Can Omega-3 help ease the effects of Osteoporosis?  Research conducted for the Office of Dietary Supplements at the U.S. National Institutes of Health doesn’t provide a clear yes or no answer.

Five different studies have produced data that suggest the effects of Omega-3 fatty acids on mineral density of the bone are different.

But a somewhat different story comes from Sweden, where scientists found a connection between Omega-3 consumption and Bone Marrow Density.

The bottom line: no conclusive scientific evidence presently exists to support a claim that Omega-3 can prevent or ease the effects of Osteoporosis.

Wine lovers are well-versed in the nutritional benefits of a glass of good grape.

But now, the benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids are entering into the picture.  New research published in the January, 2009 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition draws on data from a study conducted at the Catholic University in Campobasso, Italy.

Key findings…

• A glass or two of wine each day can increase your Omega-3 fatty acids.

• Wine may impact the way the body metabolizes Omega-3s.  This may be a result of the ways the polyphenols in wine interact with Omega-3s.

• Drinking wine may boost the levels of HDL, the so-called “Good Cholesterol.”

• Beer drinkers also benefit from increased Omega-3s, but not to the extent wine drinkers do.

The researchers studied more than 1,600 participants in Great Britain, Belgium and Italy.  The “moderate” consumption of alcohol was defined as one drink a day for women and two drinks daily for men.

No. Omega-3 has many benefits. But Omega-3 is not a mood elevator.

What it can do is soften the emotional scar of depression. That’s the finding from researchers in the Netherlands who looked at the impact of Omega-3 rich diets on older adults.

The key finding, after 26 weeks of observing the behavior of 300+ adults over the age of 65 who do not suffer from dementia or depression: no changes in mood.

Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

When we think of sources of Omega-3, we tend to think fish. Deepwater, oily fish, the richest for Omega-3.

But another source of Omega-3 has turned up. The production of bio-diesel.

At Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Assistant Professor Zhiyou Wen has found that crude glycerol, a byproduct of the bio-diesel production, delivers Omega-3 benefits.

Professor Wen is using a fermentation process to create Omega-3 fatty acids from this crude glycerol byproduct. It becomes a carbon source for the microalgae that create Omega-3 fatty acids.

Experiments are underway using this as a feed for fish. It appears fish fed with this byproduct produce higher levels of Omega-3 fatty acids.

The significance: commercially raised fish are traditionally not strong sources of Omega-3s.

The next step: using this bio-diesel byproduct as chicken feed, with the goal of raising chicken rich in Omega-3 fatty acids.

Can a diet rich in Omega-3 fatty acids help control stress and combat depression?

An answer may lie in the connection between Omega-3 and inflammation.

Researchers with Ohio State University have looked at these issues, and one of their observations is centered around the typical off-balance diet most us us have.

What’s off balance is the amount of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids we consume. It is generally felt that we need to maintain a 4-to-1 or a 2-to-1 ration of Omega-6 to Omega-3. The typical ratio found in most diets is 20-1.

Scientists have isolated two ingredients of Omega-6 fatty acids which are problematic. These ingredients are called cytokines.

Cytokines are proteins which deal, among other things, with the responsiveness of the body’s immune system

Specifically, the problematic cytokines in Omega-6 have been identified as IL-6 and TNF-alpha. Eeach may be responsible for increasing inflammation in the body, which can cause a number of widespread problems.

One of the problems stemming from insufficient Omega-3 and too much Omega-6 may be depression. Team member Jan Kiecolt-Glaser, an Ohio State University Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, explains:

“The data suggest that higher depression and a poorer diet in terms of Omega-3 can work together to promote inflammation. Other researchers have shown that clinically depressed people — those with more severe depression — often have lower Omega-3 levels in their blood, and several studies have shown that supplementing diets with Omega-3 improves depression.”

Sources:

The Ohio State University

Psychosomatic Medicine

The Omega-3 research has been done in Ireland by Ulster’s Dr. Stephen Wright. Dr Wright is a Queen’s University Belfast research fellow now working at Musgrave Park Hospital.

