Fish oil has so many wonderful healthy benefits. Eating omega-3 fish oil or oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and tuna at least two times a week or up to four times a week is truly beneficial to your health.

Here are some great benefits of fish oil:

1. Fish oil prevents heart attack – Dr Alexander Leaf and colleagues at Harvard Medical School found that eating oily fish like salmon or tuna at least twice a week could prevent a heart attack.

2. Fish oil protects against heart disease and stroke – Researchers at Southampton University found that omega-3 fish oil stops the build up of fatty deposits in the arteries, protecting against heart disease and stroke.

3. Fish oil reduces the risk of death from a sudden heart attack – Chief researcher Dr Roberto Martial, from the Consortia Mario Negroid Sod research institute in Santa Maria Embargo, Italy found that one gram daily dose of omega-3 fish oil was enough to significantly reduce the risk of death from a sudden heart attack by 42%.

4. Fish oil prevents mothers from giving birth to very small babies – The University of Bristol research team found that a mother-to-be who eats fish during the later stages of pregnancy is less likely to have a very small baby.

5. Fish oil helps with lupus symptoms – Researchers in Northern Ireland the University of Ulster found that people with the lupus disease who eat tuna, mackerel and similar fish containing omega-3 fish oil reduce their lupus symptoms.

6. Fish oil helps with prostate cancer – The Paterson Institute researchers found that a diet rich in a fat found in oily fish and some seeds may protect men with prostate cancer from developing a more aggressive form.

7. Fish oil reduces the growth of breast cancer – Researchers from Indiana University found that when mixing compounds from omega-3 fatty acids with the anaesthetic propofol, together they appeared to reduce the growth of breast cancer cells.

8. Fish oil reduces inflammation – The researchers from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that a diet high in oily fish like salmon and mackerel may help improve inflammatory conditions such as arthritis; the oily fish diet worked best when combined with low aspirin doses.

9. Fish oil prevents certain symptoms of advanced cancer – Professor Kevin Fearon and colleagues at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary found that oily fish prevents cachexia – the severe wasting and weight loss associated with some types of advanced cancer.

10. Fish oil protects against asthma – The researchers at Cambridge University found that oily fish could protect against asthma.

11. Fish oil betters brain and visual development in children – Bristol University researchers found that a mother-to-be who eats oily fish is more likely to have children with better brain and vision developments.

12. Fish oil helps with chronic fatigue syndrome – Dr Basant Puri and colleagues at Hammersmith Hospital in London found that taking omega-3 fish oil supplements may help to alleviate some of the symptoms associated with the chronic fatigue syndrome.

In conclusion, the benefits of fish oil are tremendous for your health. If you want to lead a healthy life, maybe it’s time for you to start eating oily fish containing omega-3 oils now. For a good health, The Food Standards Agency suggests that we eat oily fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel or omega-3 fish oil up to four times weekly.

Manju
http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/benefits-of-fish-oil-fish-oil-and-its-benefits-66568.html

Are there benefits of fish oil for women? Maybe you’ve noticed. Women are different than men. They’re smarter than us, stronger than us, endure more than we can and smell better too.

But despite all the obvious differences, they still suffer from similar health problems. They get cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and depression too. The only thing we suffer more than a woman is PMS. (My wife said this was OK to say as long as I said it lovingly.)

How you handle these health problems is up to you. One way is to wait until you have some awful degenerative disease and then seek treatment (sounds like something a man would do). The other way is to do something about it before it becomes a problem. And if you choose the second method, then yes, there are healthy benefits of fish oil for women (and men!).

Every leading cause of death for a woman has two things in common. They’re degenerative and preventable. We won’t quibble over their ranking. After all, would it bother you if you had the second leading cause of death and not the first? Degenerative diseases, though preventable, are not a fashion accessory.

But there’s one dietary accessory you’ll want to have in your nutritional wardrobe. They just happen to be the most amazing form of prevention available to you. They are the omega 3 fatty acids in fish. More and more research confirms on a daily basis the power of these simple, natural nutrients.

Studies tell us that increasing your omega 3 intake can help prevent heart disease, strokes, cancer, diabetes, depression, Alzheimer’s, PMS, memory loss, dry skin and much more.

One of the main reasons why omega 3 fatty acids are so universally beneficial is because they help the body decrease and regulate inflammation – the kind you can see and the kind you can’t.

Recent research indicates that all degenerative diseases begin when the body’s inflammatory cycle gets out of control. And the only way it can get out of control is when you’re not getting enough omega 3s in your diet.

