonian University in Poland, and was specifically looking at the possibility of improving the outcome for patients who already had a stent in place for pre-existing coronary artery disease. Find out more about the details of the study here.

A stent is a very small tube made out of mesh that can be placed in arteries in the body to assist in their ability to successfully carry blood. It is used in instances where there is a possibility or a likelihood of a restriction in the flow of blood through a particular blood vessel, and a stent helps prop open that blood vessel to keep the blood flowing.

Commonly people with coronary artery disease are given stents to open clogged arteries where this may increase the likelihood of some form of cardiac events such as a heart attack.

In this study patients who had a stent, or who were being given a stent, and who were taking blood thinning drugs, were also given Omega 3 capsules as well as encouraged to eat oily fish, for it’s Omega 3 content. The amount of Omega 3 given was 1000 milligrams per day for the study group, and of course a placebo for the control group.

The patients were taking aspirin and clopidogrel. Aspirin in particular is well known now for its ability to thin the blood, and is on occasion prescribed to people who have suffered a stroke for its blood thinning capacity.

The intention of the study was to examine whether the efficacy of these blood thinning drugs could be improved by the use of the essential fatty acids which are also known to their blood thinning properties.

The conclusion drawn from the study was that adding Omega 3 to the intake of patients on blood thinning medications “improved clot properties and decreased thrombin [a clot promoter] formation after treatment with the fish oil capsules”.

Of course that’s just one of the health benefits to your heart from increasing your intake of the Omega 3 essential fatty acids. There’s many others.

And almost every month new research is being published, and undertaken, about ways to improve your health, including your heart health, from a daily dose of essential fatty acids.