Omega-3 was used to treat patients suffering from Lupus.

Lupus is an autoimmune disorder which can prove fatal. It can impact a number of organs: antibodies build up in the bloodstream and can trigger depression, joint and muscle aches and pains, permanent cheek rash, kidney problems, extreme fatigue and weakness, hair loss and ulcers.

Because Lupus appears in the bloodstream, Dr. Wright was curious to learn how Omega-3 might play a role in curbing its growth. His research zeroed in on looking at the impact of Omega-3 on cells lining the blood vessels.

The Omega-3 research results…

“I was able to show that in patients with lupus there was an impaired function that could be improved by Omega-3 fish oils.”

People with Lupus who were given low doses of Omega-3 fish oil showed improvement in blood vessel function. Other effects: fewer cell damaging molecules and signs of improvement with headaches, fatigue, joint pain, rashes, and mouth ulcers.

Source: Queens University, Belfast Ireland

Researchers in France remind us that Omega-3 is not going to help prevent Alzheimer’s all the time… Omega-3 can’t help people who have the Alzheimer’s gene, ApoE4.

But diets rich with Omega-3s may indeed lessen the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Scientists with the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research have found that people who consume Omega-3 rich oils on a regular basis may cut their risk of dementia by 60% compared with people who do not have Omega-3 in their diet.

“Given that most people do not carry the ApoE4 gene, these results could have considerable implications in terms of public health,” says Dr. Pascale Barberger-Gateau, with the institute in Bordeaux. “However, more research is needed to identify the optimal quantity and combination of nutrients which could be protective before implementing nutritional recommendations.”

Diets with fish and fruits have proven most effective at warding off the onset of dementia.

Another issue to consider: the study also found that too many Omega-6 fatty acids can cause memory loss.

Source: The American Academy of Neurology.

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Omega-3 fatty acids can reduce macular degeneration, a major cause of blindness and vision loss.

Researchers with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medcine worked with other European scientists to learn how and why Omega-3 impacts our eyes.

Astrid Fletcher led the study;

“This is the first study in Europeans to show a beneficial association on wet AMD from the consumption of oily fish and is consistent with results from studies in the USA and Australia.

“Two or three ounce servings a week of oily fish, such as salmon, tuna or mackerel, provides about 500 mg of DHA and EPA per day.”

Key findings;

People who eat oily, fatty deep-water fish at least once a week are 50% less like to suffer from wet AMD. Wet AMD is the main source of vision loss.

White fish low in oils did not demonstrate a measurable benefit.

Source: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Omega-3 is a great way to help protect the aging brain. That’s the finding from researchers with the University of Washington who have published their work on Omega-3 and memory in the medical Journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

A key finding… eating fatty fish on a regular basis helps protect the brain from what are often called “silent strokes.” The clinical term for the silent stroke: subclinical brain infarcts.

Dr. David Siscovick, professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Washington in Seattle, helped lead the research team.

He suggests that the fish we eat to boost our Omega-3 consumption is baked, not fried.

And Dr. Siscovick suggests that memory loss is often linked to these so-called “silent strokes.” Classic, normal strokes have visble effects: slurred speech, numbness, blurred vision and muscle weakness.

But the effects of the silent stroke are difficult to detect. When the flow of blood to the brain is disrupted, small groups of cells can be destroyed. This can impact our memory skills.

Researchers have found that the ability of the blood to flow normally, lowering the risk of these silent strokes, may be improived by the regular consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids.

If you’re going into the hospital for elective surgery, your doctor may often ask you to stop taking certain prescribed medications a few days beforehand.

Along these lines, it may be a good idea to stop taking Omega-3 fatty acid supplements too.

Researchers at Ohio State University have found that wounds heal more quickly when Omega-3 fatty acids are absent, or reduced.

The study covers minor, acute wounds, not chronic wounds.

Source: Wound Repair and Regeneration Journal