The Omega 3 Summit has recognized the health benefits of Omega 3 oils

We have talked at length about the health benefits of Omega 3 oils on this website. Unfortunately there are still many people who rate Omega 3 oil supplements along with many of the more esoteric nutritional supplements.

Many of the more esoteric nutritional supplements have very little scientific backing. But the same is not true for the health benefits of Omega 3 oils.

This has been backed up in the last few days, on 4 March 2011, with recommendations just released from the Omega 3 Summit

The Omega 3 Summit took place on the 3rd and 4th of March 2011 in Bruges, Belgium. It was a global summit intended to examine the health benefits of the Omega 3 fats and to “start the turnaround” in long chain Omega 3 consumption worldwide.

The summit was addressed by some eminent experts on the subject. Not only were the health benefits of Omega 3 oils considered but also the best sources of these oils, and the sustainability of those sources.

And the official press release issued at the end of the summit emphasises the importance this worldwide summit placed on the health benefits of the long chain (LC) fatty acids EPA and DHA.

A document was signed by attendees of the summit observing that “brain and heart disorders resulting from LC-Omega 3 (EPA + DHA) deficiency are the biggest challenges to the future of humanity”.

That’s a serious statement. It indicates the level of concern that these experts have in the decline, particularly in the western world, of our intake of the essential fatty acids DHA and EPA.

The summit also observed that “associated costs are currently bankrupting health care systems and threatening wider economic instability worldwide”.

That is also a very serious observation, and underlines the fact that many modern lifestyle diseases may well be prevented by an adequate intake of the Omega3 oils, and that the growing number of people suffering from these diseases threatens to overwhelm our health care systems.

And it is a recognition, by people expert in the field, that increasing our intake of the Omega 3 essential fatty acids will help prevent many of these conditions.

The issue of Omega 3 oil dosage was also considered, with the recommendation being a dietary intake of greater than 1000 milligrams of long chain Omega 3 oils for anyone consuming a Western type diet.

Another matter which attracted their attention was the poor conversion of ALA, one of the Omega3 fats, into DHA. ALA is the fatty acid commonly found in plant sources, and DHA is the fatty acid commonly found in fish. ALA is effectively a precursor to DHA and must be converted to DHA in the body, however this conversion is very poor, and for this reason many of the commonly recommended plant sources of the Omega 3 fats are not an adequate source of essential fatty acids. Read the rest of this entry

No lesser authority than the American Heart Association recommends the intake of Omega 3 oils.

There is sometimes the perception that taking dietary supplements is a little like witchcraft. Untested and no one really knows what is going to happen if you do.

And there is also the perception that taking dietary supplements is somehow “alternative”. That real people who listen to their doctor wouldn’t consider taking dietary supplements including omega 3 dietary supplements.

So lets consider whether there are down to earth recognized medical authorities that recommend the intake of Omega 3 oils and fats.

The American Heart Association, no less, says that:

Omega-3 fatty acids benefit the heart of healthy people, and those at high risk of — or who have — cardiovascular disease.”

And they offer recommendations for the intake of omega 3 fats. Their recommendations are that we eat around 2 servings of fish a week. They also suggest eating other sources of omega 3 acids like tofu, soybeans and various oils like canola.

And they are quite specific about people with CHD (coronary heart disease). They should eat at least 1 gram of EPA and DHA per day, and for those who need to lower their triglycerides it’s suggested that they take from 2 to 4 grams of EPA and DHA as capsules, doctor supervised.

You can’t get any clearer than that. The AHA recommends the intake of omega 3 fats, preferably as food but also as capsules, every day.

Nothing “alternative’ about that. Read the rest of this entry