Omega-3 health benefits
I have been looking at nutrition over the last six months and one thing I have been doing is taking a lot more Omega-3 and Omega-6 as well as Vitamin D. Within a month, I started to notice an overall reduction in stress level as well as an increase in well-being.
The more I have read, the better these three things seem to be -- boosting the immune system, reducing the chance of disease, etc...
Omega-3 now seems to have very good anti-inflammatory properties. From back40 at
Muck and Mystery:
Flame Out
New detail about the benefits of omega-3.the body converts DHA into Resolvin D2...
The research also suggests that Resolvin D2 could be the basis for a new treatment for diseases including sepsis, stroke and arthritis. Unlike other anti-inflammatory drugs, this chemical does not seem to suppress the immune system...
We've also looked in detail at this chemical, determining at least some of the ways it relieves inflammation. It seems to be a very powerful chemical and a small amount can have a large effect...
Arthritis, and many other diseases, are caused by inflammation. This means that the body's natural defences against infections are mistakenly directed at healthy tissue.
Previous research has shown that a crucial step in this process occurs when white blood cells, called leukocytes, stick to the inner lining of the blood vessels, called the endothelium.
Researchers studied these blood cells and how they interact with the endothelium in the lab. When they added Resolvin D2 they found that the endothelial cells produced small amounts of nitric oxide, which acts as a chemical signal discouraging the white blood cells from sticking to the endothelial cells and preventing inflammation.
The benefit of DHA isn't news, but the mechanisms aren't well understood. It may be that Resolvin D2 can be synthesized and used as therapy, but it makes the intake of dietary DHA on a regular basis seem sensible too.
Cool news!
I am taking 8,000 units of D-3/day plus three tablespoons of
Barleans Total Omega (PDF) twice/day. I know that this is more than is generally recommended but I also know that these fat-soluble oils take some time to build up in the body and I will be gradually tapering down to about 30% of this dosage over the next month or so.
Posted by DaveH at November 1, 2009 1:39 PM
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