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DHA's benefits
are not limited to the brain,
eyes and heart however. Tests
and studies conducted in the
past have shown that
DHA has far reaching
benefits for overall health.
Even healthy individuals need to
ensure that they're getting
sufficient amounts of DHA by
eating fatty fish and organ
meats regularly.
A high
potency
fish oil
supplement,
for example, is rich in both
EPA and DHA.
The North American diet is
such that it can't
maintain healthy levels of DHA
since many people don't have the
time to prepare home cooked
healthy meals; they have grown
accustomed to eating quick and
processed foods. When people
experience low concentration,
poor memory and mood swings,
that's a sign that perhaps their
DHA levels are running low.
There are no official
recommendations for how much DHA
we need, but the one fact
remains: we need DHA. Without
it, our health is at risk.
DHA Study
Numerous studies were carried
out in an effort to document the
advantages of DHA to human
health and one study cited by
Dr. Byron Richards concerned
people with Alzheimer's who were
given a
DHA omega 3 supplement for
six months. The supplementation
led to increased DHA levels in
their blood cells. In
particular, the white blood
cells of these patients
effectively fought inflammation
brought about by toxins.
The patients were given 1700
mg of DHA per day, and they
consumed fish oil
that was modified to
contain more DHA than
EPA.
In another study, the
Journal of Pediatrics (vol.
143, issue 4, October 2003,
pages 17-25) reported on a study
conducted by five doctors on
infants and concluded that
"…that there is a significant
relation between the total DHA
equivalents provided and
effectiveness as defined by
visual acuity measurements at 4
months of age."
The context of this study was
premised on the observation that
healthy babies who are not
breast-fed may need long-chain
polyunsaturated fatty acids
(LCPUFA) because of possible
changes in plasma and tissue
fats. It was however difficult
to document this in spite of the
14 controlled trials in terms
infants using formula feeding
with and without LCPUFA, so the
researchers decided to look at
the "effect of DHA dose provided
daily on the development of
visual acuity to explain the
differences in visual acuity
responses across randomized
studies.”
DHA Benefits for Preventing
Type 2 Diabetes and Liver
Disease
There continues to be several
research studies that are being
done by the agricultural
scientists in the United States
that reveal the facts about the
health benefits of omega
3 fatty acids that come
from common cold water fish. The
health benefits may help
individuals gain needed
protection from diabetes and
other chronic diseases.
Researchers have investigated
the role between two important
omega 3 fatty acids derived from
fish oil called DHA
(docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA
(eicosapentaenoic acid) and
another fatty acid called CLA
(they used the trans-10 and
cis-12 CLA forms).
This 8 week study showed that
the DHA did
indeed protect against two known
side effects of the CLA;
specifically, CLA induced
insulin resistance and
another called CLA-induced
non-alcoholic fatty liver
disease.
Sadly, insulin resistance is on
the rise in the USA and there
are estimated to be between 36
million to 57 million Americans
that are currently insulin
resistant. The reason this fact
is important is that insulin
resistance is a precursor to
type 2 diabetes, which is
expected to triple by 2050.
Since non-alcoholic fatty liver
disease can cause liver cancer
and cirrhosis of the liver,
taking a high potency fish
oil supplement containing
DHA as a means
to protect your liver is
important.
Benefits of DHA
Dr. Barry Sears is the author
of The Omega RX Zone (Harper
Collins, 2002) and said this
about DHA:
"Trying to maintain your
brain function without adequate
DHA is like trying to build the
sturdiest brick house in town
without enough bricks. You might
have the best architect, the
best location, and the best
contractor, but if you don't
have enough bricks, the dream
house will never be built
properly. Without adequate DHA,
your brain can't function
adequately and can't form new
neural connections, let alone
maintain old ones.”
Even if DHA is said
to benefit the brain, eyes and
heart, it can also promote
health in different ways.
The University of Maryland
study explains that DHA may
help:
- People diagnosed with
attention-deficit
hyperactivity disorder.
Although the results were
mixed, ADHD is what happens
when the brain experiences
an imbalance, so fish oil
supplements could increase
DHA levels and stave off
more serious consequences.
- People who are
depressed. Again, the
results are inconclusive,
but if we can say with
certainty that low DHA may
lead to mood swings, we
don't see how DHA would not
increase a person's ability
to avert the symptoms of
depression.
- Newborns. Babies need
sufficient amounts of DHA
for growth and development,
especially as it relates to
their visual acuity and
central nervous system.
- People who suffer from
chronic pain. Many people
who have consumed fish oil
supplements reported
experiencing less rheumatoid
pain. Even women who have
regular menstrual cramps say
that taking fish oil
supplements has diminished
the number of painful
periods.
- People with high
triglyceride counts. People
with excess triglycerides
are at risk of developing
cardiovascular disease and
fish oil supplementation may
help reduce people's
triglyceride count.
Finally, DHA may help prevent
the thinning of blood and may
benefit red blood cells so that
potential blood clots can be
prevented.
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