Friday, May 23, 2008

Want a longer life? Read on....

I have just returned from a 5-day scientific meeting focused entirely on fatty acid health and nutrition. The meeting was convened by the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (www.ISSFAL.org).

My brain is full, but the ‘take-home’ message is clear. Eat omega-3 fats, the ones found in fish and omega-3 fish oil supplements, as if the length of your life and health depends on it, because it does. This may sound sensational but it’s supported by good evidence. Remember, EPA and DHA omega-3s are essential fat vitamins; our body can’t make them, we must eat them, and most Americans don’t eat enough. That we know for sure.

The research community knows that omega-3 from fish oil is required for proper heart and brain function. Consuming omega-3s reduces your risk for heart disease and here are two research findings that are not often discussed. (1) Having omega-3 (EPA and DHA) in your blood when having a heart attack will remarkably reduce your risk of dying in a first heart attack, and, (2) omega-3s significantly influence how your blood and immune system respond to a heart attack – the plaque and inflammation. Simply put, a cardiovascular ‘event’, as they call it in the hospital, is a big ‘hit’ to the immune system – plaques burst, inflammation peaks. How your body responds in the following seconds and minutes depends on your ability to manage inflammation. The amount of EPA and DHA in your body influences your immune and inflammatory response.

And one more thing – taking omega-3 EPA and DHA reduces resting heart rate. A lower resting heart rate is correlated to living longer.

At times like this I just love my field of nutrition. Do you know of any other nutrient with these profound effects? If so, please write me.