Can you guess what the leading cause of death in the United States is?
If you guessed "heart disease", you answered right. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that heart disease accounts for as many as 96,000 deaths each year. The good news is that heart disease and the deaths they cause can be prevented by changing your diet and lifestyle.
The American Heart Association recommends that adults at risk consume omega-3 supplements to maintain good heart health. However, not all patients follow their doctor's advice because of the misconceptions they have about omega-3 fatty acids.
Explaining the facts behind the common myths about this fatty acid is a great first step towards healthier hearts. Here are some more omega-3 myths explained.
Myth 1: All fats are bad
Fats are the culprit behind heart disease and other conditions like non-alcoholic fatty liver; why should consuming more fat combat these health problems? The truth is that not everyone eats enough of the good fats - the ones that make up the structure of cell membranes and keep blood vessels supple. Omega-3 fats like EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) are essential for cardiovascular, psychological, and immune system health. Unfortunately, a study by the American Heart Association revealed that the average person is not aware of the benefits these "good" fats can bring to the body.
Myth 2: Fish is the best source of omega-3 fats
Although deep sea fish like salmon and tuna are excellent sources of this important fatty acid, it's actually the algae they eat that give them the omega-3 fats they are famous for. In addition, fish isn't the best source of this fat for those who are vegetarians and those with allergies. And since fish also carry a number of ocean-borne pollutants like methylmercury, pregnant and breastfeeding women are advised to stay away from them.
The good news is that there are many omega-3 supplements made from non-fish sources. One of the most popular supplements is those made from echium oil, a plant with high concentrations of the omega-3 fat EPA. You can also get your daily dose of this fat from supplements made of algae.
Myth 3: Flaxseed and walnuts are great plant-based sources of omega-3
One of the greatest misconceptions is that you can get enough DHA and EPA from flaxseed and walnuts. The truth is that they contain the parent omega-3 fat, alpha linolenic acid (ALA). Although ALA gets converted into DHA and EPA upon consumption, this conversion process is slow and variable. This means that 1 mg of ALA usually translates to just.01 mg of DHA or EPA.
So what is the real truth about omega 3 fatty acids?
It seems a new study comes out every month with more claims of what these oils can do for the human body, but isn't it almost too good to be true?
The truth about omega 3 fatty acids is that they can be extremely beneficial to the body when taken in high enough doses and on a daily basis. This means that all of those prepackaged foods that boldly advertise they contain omega 3 are not going to make a bit of difference on their own.
You cannot drink a glass of fortified orange juice with your fortified frozen waffle for breakfast and expect your blood pressure to drop or losing weight to be much easier. This is because these products are fortified with very small amounts of essential fatty acids. While they may add some minor benefit when combined with a high quality fish oil supplement, they do not contain enough beneficial oils to really impact your health alone.
The truth about omega 3 is that you need higher concentrations of the best types in order to get the benefits that are claimed through the many research findings coming out on a routine basis. You can in fact control your blood sugar, decrease blood pressure, and even protect your heart against hardening arteries, but you need higher concentrations of the most essential fatty acids in order to do that.
You need a high quality supplement that uses purified, molecularly distilled oil in order to really benefit from it. You also have to take it on a daily basis.
Sources
https://ezinearticles.com/?More-Omega-3-Myths-Explained&id=6406799 https://ezinearticles.com/?Learn-the-Real-Truth-About-Omega-3-Fatty-Acids&id=2960798
