{"id":3228,"date":"2019-01-29T05:06:47","date_gmt":"2019-01-29T05:06:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=3228"},"modified":"2021-03-24T20:08:59","modified_gmt":"2021-03-24T20:08:59","slug":"9-amazing-omega-3-benefits-for-your-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/9-amazing-omega-3-benefits-for-your-health\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Amazing Omega-3 Benefits for Your Health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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We all know that omega 3 is the best fatty acid you can get. That said, there are some who don\u2019t know why it is so revered. Omega 3 fatty acids hold amazing benefits that will boost your health and leave you wanting more. Some of the benefits that omega 3 has displayed include preventing cancer, improving heart health, boosting cognitive function, and reducing inflammation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are far too many health benefits that omega 3 offers if we were to try to cover it all in a single article, you\u2019d be reading this until next week. That being the case, we\u2019ve compiled nine of the best benefits so that you can get an idea of just how amazing omega 3 is and why it\u2019s so revered by nutritionists. Regardless of what diet you might be on, regularly consuming omega 3 is the best way to boost your results and maintain your health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Metabolic syndrome
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Metabolic syndrome is a term used to describe a group of disorders including insulin <\/a>resistance, high blood pressure, obesity, low HDL, and more. Metabolic syndrome has been tied to a higher chance of developing diabetes and heart disease later down the line. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is evidence suggesting that regular consumption of omega 3 can reduce insulin resistance and inflammation. Omega 3 can also lower the odds of developing heart disease even if you already have metabolic syndrome. Various studies have shown that a diet rich in omega 3 can prevent heart disease by targeting the risks that cause it in the first place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Metabolic syndrome is no laughing matter, and unless you want to end up with heart disease or diabetes, your best bet is incorporating omega 3 into your diet in any way you can. Whether that means taking supplements or adding different foods to your diet, all that matters is that you get enough of it to keep you alive and healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. ADHD
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ADHD and hyperactivity disorders can be very hard to deal with, especially if they are present in one or more of your children. That said, there has been evidence suggesting that omega 3 can calm children who suffer from hyperactivity disorders such as ADHD. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The characteristics of ADHD include inattention, hyperactivity<\/a>, impulsivity, and lack of focus. Various studies have found that children with ADHD had less omega 3 in their bodies in comparison to children without ADHD or other hyperactivity disorders. Furthermore, regular consumption of omega 3 can minimize the symptoms of ADHD due to the fact that it treats impulsiveness, hyperactivity, restlessness, and aggression. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to using omega 3 as a treatment for children with ADHD or other hyperactivity disorders, it would appear as though fish oil is the most effective treatment method. Be sure to consult with your pediatrician before you add any new substances into the diet of your child as it may have unforeseen side effects based on underlying conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Anxiety and Depression
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Most people have experienced anxiety or depression <\/a>at one point or another throughout the course of their lives, whether or not they\u2019ve actually been diagnosed with any disorders. The symptoms associated with depression include loss of interest in life, lethargy, sadness, illogical fear, nervousness, worrisome thoughts, and a general dulling of their day to day experiences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research has shown that people who regularly consume omega 3 will have lower odds of becoming depressed at any point in their life. Some studies have even suggested that people taking omega 3 supplements could effectively treat various mental health problems such as chronic anxiety or depression. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the research conducted thus far, EPA is by far the best variation of omega 3 when it comes to preventing or treating depression. Another study concluded the EPA omega 3 was equally effective to Prozac when it comes to treating depression. Imagine that, the same performance without all the side effects of pill-popping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Mental Health Conditions
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Various studies have concluded that those with mental disorders generally have less omega 3 in their blood in comparison to healthy people. You might remember the study that we mentioned above covering the omega 3 levels of children with ADHD, well the same carries over to adults too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The researchers found that people with bipolar disorder who regularly took omega 3 supplements had fewer mood swings than those who didn\u2019t. The same held true for patients with schizophrenia<\/a>. There have also been studies showing that omega 3 was effective in treating violent and aggressive behavior. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For years the mental health industry has been popping pills and trying new therapies, but what if the solution lied in omega 3 all this time? Albeit there isn\u2019t enough research on the topic to jump to a conclusion, but what we\u2019ve seen thus far is indeed very promising and there\u2019s no doubt that the results will only get better as the world of medical advances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Fetal Brain Development