Scientists call it an “inverse relationship.” But it’s really just a simple equation. The more omega 3s you get, the less risk you’ll have for degenerative diseases. And to keep things simple for the men who might be reading, the fewer omega 3s you get, the greater your risk of dying from some preventable illness becomes.

See how simple that is. All you have to do to get all the healthy benefits of fish oils for women is to eat more fish, specifically oily fish that live in cold waters. They include salmon, tuna, anchovies, sardines, herring and mackerel. Find some great recipes and you’re all set.

Now, prove to us guys how much smarter you are by making a commitment to eat more fish on a regular basis. And if that’s too hard for you, then you should supplement your diet with pure fish oil capsules from a reputable source.

Michael Byrd
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/the-benefits-of-taking-fish-oil-for-women-110300.html

Crisp-fried fish and chips. Moist, flaky grilled salmon. Firm, tender broiled swordfish. Fish is highly versatile, filled with valuable Omega-3 oils and bursting with flavor. For more help visit to: www.cheese-cake-recipes.com. But are you aware that not all fish is suited for every cooking method? Your dish could easily be ruined by choosing a fish that is too dry or too moist for the recipe you want to prepare. Those pursuing their culinary training in cooking school can learn how to properly select fish. Now you can benefit from their knowledge.

For dry, high-heat methods of cooking, fish that contain a lot of moisture are a best fit. Cooking school graduates know grilling, broiling, roasting and baking can leave fish tough and rubbery. This is because the dry heat extracts moisture – giving nothing back. If you plan to use these cooking techniques, choose a fish with high-moisture content. Swordfish, salmon, cod and halibut would all work well in these situations.

Sautéing, baking with a sauce, frying or steaming are other methods taught during culinary training for cooking fish. For more help visit to: www.atkins-diets-recipes.com.Students are instructed to select fish that are less moist for these techniques. The reason is two-fold. First, depending on the amount of water released from the fish during cooking, it may alter the flavor of sauces. Second, the moisture could turn batter or other coatings into mush.

Sautéing involves the use of oil or butter. This helps keep fish moist during cooking. Baking is usually done with a sauce. The sauce also would help retain the natural oils in a dryer fish. Steaming adds moisture rather than reducing it, and frying normally involves a batter or bread coating that locks in the natural oils and water. Cooking school instructors often suggest tilapia, catfish, haddock or orange roughly for these applications.

Another consideration when selecting fish for your recipe is firmness. For dishes where you want the fish to remain in its cut shape, a fish with firm flesh will be a best pick. Fish that don’t break apart when handled during cooking (during turning, etc.) will make the best presentation and be easier to eat. Grouper, swordfish, salmon, cod, tilapia, tuna, shark and others hold their shapes well.

However, if preparing fish in other ways, flakier fish are optimal. For instance, with fried fish (where the coating can help hold the shape), fishcakes, soups or stews (where the fish would be broken) or baked dishes (that require little handling), those with professional culinary training usually prefer a delicately textured fish to perk up the recipe.

Lastly, cooking school instructors and professional chefs stress working with the natural flavor of the fish. Salmon, tuna, grouper, monkfish and others have very distinct flavors. Most often, adding herbs, spices, rubs or light sauces to compliment the taste will give you a more savory result.

Choosing the right fish to include in your favorite recipes will enhance the presentation and flavor. You’ll likely find yourself serving more fish to your family and guests… and that’s good for everybody!

Dalipsharma222
http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/fish-and-chips-with-the-right-cooking-methods-694877.html

Choose vegetable oils and margarines with liquid vegetable oil as the first listed ingredient and no more than 2 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon. Examples include:

?Canola
?Corn
?Olive
?Safflower
?Sesame
?Soybean
?Sunflower oil

Choose liquid or tube margarines low in saturated fat and trans fat. Choose reduced-fat and no-fat salad dressings and mayonnaise with no more than 1 gram of saturated fat per tablespoon.

Preparation tips include:

?Use fats and oils lowest in saturated fat and cholesterol for cooking, baking and in spreads sparingly.
?Use reduced-fat or no-fat salad dressings with salads and dips.
?Coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil have no cholesterol; however, they are high in saturated fat.

Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids

The American Heart Association recommends eating fish, particularly fatty fish, at least two times per week. Good choices include:

?Mackerel
?Lake trout
?Herring
?Sardines
?Albacore tuna
?Salmon

Other good sources of omega-3 Fatty acids include:

?Soybeans
?Canola
?Walnut and flaxseed and their oils

The American Heart Association does not recommend widespread use of folic acid and B vitamin supplements to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Instead, they advise a healthy, balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products. Good sources of Folic Acid include:

?Citrus fruits
?Tomatoes
?Vegetables and grain products
?Wheat flour fortified with folic acid

There is a lack of evidence for the benefit of lowering homocysteine levels; however, patients at high risk should be advised to be sure to get enough folic acid and vitamins B-6 and B-12 in their diet. Sources of these vitamins include:

?Fruits and green, leafy vegetables eaten daily.

Potassium

Potassium is necessary for the body’s growth and maintenance. It plays an important role in the response of nerves to stimulation and in the contraction of muscles. Good sources of foods high in potassium include:

?Bananas
?Cantaloupe
?Grapefruit
?Oranges
?Tomato or prune juice
?Honeydew melons
?Prunes
?Molasses
?Potatoes

If you need to keep your weight under control eat lower calorie potassium containing foods such as fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products.

Food labels are a major accomplishment for the American Heart Association who participated actively in the legislation and regulatory process that has made nutrition labeling more useful to consumers. It is now easier for consumers to choose foods low in saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol and sodium as well as foods that contain potassium, calcium and other nutrients.

I rarely purchase an item these days without first reading the nutritional label. Remember to read nutritional labels when provided on foods. Nutritional food labels are a tremendous asset for everyone.

Source: American Heart Association

Disclaimer: *This article is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any kind of a health problem. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Always consult with your health care provider about any kind of a health problem and especially before beginning any kind of an exercise routine.

This article is FREE to publish with the resource box. Article written 4-2007.

Connie Limon
http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/nutrition-facts-fats-and-oils-fish-oil-and-folic-acid-potassium-and-food-labels-139401.html

When it comes to nutrition and our diet, there are good fats and there are bad fats. Artificially produced trans-fatty acids are bad in any amount and saturated fats from animal products should be kept to a minimum. The best fats are those that contain the essential fatty acids so named because we need them to live. Essential fatty acids are polyunsaturated and grouped into two families, the omega-6 EFAs and the omega-3 EFAs.

Minor differences in the makeup up the two groups make both the EFA families act very differently in the body. While the metabolic products of omega-6 acids promote inflammation, blood clotting, and tumor growth, while the omega-3 acids have an entirely opposite affect. Although we do need both omega-3s and omega-6s it is becoming increasingly clear that, an excess of omega-6 fatty acids can have grim consequences. Many scientists believe that a major reason for the high incidences of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, premature aging, and some forms of cancer are the profound imbalances between our intake of high amounts of omega-6 and lower amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.

Sources and Recommended Daily Requirements

The main sources of omega-6 fatty acids are vegetable oils such as corn oil and soy oil that contain a high proportion of linoleic acid. Omega-3 acids are found in flaxseed oil, walnut oil, and marine plankton and fatty fish. The main component of flaxseed and walnut oils is alpha-linolenic acid while the predominant fatty acids found in fatty fish and fish oils are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The most beneficial and active of these fatty acids are EPA and DHA.

Recent research has established that consuming fish oils (EPA and DHA) play a crucial role in the prevention and even the treatment of numerous diseases and conditions such as atherosclerosis, heart attack, depression, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, ulcerative colitis, and Raynaud’s disease.

Recognizing the benefits of EPA and DHA and the serious consequences of a deficiency in our diets, the US National Institute of Health recently published Recommended Daily Intakes of fatty acids. They recommend a total daily intake of 650 mg of EPA and DHA, 2.22 g/day of alpha-linolenic acid and 4.44 g/day of linoleic acid. Your saturated fat intake should not exceed 8 percent of your total caloric intake or about 18 g/day.

Fish Oil Good For Our Brains

The human brain is one of the largest “consumers” of DHA. According to researchers, a normal adult human brain contains more than 20 grams of DHA. Low DHA levels have been linked to low brain serotonin levels, which are connected to an increased tendency of depression, suicide, and violence. A high intake of fish has been linked to a significant decrease in age-related memory loss and cognitive function impairment and a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, several studies have established a clear association between low levels of omega-3 fatty acids and depression.

An adequate intake of DHA and EPA is particularly important during pregnancy and lactation. During this time, the mother must supply all the baby’s needs for DHA and EPA because it is unable to synthesize these essential fatty acids itself. There is some evidence that an insufficient intake of omega-3 fatty acids may increase the risk of premature birth and an abnormally low birth weight.

