Omega-3s are not just "good fats". They are truly essential for health and vitality
The essential nature of these fatty acids stems from the fact that our bodies need them to perform vitally important functions, but are unable to manufacture them. Therefore, we must get them from outside sources (such as food or dietary supplements). That's why any attempt to indiscriminately reduce or eliminate all fats from one's diet inevitably leads to an EFA deficit, which may be very detrimental to health.
Essential fatty acids were first discovered back in 1929 by a husband-and-wife research team George and Mildred Burr. While doing animal research, they noticed that a lack of essential fatty acids caused the animals to develop some serious health problems, including scaling and swelling of the skin, as well as damage to internal organs. If the EFA deficit was left unattended, the animals eventually died.
In 1956, Hugh Sinclair, one of the world's greatest researchers in the field of human nutrition, has suggested that an upsurge in the so-called "diseases of civilization" - namely, coronary heart disease, thrombosis, strokes, diabetes, chronic inflammation, and cancer - was caused by abnormalities in fat metabolism. According to his writings, the main reason for such abnormalities was the fact that modern-day diets are full of processed foods rich in trans-fatty acids, while being extremely poor in essential fatty acids. According to Hugh Sinclair, this EFA deficit was the main reason behind his striking observation: in spite of improvements in medicine and standard of living, the life expectancy of a 50-year-old man had not changed since the middle of the 19th century.
Although Sinclair's opinions were not supported by his peers at the time, later research has convincingly shown that he was, indeed, correct. In fact, he is now universally recognized and praised for insights that were far ahead of his time.
During the 50 years that have elapsed after Hugh Sinclair's discoveries, EFAs, including omega-3 fatty acids, have been extensively researched by scientists. This research has brought some extremely interesting and promising results.
Some benefits of taking an Omega-3 supplement are well documented, such as:
• Lowering of Triglyceride levels
• Cardiovascular improvement
• Inhibition of Alzheimer's onset
• Reduction of Arteriosclerosis
• Improvement of brain development
• Improvement of visual acuity in fetal development
There are more benefits however, which have not yet been scientifically proven and are still open to debate. Additional benefits of Omega 3 may include:
• Joint and arthritis improvement
• Improvement in ADD care for afflicted children
• Relief of skin conditions such a psoriasis
• Help with Cancer treatments (breast, colon, and prostate cancers)
• Tumor growth inhibition
• Fundamental help with multiple sclerosis care
• Reductions in allergies and asthma symptoms
• Help with Crohn’s and inflammatory bowel disease
• Added support for weight control plans
• LDL ('Bad') cholesterol reduction
• Help in controlling of bipolar disorder
• Reduced post-partum depression risk
• Reduced rate of macular degeneration
• Reduced chronic dry eye
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