|
With the increasing awareness in people about their health, omega-3 fatty acids have become the most talked about topic. They have been put under the category of 'good fats' unlike many other saturated fats which raise the cholesterol level in our body thus increasing the risk of various heart diseases. Since, intake of fats is inevitable, it is recommended that we should replace these harmful saturated fats with the unsaturated fats which are responsible for overall health of our body. What are omega-3 fatty acids? They are long chain polyunsaturated fats. These fats help in protecting our body from cancer, asthma, heart attacks, strokes, Arthritis, Osteoporosis, etc. Since, they are necessary for our health but cannot be produced by our body, they are also known as 'essential fatty acids'. To avoid deficiency, we have to include these fats explicitly in our diet. Types of omega-3 fatty acids There are 3 major types of omega 3 fats - alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Our body has the ability to convert ALA to EPA and DHA. Since most of the percentages of ALA in our body are burned for energy, only some minimal portion is left for conversion. The conversion is also not very effective. Hence, it is recommended that we should explicitly take foods high on EPA and DHA in our daily diet. Source of Omega3 fatty acids ALA is found in walnuts, Oils and tofu. Whereas fish like salmon, tuna, halibut, herring, hoki have high percentage of EPA and DHA. Latest research has shown that of all three types, DHA is of much importance and most of the benefits of omega3 are related to it. Secondly, if required, our body can convert DHA to EPA. So it is best to have DHA rich diet. Daily intake of fish (having high DHA percentages) is not feasible, also because of increased level of toxins in ocean water fishes are full of contaminants. To get rid of harmful after effects of heavy metals like mercury and lead, many people have shifted to fish oil supplements to bridge the gap of deficiency of omega3 in our body. Word of caution here, not all fish capsules available in the market are good. They may also contain toxins and do more harm than good. If you really want the benefits of DHA, effective fishoil should be selected and should be made part of your daily regime. How to select best fish oil supplement? Effective fish pills have low levels of toxins and have under gone Molecular distillation process. This is the most effective process to remove the impurities from the oil and make it safe for consumption. It does not have any rancid or unnatural odor. Instead it smells like ocean water. One effective fish oil soft gel has more DHA to EPA ratio. It contains at least 250 mg DHA and at least 100 mg EPA. To learn more on omega-3 fatty acids and effective fish oil supplements, visit my website. Chuck Blake is an active researcher and consumer of fish oil products.Visit his website http://omega3brief.com today to learn more about the powerful benefits of omega-3 fish oils.
Related Articles -
omega-3, fatty, acids,
| 
