Fish oil promotes heart health

GNLD News

Fish oil promotes heart health

One more good reason to include plenty of omega 3 fatty acids in your diet. A recent study suggest that it can help keep arteries pliable and healthy.

Cholesterol can slowly damage arterial linings, making them less flexible and restrict blood flow, thus contributing to hypertension and heart disease. Arteries that are constricted and unable to dilate properly cannot deliver sufficient amounts of blood to tissue without increasing blood pressure.

In this study, patients who took omega-3-rich fish oil capsules over a four-month period were compared to a group that took a placebo only. The omega-3 group showed a marked improvement in arterial dilation over the placebo group. In fact, the omega-3 group improved their arterial dilation rates by 100%. The placebo group showed no improvement in dilation. *

The significance of this study is that omega-3 fatty acids supplements restored some of the arterial damage done by cholesterol, yet did not negatively affect the patients overall cholesterol levels. In effect, it reversed damage caused by cholesterol.

This exciting study suggests that everyone can derive benefits from omega-3 fatty acids because cholesterol will eventually damage arterial linings, regardless of one’s cholesterol level. Most health experts agree that 2-3 servings of Omega 3-rich fish every week is one of the best ways to ensure sufficient intake of Omega 3 fatty acids.

*REFERENCE: Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Volume 10, Feb 2000