What's the Importance of Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Heart Health?

A growing number of experts agree that omega-3 fatty acids affect almost every body system.

We all know that our heart is a muscle and needs exercise for optimal health. And we know the importance of a healthy diet for heart health. But do you know how essential omega-3 fatty acids are for your heart?

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) says that omega-3 fatty acids affect almost every body system and numerous health conditions. Some of the interest in omega-3s is traced back to observations that Greenland Inuit people (who have a high diet in fish oils) have lower serum cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) than might be expected.

How to get your omega-3s

The Harvard Medical School Guide, Understanding Inflammation, suggests a few specific foods that provide healthy doses of omega-3 fatty acids, which have long been shown to reduce inflammation:

• Olive oil
• Flaxseed oil
• Fatty fish (salmon, sardines and mackerel)

NIH reports that evidence has been mounting over recent years for the positive effects of omega-3s for heart health, as well as other disease processes and risk factors. Here are a few of the areas positively affected by omega-3 intake:

• Cardiovascular: Perhaps the most well-known effects of omega-3s are on the cardiovascular system (CS). And dietary fish consumption and fish oil supplementation have been studied on coronary artery disease (CAD), arrhythmias, heart failure, and hypertension.

• Ophthalmological: Dietary intake of omega 3s may benefit age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and dry eye syndrome. In fact, several studies have shown a decreased risk of AMD when people ate fish two or more times per week. And people with dry eye syndrome (DES) are linked to a decreased dietary intake of omega-3s or a high ratio of dietary omega-6.
  And people with dry eye syndrome (DES) are linked to a decreased dietary intake of omega-3s or a high ratio of dietary omega-6.

• Other Body Systems: Additionally, there are even more health conditions and body systems affected by dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids to include neurological and psychological, dermatological (skin conditions), and arthritis and joint health.

Add omega-3s to your diet today!

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You can read the full article from the National Institutes of Health by clicking here.