Top 19 Health Benefits of Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Reviewed by: | Author: Manoja Kalakanti

With the growing awareness of the negative effects of stress and depression, the interest in staying fit is enhancing rapidly. Omega 3 fatty acids are considered essential fatty acids. They are immensely necessary for health, but our food is the only source of it as our body can’t produce it. It reduces the risk of heart disease and helps in brain function, growth and development. The benefits of Omega 3 are so many that it is difficult to list it in a single article. Renowned for its antioxidant properties, Omega 3 fatty acids are also known as polyunsaturated fatty acids.

omega 3 fatty acids

Incredible Uses of Omega 3 Fatty Acids for Health

The health Benefits of Omega 3 are innumerable and with the growing interest regarding a healthy life it is coming into the limelight. It prevents heart disease and regulates psychological functions.

Prevents Diabetes:

Fish is one of the main sources of Omega 3 fatty acids and it is said that if you eat fish twice a week it will lessen your chance of diabetes. People who consumed Omega 3 fatty acids have 33% less chance of developing type 2 diabetes than people who don’t.

Diabetes Prevention

Control Blood Cholesterol levels:

Triglyceride levels can be decreased by the consumption of fish, fish oil and walnuts. The habit of eating fish regularly helps to decrease triglycerides, and it gradually increases HDL cholesterol

Fish Oil Lowers Cholesterol

Lower Depression levels:

Researchers have proven that men who consumed high levels of Omega 3 with food are lesser in number to suffer from depression than men who don’t. Fish oil enhances the effects of antidepressants and it also helps to reduce mood swings. It also aids to increase the power of our memory.

Improves Psychological Functions:

Omega 3 helps to produce prostaglandins which play a crucial role in controlling psychological functions such as nerve transmission, blood pressure, allergic responses and blood clotting.

Improves Rheumatic Arthritis:

The consumption of fish oil supplements DHA and EPA, which play an important role in the reduction of joint pain and stiffness of rheumatoid arthritis. It also helps to increase the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory drugs.

Rheumatoid-Arthritis

Prevention of Heart disease:

The consumption of fish oil lowers the risk of stroke and arrhythmia. The Prevention of heart disease can be possible by following a perfect diet which is rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and in this perfect diet the level of saturated fat should be lower.

Lowers the Risk of Cancer:

Omega 3 fatty acid foods help reduce the chances of cancer, and they also prevent the worsening of colon cancer. Regular consumption of fish and fish oil lower the chance of breast cancer and prostate cancer.

Systemic Lupus erythematosus (SLE):

Systemic Lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. It can affect the skin, joints, kidneys and other organs. The symptoms of lupus are reduced by the help of EPA and fish oil, and they also help to strengthen the immune system of our body.

Systemic Lupus erythematosus

Prevents High Blood Pressure:

High blood pressure can quietly damage our body before symptoms develop, and it may lead to a fatal heart attack too. Regular intake of 3 or more grams fish oil daily reduces blood pressure, and it is really helpful to those suffering from hypertension.

Bipolar Disorder:

Bipolar Disorder is a brain disorder that causes unusual shift in mood, energy, activity levels and the inability to carry out day to day tasks. Bipolar Disorder can result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance and even suicide. Those who take fish oil regularly for four months in addition to standard prescription treatments for bipolar disorder showed fewer mood swings.

bipolar disorder

Osteoporosis:

Osteoporosis means “porous bone”. It is a bone disease. It happens when you lose too much bone or make too little bone or both. In this disease the levels of calcium become lower. The Omega 3 supplements also help to increase the levels of calcium as well as enhance the bone density and improve the strength of bones. Those women who took placebo had greater bone loss than those who took EPA and GLA.

Attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD):

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is one of the most common childhood disorders and can continue through adolescence and adulthood. Symptoms of this disorder include difficulties in paying attention, in controlling behavior and hyperactivity. Recent researches prove that children with normal Omega 3 fatty acid levels have less learning and behavioral problems than children with lower levels of fatty acids.

ADHD

Muscular Degeneration:

Muscular degeneration involves lowering of calcium levels and the gradual lowering strength of bones. Those who eat fish regularly and maintain a perfect diet with the healthy balance of Omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are less likely to face the problems of muscular degeneration.

Schizophrenia:

Schizophrenia is one of the many brain diseases that may include delusion, loss of personality, confusion, agitation, social withdrawal, psychosis and bizarre behavior. It is really hard for a schizophrenic patient to tell the difference between what is real and not real. Omega 3 fatty acids ensure improvements in the symptoms of schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia

Improves Skin Disorders:

Ultraviolet radiation (UV) is one form of energy coming from the sun. By damaging the skin’s cellular DNA, excessive UV radiation produces genetic mutations that can lead to skin cancer, and it is a proven human carcinogen. After taking fish oil supplements people with sun sensitivity showed less sensitivity to UV rays and thus it helps to prevent skin cancer too.

Prevents Cognitive Decline:

Dementia is a loss of brain function that occurs with certain diseases. Alzheimer’s disease is one form of dementia that gradually gets worse over time. It affects memory, thinking and behavior. The problems of Alzheimer and dementia can be reduced through the help of the Omega 3 fatty acid DHA.

Alzhemiers Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease:

Inflammatory bowel diseases involve chronic inflammation of all or part of our digestive tract. It includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Omega 3 fatty acids reduce symptoms of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis; the two types of inflammatory bowel disease.

Menstrual Pain:

The symptoms of menstruation include abdominal or pelvic cramping, lower back pain, bloating and sore breasts, food cravings, mood swings and irritability, headache and fatigue. The women who take fish oil supplements have less menstrual pain than women who don’t take it.

Irregular Menstrual Cycles

Asthma:

Asthma is a disorder that causes the airways of the lungs to swell and narrow, leading to wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and coughing. Those men who take fish oil supplements rich in EPA and DHA reduces their symptoms of asthma in comparison with those who take a placebo.

Natural Sources of Omega 3 Fatty Acids

It is important to note that we can get Omega 3 fatty acids by eating fishes like mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon. To gain all benefits of Omega 3 Fatty acids we should eat fish and fish oil twice a week. According to the National Institute of Health people consume at least 2% of their total daily calories as Omega 3 fats and to meet the benefits of this recommendation a person would have to eat 2 grams of Omega 3 fats.

Flax seeds and Walnuts:

Flaxseeds and Walnuts are the two main food sources of Omega 3 Fatty Acids. One-quarter cup of walnuts contains about 2.7 grams, and one-quarter cup of flaxseeds contains about 6.3 grams of omega 3 Fatty Acids. Therefore, the blending of one-quarter cup of walnuts with a tablespoon of flax seeds is beneficial to our health.

Walnuts and Flax Seeds

Fish, Plant and Nut Oils:

Cold water fish like salmon, mackerel, halibut, sardines, tuna and herring contain Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) Flaxseeds. Flaxseed oils, canola oil, soybeans, soybean oil, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin seed oil, purslane, perilla seed oil, walnuts and walnut oil are the major sources of Omega 3 Fatty Acids.

Fish, Plant and Nut Oils

Now that you know the amazing health benefits of Omega 3 Fatty Acids, try to eat foods containing Omega 3 Fatty Acids for maintaining overall health and don’t forget to share your health tips with us.

Image Sources: exhibithealth.com, firstdescents.org, thegreenritual.blogspot.com, orthogate.org, bipolar-lives.com, blausenmedia.com, atlantablackstar.com, naturalpractionermag.com, bbvaopenmind.com

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