Omega 3
Omega 3 facts
You need to know that there are two stories on fats. There arc fats that predispose to heart attacks and strokes (because they make our platelets more sticky), but there are others that protect us from heart attacks and strokes. There are fats that kill and fats that heal. So let us talk about the healing fats. There are two of them. They’re called essential fatty acids. Substances your body cannot make but every cell must have. You have to get them from what you cat. One essential fatty acid (omega 6) is present in large quantities in most food oils. The other (omega 3) has been largely removed from our food supply. Both are important to health. But the one that’s missing, the omega 3 essential fatty acid, has the most pronounced benefits on the health of our hearts and arteries. It protects our heart and arteries in several ways:
• Omega 3 fatty acids make our platelets less sticky. They thereby decrease (he chance of a clot forming in an artery and clogging that artery.
• Omega 3 fatty acids make our red blood cells more flexible. This means that blood wilt flow more easily through our capillaries lowering blood pressure and improving delivery of nutrients and oxygen to our cells.
• Omega 3 fatty acids lower blood fats (triglycerides), a risk factor for cardiovascular disease caused by sugar. carbohydrates, hard fats and lack oi exercise.
• Omega 3 fatty acids lower high blood pressure by means of a hormone-like substance (prostaglandin) made from them. This substance relaxes arterial muscle tone, which lowers blood pressure.
• Omega 3 fatty acids lower cholesterol to some extent, although they work even better when combined with the kinds of fiber which escort cholesterol from our body and thereby prevent its re-absorption from our gut.
• Omega 3 fatty acids stabilize the heart beat preventing heart beat abnormalities (arrhythmia) that can lead to cardiac arrest.
• Omega 3 fatty acids improve kidney function and water metabolism. Poor kidney function and water retention can lead to high blood pressure.
• Omega 3 fatty acids improve energy levels, leading us to be more physically active. Physical activity has many beneficial effects on our heart and arteries.
• Omega 3 fatty acids elevate mood, lift depression and improve our ability to deal with stress. High stress levels promote high blood pressure. water retention, inflammation, and blood clot formation.
• Omega 3 fatty acids lower fibrinogen levels. Fibrinogen is another factor that can lead to the formation of an artery blocking blood clot.
But let me now balance the story. Even though the omega 3 fatty acids are vital to heart health, you need the omega 6 fatty acids also. So it is importanI for you to keep in mind that a balance of both is what you need.