Daily we are all bombarded with claims about the health benefits of different foods and various diets. There have been many such claims made for fish oils relating to the prevention of heart attacks and making our children brainier. As referred to earlier, Omega 3 fats are vital building blocks for compounds that help us to be healthy and can be beneficial in many conditions.
Heart health is the area where Omega 3s are known to have the biggest impact and where the most evidence exists for this effect. So conclusive is this evidence that the Government allows products containing high levels of Omega 3s to have health claims on products, which is significant as food labelling is so tightly controlled.
Research exploring some of the other health benefits is still in its early stages, but Omega 3s have been claimed to help alleviate their symptoms. Some doctors and health professionals routinely recommend the use of fish oils to:
- Cardiac and Stroke patients
- Children (to aid development and concentration)
- Pregnant and lactating women (for babies brain and eye development)
- Health conscious adults
- Diabetics (at increased risk of coronary heart disease)
- Sufferers of chronic conditions such as:
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Raised blood fats
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Crohns Disease
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)sufferers
- Sufferers of depressive conditions, including postnatal depression
- Elderly demented patients
- Sufferers of acne, dry skin, PMT, menstrual pain.
The British Nutrition Foundation reports that only about a third of people in the UK eat oil-rich fish on a regular basis and the average amongst these consumers is only one small portion per week. So clearly we should be eating more.