The constant drain on a mother’s DHA reserves can easily lead to a deficiency and some research has concluded that preeclampsia (pregnancy-related high blood pressure) and postpartum depression could be linked to a DHA deficiency.

Researchers have found that children who regularly eat fresh, oily fish are four times less likely to develop asthma than do children who rarely eat such fish. Other research has found fish oil to be helpful in the treatment of other lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis and emphysema.

Fish Oil and the Heart

A vast amount of medical literature demonstrates that fish oils prevent and may help to ameliorate or reverse atherosclerosis, angina, heart attack, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. Fish oils have also demonstrated an ability to help maintain the elasticity of artery walls, prevent blood clotting, reduce blood pressure and stabilize heart rhythm.

Various studies have concluded that fish oil supplementation may help prevent arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death in healthy men. Another study of heart attack survivors found that patients supplementing with fish oils markedly reduced their risk of another heart attack, a stroke or death. Other researchers found that fish oil supplementation for 2 years caused regression of atherosclerotic deposits.

Still other researchers have found that supplementing with as little as 2 grams/day of fish oil (410 mg of EPA plus 285 mg of DHA) can lower diastolic pressure by 4.4 mm Hg and systolic pressure by 6.5 mm Hg in people with elevated blood pressure. These reductions were enough to have patients avoid taking drugs in some cases of borderline hypertension, especially when combined with a program of salt restriction.

Reduces Pain and Helps Prevent Cancer

Fish oils have been shown to be particularly effective in reducing inflammation and can be of great benefit to people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis or ulcerative colitis. Additionally, it is known that patients with ulcerative colitis have abnormally low blood levels of EPA. Clinical trials have shown that supplementation with fish oil (2.7 grams of EPA and 1.8 grams of DHA daily) can reduce the severity of the deficiency by more than 50% and enable many patients to discontinue anti-inflammatory medication and steroids, as well as cardiosteroids such as prednisone.

There is now also considerable evidence that fish oil consumption can delay or reduce tumor development in breast cancer. Studies have also shown that a high blood level of omega-3 fatty acids combined with a low level of omega-6 acids reduces the risk of developing breast cancer.

Safe Fish Oil Supplements That Are Easily Available

The processing and packaging of fish oil is important in helping determine its quality. Low quality oils may be quite unstable and contain significant amounts of mercury, cadmium, pesticides, and other undesirable trace components. High quality oils are stabilized with adequate amounts of vitamin E and are packaged in individual foil pouches or other packaging resistant to light and oxygen. Recent research indicates emulsified fish oils are much better absorbed than the straight oils in gelatin capsules.

Beware!!!

Cod liver oils and fish oils are not the same. Cod liver oil is extracted from cod liver and is an excellent source of vitamins A and D. Fish oils are extracted from the flesh of fatty fish like salmon and herring and are good sources of EPA and DHA. Fish oils contain very little vitamins A and D, but cod liver oil does contain EPA and DHA. However, you would probably exceed the recommended daily intake of vitamins A and D if you were to try to obtain therapeutic amounts of EPA and DHA from cod liver oil.

Of important note, research has shown that fish oil supplementation does lower blood concentrations of vitamin E, so it is a good idea to take extra vitamin E when adding fish oils to your diet.

Scott White
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/the-benefits-of-fish-oil-79386.html

When you have diabetes there are certain foods that can help or hinder your health. Each food may have its pros and cons, but the main idea is that everything is good in moderation. Fish is often recommended in the average diet, and here is a guide to how this relates to diabetics.

In a balanced diet, which is extremely important for diabetics, fish is great for adding protein. It also has other benefits of the oils contained within the fish known as ‘omega 3′. These oils are made of polyunsaturated fat and are found in fish such as salmon and sardines. They are good for lowering the fat in your blood and protecting against cardiovascular disease. Fish in general is a great low-fat way of adding protein to your diet.

If you have diabetes then you will be at higher risk of cardiovascular disease meaning that it will be a good idea to eat oily fish twice a week, as opposed to the general recommendation of oily fish once per week for those who do not have diabetes. Oily fish may be higher in calories but they are recommended even for those trying to lose weight. They are also a great source for vitamin D.

If you think you do not like fish then there are ways to include different types of fish that may appeal to you. Some fish are strong tasting, but others are less fishy and therefore more appealing to those who do not normally eat fish.

willyboy
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/the-importance-of-fish-in-diabetic-recipes-learn-how-to-have-a-healthy-and-balanced-diabetic-diet-708389.html