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If a woman gets pregnant, increasing the amount of omega 3 they take in could be a good idea seeing as it aids the development of your baby\u2019s brains. There are few things more valuable than a healthy brain, especially in a society that still generally frowns upon those with mental disabilities <\/a>such as autism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A study showed that infants given formula with DHA developed eyesight superior to the infants who took regular formula without DHA. Giving your baby DHA very early in the span of their life can also help them become smarter as it helps their brain develop fully. This will lead to them having an edge against most of the population who struggles with social skills like communication or making friends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll also notice less behavioral issues. Beyond that, giving DHA to your child as early as possible will reduce the risk of developing cerebral palsy, autism, ADHD, and other developmental delays or disorders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Dementia
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Researchers have been studying the effect that omega 3 has on dementia <\/a>since it has such a profound impact on other mental disorders such as anxiety and depression. What they\u2019ve found in the limited time spent exploring the topic is that people who include high levels of omega 3 in their diet have a significantly lower chance of developing age-related diseases and disorders including the much-dreaded Alzheimer\u2019s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One particular study found that those who have plenty of fatty fish in their diet had higher levels of gray matter in the brain. Gray matter is the tissue in the brain responsible for processing information, memories, and emotion. Criminals are often found with lower levels of gray matter and higher levels of white matter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

White matter is the tissue in the brain responsible for actions, thus those with more white matter and the less gray matter will display impulsive and perhaps even criminal behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Helps you sleep
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Sleep is very important, so important in fact that we spend one-third of our life doing it. The average American gets less than six hours of sleep per day which is far below the eight-hour recommendation. Some of these people are just busy, but others have serious sleep problems such as insomnia and sleep apnea that make it almost impossible for them to get a good night\u2019s sleep. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers found that those who don\u2019t get enough omega 3 had higher chances of developing such sleep disorders. Another study explored the impact that omega 3 deficiency had on the sleeping patterns of children specifically. It concluded that, much like adults, children were more likely to have sleeping problems when they don\u2019t get enough omega 3. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is likely due to the fact that low levels of omega 3 correlate to low levels of melatonin<\/a>. Melatonin is the hormone responsible for managing your sleep pattern, thus a deficiency is bound to create problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Menstrual pain
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If women are suffering from menstrual pain, they can take some omega 3 to alleviate the severity. Scientists have long been fascinated with omega 3\u2019s ability to treat menstrual pain. After conducting a fair amount of research, they discovered that women who consume high levels of omega 3 suffer no or reduced menstrual pain to those who don\u2019t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The alleviation of the menstrual pain isn\u2019t limited to the vaginal region. Omega 3 can treat pain in the thighs, lower back, abdomen, and pelvis. One particularly impressive study concluded that omega 3 was not only equally effective but even more effective than ibuprofen when it came to treating menstrual pain. Ibuprofen can result in a myriad of side effects, especially for those who are sensitive to it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why would you take a pill when you can go for a natural remedy that will be more effective without causing any of the side effects of ibuprofen. The research on omega 3<\/a> and its impact on menstrual pain continues on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9. Eye health
