Omega-3 supplements used to prevent heart disease

(NC)-Omega-3 is an essential amino acid in short supply in American diets but is soaring in popularity as a nutrient supplement thanks to its ability to treat a wide range of ailments.

Cardiologists, neurologists and psychiatrists are using these naturally safe amino acids to prevent and treat a wide variety of medical problems including heart disease.

According to Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of the Department of Nutrition of the Harvard School of Public Health, several studies confirm that the daily consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids is an effective way of helping to prevent cardiovascular disease and reduce the risk of cardiac arrest. Omega-3 is credited with reducing the risk of malignant ventricular arrhythmia and fatal and non-fatal infraction.

All the conclusive studies on the benefits of omega-3 on heart health led the American Heart Association to recommend a diet rich in fish oils.

While omega-3s were abundant in our diets before the 20th century, they are now seriously lacking. There is an imbalance in our Western diet between our intake of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids. Our modern diet has an overabundance of omega-6 through corn, domestic meats, and other oils in processed food, but omega-3 oils, found in cold-water fish, which are just as important, are often missing.

Although we do need both omega-3s and omega-6s it is becoming increasingly clear that an excess of omega-6 fatty acids can have dire consequences, as the latter can actually counteract and negate the benefits of omega-3s, while promoting inflammation, blood clotting and tumor growth.

In fact, many scientists believe that a major reason for the high incidence of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, premature aging, and some forms of cancer is the profound imbalance between our intake of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids.

The human body does not produce Omega-3s and the diet of the majority of Canadians contains only a scarce amount. Fish remains the best source of omega-3s, and diets lacking in the essential fatty acids need supplements.

A new generation of omega-3 supplements called Omega3 – Cardiovascular from Nicar Laboratories is one of the first products on Canadian shelves to specifically target the prevention of cardiovascular disease. The unique formulation of Omega3 – Cardiovascular features 90 per cent omega-3, the highest concentration currently on the market.

Most of the products available in Canada contain only a small percentage of Omega-3, generally around 50 to 20 per cent per capsule. This means that most of the capsule is made up of fish oil with minimal active ingredients. The result is the unnecessary ingestion of oil and calories. It is therefore important to choose Omega-3 supplements wisely and to always prioritize quality and purity over price. This new line of omega-3 supplement is available at your local Shoppers Drug Mart and Loblaws pharmacy.

Credit: www.newscanada.com