Omega 3 Healing

Omega-3 is a bit of a victim of its own success… for all of the substantiated claims of the benefits it provides the brain, the heart and other organs, there is nothing to suggest it can help reduce the risk of cancers.

The Journal of the American Medical Association reviewed articles published over the past 40 years to try and identify credible research.

Scientists studied 38 articles dealing with the impact of Omega-3 fatty acids on the incidence of tumors. 11 different types of cancer were examined.

The conclusion…

“A large body of literature spanning numerous cohorts from many countries and with different demographic characteristics does not provide evidence to suggest a significant association between omega-3 fatty acids and cancer incidence. Dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids is unlikely to prevent cancer.”

Sources:

Journal of the American Medical Association
Southern California Evidence-Based Practice Center

Acai seems to be the poster child for all sorts of health benefits, and it does indeed contain Omega-3 fatty acids.

Acai also contains Omega-6 and Omega-9. Each of these can lower the so-called bad cholesterol, or LDL, and each can maintain our HDL, or good cholesterol.

Fatty acai berries most often are harvested from Palm trees in Brazil. Clinical research which quantifies the Omega-3 benefits of the popular antioxidant berry.

Clinical trials have shown that acai is not helpful in treating cancers.

“Thousands of research studies have documented how the oils known as omega-3 fatty acids can benefit the cardiovascular system, particularly among people diagnosed with coronary artery disease…The most compelling evidence for the cardiovascular benefit provided by omega-3 fatty acids comes from three large controlled trials of 32,000 participants randomized to receive omega-3 fatty acid supplements containing DHA and EPA….These trials showed reductions in cardiovascular events of 19 percent to 45 percent. Overall, these findings suggest that intake of omega-3 fatty acids, whether from dietary sources or fish oil supplements, should be increased, especially in those with or at risk for coronary artery disease.”

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.

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.