If you can’t get at least 200 milligrams of DHA each day from seafood or fortified foods (pregnant and breast-feeding women need 300 milligrams), then consider taking a supplement. Try USANA Vitamins and USANA Products. Fish oil supplements are fine, but make sure to check the label. You want a supplement that spells out exactly how much DHA you are getting, not one that just lists the amount of fish oil. Some people complain of a few nasty side effects from fish oil capsules, such as burping or heartburn. Supplements of algae-based DHA also are available and are less likely to cause the fishy burping, especially when taken with meals or a glass of warm milk or orange juice.
When taking a supplement, always remember that just because some is good doesn’t mean more is better. Omega-3s are blood thinners, so taking too much (such as more than 3 grams a day) could cause excessive bleeding. They should be taken only with a physician’s approval if you are on blood-thinners, such as warfarin (coumadin) and other medications; aspirin; or high doses of vitamin E. Omega-3s also can lower blood pressure, so your doctor might want to lower the dosage on any blood pressure medications if you are taking DHA or other omega-3s. to be on the safe side, discuss any supplement, including fish oils or DHA, with your physician.
DHA is a key factor in the diet of happy, fit people. You need at least 200 milligrams from fatty fish, foods fortified with DHA, or supplements. And you need to get that amount most days of the week. No ifs, ands or buts. Just do it!
Showing posts with label DHA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DHA. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
DHA or Mercury: The Fish Dilemma
The more fatty fish you eat, the more DHA you get, with conservative recommendations suggesting we need at least two servings of fatty fish a week. But here comes the dilemma: fish also is one of the most concentrated sources of mercury, a metal that is toxic to nerve cells. The more mercury you eat, the lower your brain function.
In a study where fish intake was assessed in a group of men, women and children, about one in five participants warranted testing for mercury either because of high intakes of fish or because they were showing signs of mercury poisoning (i.e., fatigue, reduced memory and/or joint pain). Results showed that the mercury level for all women was 10 times that found in the general public, and some children had more than 40 times the national average. Almost all participants had blood mercury levels above 5 micrograms per liter, the maximum level recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Up to 18% had levels greater than 20 micrograms per liter. People with the highest mercury levels also reported eating greater amounts of swordfish, ahi and other fish known to be high in mercury.
Fortunately, these dangerously high mercury levels were reversible, although it took almost ten months to reach acceptable levels and required stopping or greatly reducing consumption of fish. The findings were so shocking that the researchers recommend that questions regarding fish consumption should be part of all comprehensive health screenings. The results of this study and others confirm that the more fish you eat, the more likely you are to consume too many mercury.
You need fish to get your DHA, but that same fish also supplies a nerve-damaging metal. One way to get around the mercury problem is to choose fish that are lower in this toxic metal, such as salmon and canned light tuna. One study even found that these high-DHA fish help block the damaging effects from mercury on the nervous system. White-meat fish, such as cod, halibut or haddock, are relatively low in mercury but also have little of those mood-boosting omega-3s. So you don’t get much benefit or harm from eating them. Definitely stay away from the biggest mercury offenders, such as swordfish, albacore or ahi tuna, shark, mackerel and tilefish. Or look for foods that are fortified with DHA.
In a study where fish intake was assessed in a group of men, women and children, about one in five participants warranted testing for mercury either because of high intakes of fish or because they were showing signs of mercury poisoning (i.e., fatigue, reduced memory and/or joint pain). Results showed that the mercury level for all women was 10 times that found in the general public, and some children had more than 40 times the national average. Almost all participants had blood mercury levels above 5 micrograms per liter, the maximum level recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Up to 18% had levels greater than 20 micrograms per liter. People with the highest mercury levels also reported eating greater amounts of swordfish, ahi and other fish known to be high in mercury.
Fortunately, these dangerously high mercury levels were reversible, although it took almost ten months to reach acceptable levels and required stopping or greatly reducing consumption of fish. The findings were so shocking that the researchers recommend that questions regarding fish consumption should be part of all comprehensive health screenings. The results of this study and others confirm that the more fish you eat, the more likely you are to consume too many mercury.
You need fish to get your DHA, but that same fish also supplies a nerve-damaging metal. One way to get around the mercury problem is to choose fish that are lower in this toxic metal, such as salmon and canned light tuna. One study even found that these high-DHA fish help block the damaging effects from mercury on the nervous system. White-meat fish, such as cod, halibut or haddock, are relatively low in mercury but also have little of those mood-boosting omega-3s. So you don’t get much benefit or harm from eating them. Definitely stay away from the biggest mercury offenders, such as swordfish, albacore or ahi tuna, shark, mackerel and tilefish. Or look for foods that are fortified with DHA.
Not All Omega-3s Are Created Equal
You can get all the omega-3 fat you want from flax seeds, walnuts, canola oil, leafy greens or soy to help lower your risk for heart disease, but those foods will do nothing for your mood or memory. That’s because there are three omega-3 fats, and they are not all created equal when it comes to health benefits.