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Seeing as DHA is dominantly found in the eye and brain, consuming higher levels of it can boost your ocular health. Studies have found that DHA is an integral part of your retina and that a deficiency <\/a>in it can lead to vision problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vision problems can be debilitating and costly, so why not prevent them while you can by taking some omega 3 supplements every now and again. It\u2019ll be cheaper in the long run and save your eyes. Researchers concluded that getting high levels of omega 3 drastically reduced the odds of getting macular degeneration \u2014 the most common cause of permanent eye damage and even blindness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Studying the impact of omega 3 on the eyes definitely paid off as now we might have found one of the most effective ways to prevent blindness. Remember, once macular degeneration manifests, it\u2019s very hard to treat, so preventing its formation is a great investment to make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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10. Joint Pain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the top reasons that a lot of people choose to use omega 3, is in order to alleviate joint pain. You might assume that this works by lubricating the joints, but actually this has nothing to do with the amazing benefits of omega 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather, omega 3 is able to fight joint pain and arthritis by reducing inflammation<\/a>. It does this because it competes for space in the body with omega 6 fatty acids. Now, omega 6 is nothing bad in itself and in fact we need it in our diets too. The problem is that a great many of us get too much omega 6 and not enough omega 3. The result of this balance is inflammation. By upping your Omega 3 count then, you can combat this inflammation and thereby prevent swelling in your joints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The important thing to recognize here is that most of us get far too much omega 6 in our diets seeing as this is commonly used to improve the shelf life of foods. We meanwhile don\u2019t tend to get enough omega 3, seeing as it largely comes from seafood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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11. Focus and Attention<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Omega 3 fatty acid is often considered one of the top brain foods and for good reason! Apart from anything else, omega 3 fatty acid is able to combat inflammation. This actually helps to reduce inflammation throughout the body too \u2013 not just in the joints \u2013 which means that it can also affect the brain by reducing \u2018pro-inflammatory cytokines<\/a>\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result is that you have a clearer head and sharper focus. But it goes deeper than that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s because omega 3 fatty acid also <\/em>increases cell membrane permeability, thereby helping the brain to send signals and nutrients from one neuron to the next and thus speeding up the transmission of signals throughout your grey matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Omega 3 fatty acid even helps to boost memory and \u2018brain plasticity\u2019 by helping with a process called myelination. This is the insulation of neuronal axons (tails) to cement connections that have been made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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12. Nutrient Absorption<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Omega 3 fatty acid is fat just like any other, and that means that it can offer a number of the same health benefits that we associate with other types of fat \u2013 including saturated fat<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of these is the ability to improve the absorption of nutrients. This means that you\u2019ll be better able to break down and benefit from nutrients that are described as \u2018fat-soluble\u2019 and that in turn means that you can get much more benefit from a generally healthy diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On top of that, by boosting cell membrane permeability and therefore the ability of the cells to let nutrients pass through their walls, omega 3 also helps to boost absorption at an even deeper level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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13. Improved Mood<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Remember how we said that omega 3 could reduce inflammation in the brain? Well, this also <\/em>happens to boost mood, seeing as brain inflammation is linked with depression (and may even be the primary cause of it). While it won\u2019t help all types of depression, some people might find that their condition is effectively treated through the use of this nutrient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And on top of that, omega 3 fatty acids<\/a> will also boost DHEA. This is a substance that \u2013 among other things \u2013 has been shown to play a role in promoting a state of calm during high-intensity situations. This is likely why omega 3 is also thought to be a highly effective stress-buster and has been demonstrated to be in a number of studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DHEA is actually a very interesting substance that has been shown to act as a \u2018buffer\u2019 against the effects of cortisol, thereby allowing you to stay calm and focussed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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14. Weight Loss<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Weight loss is another possible benefit of omega 3 fatty acid and is possible thanks to the fact that omega 3 fatty acid helps to reduce insulin resistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insulin is the hormone produced in response to high blood sugar. Its job is to absorb free glucose<\/a> from the blood and then use it to power movements and processes throughout the body, as well as to store as fat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When insulin resistance occurs, this makes the body less effective at utilizing those spikes, leaving more free glucose in the system. That, in turn, causes a build-up of sugar and a slower metabolism which can result in weight gain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s more though is that this might also <\/em>mean that omega 3 fatty acid is effective in combating diabetes.
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