Brain Food for the Heart

Brain Food for the Heart

Did your mother ever tell you that fish is a "brain food"?. You may have thought that this advice was nothing more than an "old wives tale".

Well this advice may have been good advice as it has turned out that certain oily fish contain high levels of important brain nutrients called omega-3 fatty acids that have been proven to have beneficial effects for the brain. Furthermore, over the last several years there have been numerous studies demonstrating that fish oil is also good for the heart.

Adding to this evidence, this week there were three separate studies published in major medical journals, supporting the benefits of consuming fish oils for heart disease. In the first study published in the journal Circulation, more than 10,000 patients who had suffered a heart attack within the previous three months were required to eat a Mediterranean diet rich in fruits, vegetables, olive oil and fish. In addition, some patients also consumed an additional 1,000 mg per day of fish oil supplements.

Those patients consuming additional fish oil supplement had a reduction in death of 41% from any cause after only three months of treatment. After four months of treatment, those patients treated with fish oil supplement also significantly reduced the risk of sudden cardiac death. At the end of the three and a half year study period, patients treated with fish oils were 45 % less likely to die from a heart related cause. In a second study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers analysed blood samples taken from 94 men who had died suddenly from heart disease and 184 healthy men. The risk of sudden death decreased as the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood rose. Those with the highest blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids were 81% less likely to experience sudden death regardless of their age or smoking habits.

Finally, in another study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, women who consumed at least five servings of fish a week lowered their risk of coronary heart disease by more than 1/3 and cut their risk of fatal heart attack by more than 50% over a 16 year period. It is quite amazing that within a period of a few days three separate articles appeared in different major medical periodicals, all demonstrating the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. With this information, it would seem foolish not to increase your intake of these important omega-3 fatty acids.

The type of fatty fish that is most beneficial is deep water salmon and mackerel. The big problem is that most salmon and fish consumed is raised at fish farms. Studies indicate that farm raised salmon has much lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids. The reason for this is the salmon that matures in the wild eat their native diet that includes algae. It is this algae that provides the omega-3 fatty acids to the salmon. Farm raised salmon are not fed a native diet that is high in omega-3 fatty acids and as a result have very low levels in their flesh.

The studies are clear that supplementation with additional fish oil provides significant benefit beyond a so-called "healthy diet". Although most fish oil capsules contain 1,000 mg of fish oil, they actually (and unavoidably) contain only 300 mg of the all-important omega-3 fatty acids. Therefore you’d need to take thee or four capsules (MaxEPA is a well-known brand) each day to obtain the benefits found in this week’s studies.

Alternatively you could take ½ tablespoon of cod liver oil to obtain the correct amount of omega-3 fatty acids. Do your heart and brain a favour by consuming fish oils every day.