The omega-3 fat in plants – from flax to walnuts – is called ALA, which stands for alpha-linolenic acid. This omega-3 shows promise in lowering heart disease risk, but that’s about it. Granted, the body can convert ALA to other omega-3 fats, but the conversion is poor. One 2008 study found that eating flax was completely useless in raising levels of the other two omega-3s, EPA and DHA. Keep taking ALA-rich foods all you want is a healthy heart. But if your goals are also to feel great, think fast and stay mentally sharp at age 100, ten you won’t get there with the omega-3 fat ALA.
The other two omega-3s are EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA. These are the big guns when it comes to the omega-3s, and, even then, DHA is by far the most powerful. And since DHA can be converted to EPA in the body, you get two for one in that omega-3.
The omega-3 fat in plants – from flax to walnuts – is called ALA, which stands for alpha-linolenic acid. This omega-3 shows promise in lowering heart disease risk, but that’s about it. Granted, the body can convert ALA to other omega-3 fats, but the conversion is poor. One 2008 study found that eating flax was completely useless in raising levels of the other two omega-3s, EPA and DHA. Keep taking ALA-rich foods all you want is a healthy heart. But if your goals are also to feel great, think fast and stay mentally sharp at age 100, ten you won’t get there with the omega-3 fat ALA.
The other two omega-3s are EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA. These are the big guns when it comes to the omega-3s, and, even then, DHA is by far the most powerful. And since DHA can be converted to EPA in the body, you get two for one in that omega-3.
Omega-3s help you to stay happy
There is more to the story than just depression and postpartum depression. Omega-3s help cub symptoms of manic depression or bipolar disease, schizophrenia and self-harm disorder, from cutting to suicide. Researchers found that children with low omega-3 levels are most likely to throw tantrums, have sleep problems and battle learning disabilities, while kids who are optimally nourished in these fats are least prone to attention deficit disorders. Even convicts in prison are less aggressive and angry when they take omega-3 supplements.
People who suffer from winter blues, or seasonal affective disorder (SAD), battle mild to serious depression from late fall to early spring. Typically, SAD has been linked to lack of sunlight. But studies show that even in some northern climates, like Iceland, where the dark days of winter can be pretty grim, depression rates are at an all-planet low. How do people living in gloomy climates stay happy? Icelanders might not see much sunlight, but they eat more omega-3-rich foods, particularly fish (up to 225 pounds of seafood per person per year), than almost any other group of people on the planet. Apparently, a DHA-rich diet can reduce, if not eliminate, winter blues even when the days are long, dark and dreary.
The evidence is so overwhelming in favor of the omega-3s in the prevention and treatment of depression and mood disorders that DHA is often recommended along with anti-depressant medications. The American Psychiatric Association in 2006 released a statement that the omega-3s were important when treating depression, and evidence now suggests that because omega-3s reduce anger and anxiety, they might be useful in drug and alcohol treatments. In fact, many experts suspect that depression and feelings of despair are actually good indicators or symptoms of a DHA deficiency! No wonder this is the most amazing nutrient when it comes to staying happy.
People who suffer from winter blues, or seasonal affective disorder (SAD), battle mild to serious depression from late fall to early spring. Typically, SAD has been linked to lack of sunlight. But studies show that even in some northern climates, like Iceland, where the dark days of winter can be pretty grim, depression rates are at an all-planet low. How do people living in gloomy climates stay happy? Icelanders might not see much sunlight, but they eat more omega-3-rich foods, particularly fish (up to 225 pounds of seafood per person per year), than almost any other group of people on the planet. Apparently, a DHA-rich diet can reduce, if not eliminate, winter blues even when the days are long, dark and dreary.
The evidence is so overwhelming in favor of the omega-3s in the prevention and treatment of depression and mood disorders that DHA is often recommended along with anti-depressant medications. The American Psychiatric Association in 2006 released a statement that the omega-3s were important when treating depression, and evidence now suggests that because omega-3s reduce anger and anxiety, they might be useful in drug and alcohol treatments. In fact, many experts suspect that depression and feelings of despair are actually good indicators or symptoms of a DHA deficiency! No wonder this is the most amazing nutrient when it comes to staying happy.
Omega-3 Nutrient
It is a no-brainer that the omega-3 fats lower heart disease – researchers have known that for decades. Hundreds of studies, from prestigious groups like the National Institutes of Health and universities like Harvard and Tuffs, repeatedly and consistently show that when you add omega-3-rich foods or supplements to the diet
Blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels drop and the good cholesterol, called HDL, goes up;
The bad cholesterol, called LDL, changes in size so it is less harmful to arteries;
Your blood is less likely to form nasty blood clots that block arteries and lead to heart attack and stroke;
There is less inflammation in your arteries, so they are more resistant to the development of atherosclerosis, the underlying cause of heart disease; and
Even your blood pressure and heart rate drop.
