What type of oil is good for your heart?

Love your fish oil

Eating fish has always been championed as one of the ways to achieve optimum health. But apparently, fishes contain a more potent, health-giving benefit and that is fish oil, which contains omega-3 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated ‘good’ fat that is important to our health.
According to experts at the recently launched Omega-3 Academy, fish oil contains eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are examples of omega-3 fatty acids.

These play a crucial role in achieving optimum health and protection from certain diseases. Moreover, DHA is considered the building blocks of the brain and nervous system while EPA promotes good blood flow, thereby protecting the heart. EPA is also anti-inflammatory so it helps ease the effects of arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.
Established by a multi-disciplinary panel of professionals from fields like clinical nutrition, cardiology, family health and diabetology, the Omega-3 Academy Asia is comprised of expert panel of medical professionals from across Asia, who have come together to increase understanding and education on the role and use of omega-3.

 

Sponsored by sanofi-aventis Consumer Health, the Omega-3 Academy Asia is an Asia-specific organization chaired by Professor Andrew Sinclair from Deakin University in Australia, with members from Korea, Thailand and the Philippines’ Dr. Tommy Ty-Willing, an endocrinologist and Dr. Eugene Reyes, a cardiologist.

The Omega-3 Academy Asia is committed to increasing awareness and understanding of omega-3 fish oil by undertaking a number of initiatives to highlight the impact of decreased omega-3 intake in current Asian diets and convey the associated health benefits of increasing omega-3 consumption.

Good for your heart
Many studies since the early 70s have shown a link between high consumption of oily fish and reduced mortality rates associated with heart disease. For example, a study of Japanese people living in Japan or Brazil showed people who ate fish more often had reduced risk factors for heart disease like obesity, elevated blood pressure and blood sugar imbalances.
These findings, together with the earlier observational studies on Greenland Eskimos, form the basis of the theory that consumption of omega-3 fish oil could prevent artherosclerosis (thickening of the arteries), thrombosis (formation of blood clots inside vessels) and their associated diseases.

Helps increase brain power

In 1972, evidence was published showing that certain omega-3 fatty acids mainly, DHA, was involved with brain growth and development, with research first carried out in rats. Subsequent studies in chickens, primates and eventually humans showed that omega-3 fish oil is essential

for brain development and function. Furthermore, DHA is essential for vision, thought processes and the control of brain function.

Moreover, DHA is also crucial for an unborn child’s brain and is considered critical for brain development, maintenance and intelligence. Other studies have also shown that elderly people with low levels of DHA in the blood are more likely to develop age-related cognitive decline, memory loss and poor concentration than those with higher DHA levels. Furthermore, increased consumption of fish oil has been linked to reduced levels of mild depression, memory loss as well as mood and anxiety disorders.

Fish oil keeps you going

In autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, increased levels of omega-3 (especially EPA), have been shown to limit the multiplication of abnormal cells. Dietary fish oil has been shown to have a positive effect on suppressing chronic and acute inflammation in the joints.
At least 13 clinical trials have been undertaken using fish oil in rheumatoid arthritis, all in patients with late disease who’ve had the disease for at least 10 years. The most consistent benefits have been reduced morning stiffness and decreased tenderness of joints.
One form of inflammation that is effectively addressed by EPA is arthritis. EPA’s anti-inflammatory properties have also been proven to be effective in warding off other inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis, etc.

See clearly
Omega-3 fatty acids DHA & EPA found in fish also have eye-protective effects. Recent research has shown that regularly eating fish could help reduce vision impairment such as macular degeneration in old age. People with intermediate or advanced age-related visual impairment are encouraged to consider increasing their omega-3 consumption.
To help you get your omega-3 requirement, there’s Cenovis Fish Oil, an all-natural fish oil supplement that contains optimal amounts of omega 3 fatty acids DHA and EPA. An Australian brand, Cenovis Fish Oil is a health supplement that has many health benefits.
International guidelines recommend that an adult should consume 500 milligrams of fish oil per day. This can be achieved by eating 2-3 servings of oily fish per week. For people with heart disease, double this amount is recommended (1,000 milligrams of fish oil per day). There are reports on the side effects of fish oil: diarrhea and skin rash. However, test results find these inconclusive and not directly attributable to fish oils.

Costing less than P10 per capsule, Cenovis Fish Oil comes from Peruvian waters, one of the world’s cleanest seas. Unlike other fish oil that come from shark, cod and other big fish, Cenovis Fish Oil comes from 3 kinds of small fish: anchovies, mackerel and sardines. These are small deep sea fish that reproduce easily, thus, no worries of extinction. Additionally, these fishes have a short lifespan making them less exposed to pollutants and contamination in the seas.

Individually packed for freshness, the fish oil extraction of Cenovis is done in a highly-advanced and sanitary process in Norway, which makes it odorless and with no fishy aftertaste. Cenovis Fish Oil is available in all Mercury Drug outlets and other leading drugstores nationwide.