Omega 3 Healing

Omega-3 is part of the Pittsburgh Steelers playbook.

“Our research and literature review illustrated rather dramatic improvements in the blood lipid profiles of professional football players who used a moderately high dose of omega-3 EFA fish oil supplementation. These results suggest a strong benefit for lessening heart disease risk factors in football players and possibly other athletes throughout their active years.”

Dr. Anthony Yates
Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Team Physician, Pittsburgh Steelers.

The research was done during the Pittsburgh Steelers 2006-7 season. 36 members of the team were involved.

Key results: dramatic increases in the level of healthy fats DHA and EPAs. Compared with players who were in the study and did not take the Omega-3 supplements, DHA levels were up more than 100% and EPA levels up more than 300%.

Source:
Sports Health: a Multidisciplinary Approach

There’s no shortage of food products ready to take on Omega-3.  That’s how Larry Helm sees it.

Larry’s the CEO at OmegaNutrel, a Cambridge, Ontario Canada-based supplement manufacturer.  But these Omega-3 supplements don’t wind up in containers in health food stores.  They are mixed with feed for animals and help produce all sorts of Omega-3 enriched products, from ice cream to cheese.

“This has global ramifications for the dairy and beef industry.” Says Helm.  The firm’s supplement has been patented and has approval from Canada’s Federal Food Inspection Agency.   The supplement which enriches the animal being fed does not cause any genetic modifications.

OmegaNutrel’s work started four years ago when supplements were added to the feed of a handful of herds of dairy cattle in Southern Ontario.

There is now an Omega-3 enriched ice cream on the market, Naturelle Plus, along with Silani Cheese.
The company’s goal is to expand distribution through a growing network on feed providers.

Omega-3 research at the ANMCO Research Centre in Florence has confirmed the findings of other Omega-3 research projects… Omega-3 delivers a significant benefit for people suffering from chronic heart failure.

The Italian study covered more than 300 cardiology treatment facilities and involved more than 3,500 people who had chronic heart failure.

Half the people received a capsule of Omega-3 every day and half received a placebo.  The results: people who took the Omega-3 supplement enjoyed lower mortality rates and recurring cardiac problems that brought them back to the hospital.

Additional research was conducted at the Mario Negri Institute in Milan.

Source:  The Lancet Daily Health Network

Omega-3 rich diets improve insulin sensitivity… another research-based confirmation that Omega-3 plays a key role in maintaining a healthy heart.

Insulin sensitivity is one of the measurements used to determine the risk of heart disease. The higher the insulin sensitivity, the lower the risk of heart disease. The more Omega-3 in our diet, the higher the insulin sensitivity.

Researchers with the Kronos Longevity Research Institute in Phoenix, Arizona have been looking at diets high in Omega-3. They have found that consuming more Omega-3s improves insulin sensitivity.

Dr. S. Mitchell Harman, MD, PhD, is the Director and President at Kronos.

“We concluded that a diet high in omega-3 increases insulin sensitivity and reduces inflammatory markers. As we age, hormone secretion and cell responsiveness decrease, possibly due to loss of cell membrane fluidity or alteration of the membrane. Animal studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids may help hormone signals get into cells whose cell membrane has been stiffened by age.”

Source: Kronos Longevity Research Institute

Omega-3 fatty acids are a key ingredient in flax seed. Whole flax seed is approximately 40% oil. 50% of this oil is ALA and half of this is Omega-3.

Flax seed offers a number of potential health benefits because of the presence of Omega-3 fatty acids and other anti-inflammatory ingredients.

Lignan is one of these ingredients. Lignan is an antioxidant rich in fiber.

Ground Flax seed is considered best. This is because the way the whole flax seed is digested.