Medical proof that food is powerful medicine
to a 2003 medical study there's nothing fishy about fish oil's ability to
protect your heart. Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils can prevent sudden
cardiac death by blocking fatal heart rhythms, researchers say. Sudden cardiac
death accounts for at least half of heart-related deaths. Eating fish,
particularly fatty fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel, herring, and sardines,
has long been associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. Omega-3 fats are
credited with keeping arteries healthy and reducing the stickiness of platelets
in the blood.
Elsewhere, researchers found that eating fish more than once a week was
associated with a 50 percent reduced risk of macular degeneration in seniors:
The chronic eye disease which accounts for one-third of all cases of vision loss
that gradually destroys central vision.
Studies also indicate that fish oils may protect against Alzheimer's disease.
To increase your intake of protective fish oils, eat fish several times a
week but be mindful of the fact that large fish such as swordfish and shark may
be contaminated with mercury tot he extent that frequent consumption presents a
People who do not like fish or are allergic to it can look to flax or canola
oils for omega-3 fats.