Eat Fish, Cut Risk

Source: Nutrition Notebook by Fran Berkoff (Canadian Living)

Two new studies give you more reasons to add fish to your diet. The first, a study of more than 43,000 health-care professionals published in the Journal of American Medical Association, showed that men who ate three to five ounces, or one serving, of fish one to three time a month were 43 percent less likely to have an ischemic, or clot-related, stroke during the 12 years they were studied. Men who ate fish more often did not reduce their risk any further, suggesting that even a small amount works well.

While this study did not include women, a second research project, from Japan, which looked at the dietary patterns of nearly 30,000 adults, suggests that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish and fish oil are associated with an overall lower risk of death among women. Any data from the large Nurses' Health Study in the United States shows that omega-3 fatty acids are associated with lower risks of both coronary heart disease and stroke among women.

Omega-3 fatty acids are found in cold-water fish, such as salmon, mackerel, herring, trout, cod and bluefish.

The evidence is so compelling that some experts now suggest that you eat two or three servings of fish a week

Omega-3s are one kind of fat you can consume with a clear conscience. Our bodies need these fatty acids to regulate a number of vital processes.

Why take them? The typical North American diet is low in omega-3s. Experts believe that, for better health, we need to consume more of them.

There's considerable evidence pointing to the heart-healthy nature of omega-3 fatty acids. Research suggests that increasing your consumption of them can reduce blood triglyceride levels by about half, as well as reduce total blood cholesterol. Moreover, omega-3s help thin blood, so the heart doesn't have to work as hard to push it though blood vessels and they may also prevent blood clots. Studies have also found that taking omega-3 supplements helps reduce blood pressure in people with mild hypertension.

As for the anti-inflammatory effects of these fatty acids, researchers have found that people with rheumatoid arthritis have low levels of omega-3s and that taking them helps alleviate symptoms and may allow people to cut their dose of NSAIDs. The same anti-inflammatory effect on the digestive tract has been credited with reducing symptoms and flare-ups of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

More recently, some scientists have observed lower levels of omega-3s in people with major depression and noted that omega-3s reduces the severity of schizophrenia.

What foods are they in? Oily fish such as salmon, trout, sardines, mackerel and herring are good sources of omega-3s. So, too, are flaxseed oil, canola oil, walnut and soybeans.