Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids have been shown to prevent many common health ailments and work as effective tools in fighting heart disease, depression and even cancer.

Omega-3 fatty acids are a form of polyunsaturated fats, one of four basic types of fat that animals and humans derive from food. (Cholesterol, saturated fat, and monounsaturated fat are the others.) All polyunsaturated fats, including the omega-3s, are increasingly recognized as important to good health.

Eating too many foods rich in saturated fats has been associated with the development of degenerative diseases, including heart disease and even cancer. Polyunsaturated fatty acids, however, are healthy for animals and humans. Omega-3s, which are found primarily in cold-water fish, fall into this category, along with omega-6s, which are found in grains, most plant-based oils, poultry and eggs.

Omega-3s (and one omega-6) are considered important fatty acids because they are critical for good health. They are essential building blocks your body needs for a healthy heart and strong immune system. Copper River salmon supplies numerous omega-3 fatty acids, including DHA and EPA, making it the best source of these nutrients.

Key omega-3 fatty acids include eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA), both found primarily in oily cold-water fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel. Aside from fresh seaweed, plant foods rarely contain EPA or DHA.

Scientists made one of the first associations between omega-3s and good health while studying the Inuit (Eskimo) people of Greenland in the 1970s. As a group, the Inuit suffered far less from certain diseases (coronary heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus, psoriasis) than their European counterparts. Yet their diet is very high in fat from eating whale, seal, salmon and other fish.

Eventually researchers realized that these foods were all rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which provided real disease-countering benefits.

Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to improve heart health. They play a part in keeping cholesterol levels low, stabilizing irregular heart beat (arrhythmia) and reducing blood pressure.

Omega-3 fatty acids are also natural blood thinners, reducing the "stickiness" of blood cells (called platelet aggregation), which can lead to such complications as blood clots and stroke.

Specifically, two papers reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in collaboration with investigators from the University of California, San Francisco, have shown levels of omega-3 fatty acids to be inversely correlated with the risk for coronary artery disease (CAD) and stroke.

Copper River salmon is naturally balanced to deliver the right amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.

Preliminary research from the University of California, Los Angeles, suggests that omega-3 fatty acids may help maintain breast tissue and prevent breast cancer. Also, in a recent study, participants who supplemented their diet with fish oils produced fewer quantities of a carcinogen associated with colon cancer than did a placebo group.

Additionally, a recent university study from Frankfurt, Germany indicates omega-3 fatty acids may offer protection from colon cancer, said researcher Angela Jordan.

The super nutrient has also shown positive effects against prostate, breast and pancreas cancer cell lines, Jordan said. During the colon cell trials, omega-3 was found to stop all malignant growth in 72 hours and included some malignant cell death in a highly aggressive cell line.

The omega-3 results were announced recently at the Digestive Disease Week Conference held in Orlando, Florida.

Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Raynaud's disease and other autoimmune diseases greatly decrease quality of life. Diets high in omega-3 fatty acids (such as fish oils) have been shown to increase survival in people with autoimmune diseases. This is probably because the omega-3s help the arteries — as well as many other parts of the body — stay inflammation free. EPA and DHA are successful at this because they can be converted into natural anti-inflammatory substances called prostaglandins and leukotrienes, compounds that help decrease inflammation and pain.

In 1998, an exciting review of well-designed, randomized clinical trials reported that omega-3 fatty acids were more successful than a placebo ("dummy drug") in improving the condition of people with rheumatoid arthritis. The research also showed that getting more omega-3 fatty acids enabled some participants to reduce their use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

"Fatty acids contained in fish such as salmon may prove to function as nature’s own anti-depressants," says a study of 30 patients conducted by a research team headed by Andrew Stoll, M.D., director of the pharmacology research laboratory at Harvard University.

The university's McLean Hospital found that some of the patients' symptoms of manic depression responded favorably to treatment with fish oil supplements.

Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University in Toyama, Japan, showed one omega-3 acid, DHA, to prevent an increase in extra aggression during periods of stress.

Omega-3 fatty acids, both DHA and EPA, are found in fatty fish, including salmon and cod. They may work by increasing serotonin levels, thus boosting neurotransmitter activity, as do anti-depressants such as Prozac. They may also help by restocking the outer brain cells, which receive chemical signals.

BACK TO TOP