Benefits are seen whether you take omega-3s in general or only the omega-3 DHA. These benefits are experienced by men and women with heart disease, by healthy people, by vegetarians and by people at any age from infancy to the elder years. The benefits to your heart also appear to be cumulative. The more you eat, the healthier your heart. Eat omega-3-rich foods once or twice a week and you lower heart disease risk by 30%, but include those foods every day and our risk drops by up to 83%.
For years, nutrition experts focused on this exciting heart disease connection. Then a few researchers started to ponder the effects omega-3 might have on the brain. They had noticed an interesting phenomenon: people with heart disease also had an unusually high rate of depression. Could there be a common factor underlying both problems? If DHA and other omega-3 fats could dramatically lower heart disease risk, what were the possibilities for brain tissue, which is so much more dependent on these fats? DHA was the omega-3 of choice for their studies, since both the brain and the retina of the eyes contain up to 30 times more DHA than any other omega-3. There had to be a connection between those high tissue levels and DHA somehow regulating mod, memory and brain health.
In the 1990s, the results of those studies started to rolling in. Study after study showed that people who are depressed and women with postpartum depression have much lower DHA levels in their blood, fat tissues and cerebrospinal fluids, up to 36% lower than happy people. It is now clear that DHA levels drop, so do levels of the feel-good brain chemical serotonin, leaving people grumpy, blue and downright depressed. Even the severity of depression is affected; as tissue levels of omega-3s drop, depression worsens. On the other hand, boost intake of DHA by including more DHA-rich foods or by taking supplements, and serotonin levels rise and mood improves in men, women and new moms. Studies show up to a 50% reduction in depression in people who are the toughest to treat and even an improvement in well-being for those battling everyday blues.
The time factor varies form person to person; some people report improvements in mood within days or even hours of eating daily omega-3-rich meals. And it doesn’t take huge amounts. Even a slight increase in blood levels, say a 1% to 5% increase, is enough to see the sneering wicked with turn into happy-go-lucky Pollyanna.
The mood-boosting benefits of DHA go far beyond just a few studies. DHA can change the mod of entire countries. Depression rates vary up to sixty-fold form one country to another. Those rates mirror rats for heart disease and also reflect omega-3 intake. For example, as people switch from their culture’s traditional diets that are adequate in omega-3s to Western-style diets almost devoid of omega-3s, the country’s rates of heart disease, depression and postpartum depression skyrocket.
Blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels drop and the good cholesterol, called HDL, goes up;
The bad cholesterol, called LDL, changes in size so it is less harmful to arteries;
Your blood is less likely to form nasty blood clots that block arteries and lead to heart attack and stroke;
There is less inflammation in your arteries, so they are more resistant to the development of atherosclerosis, the underlying cause of heart disease; and
Even your blood pressure and heart rate drop.
Benefits are seen whether you take omega-3s in general or only the omega-3 DHA. These benefits are experienced by men and women with heart disease, by healthy people, by vegetarians and by people at any age from infancy to the elder years. The benefits to your heart also appear to be cumulative. The more you eat, the healthier your heart. Eat omega-3-rich foods once or twice a week and you lower heart disease risk by 30%, but include those foods every day and our risk drops by up to 83%.
For years, nutrition experts focused on this exciting heart disease connection. Then a few researchers started to ponder the effects omega-3 might have on the brain. They had noticed an interesting phenomenon: people with heart disease also had an unusually high rate of depression. Could there be a common factor underlying both problems? If DHA and other omega-3 fats could dramatically lower heart disease risk, what were the possibilities for brain tissue, which is so much more dependent on these fats? DHA was the omega-3 of choice for their studies, since both the brain and the retina of the eyes contain up to 30 times more DHA than any other omega-3. There had to be a connection between those high tissue levels and DHA somehow regulating mod, memory and brain health.
In the 1990s, the results of those studies started to rolling in. Study after study showed that people who are depressed and women with postpartum depression have much lower DHA levels in their blood, fat tissues and cerebrospinal fluids, up to 36% lower than happy people. It is now clear that DHA levels drop, so do levels of the feel-good brain chemical serotonin, leaving people grumpy, blue and downright depressed. Even the severity of depression is affected; as tissue levels of omega-3s drop, depression worsens. On the other hand, boost intake of DHA by including more DHA-rich foods or by taking supplements, and serotonin levels rise and mood improves in men, women and new moms. Studies show up to a 50% reduction in depression in people who are the toughest to treat and even an improvement in well-being for those battling everyday blues.
The time factor varies form person to person; some people report improvements in mood within days or even hours of eating daily omega-3-rich meals. And it doesn’t take huge amounts. Even a slight increase in blood levels, say a 1% to 5% increase, is enough to see the sneering wicked with turn into happy-go-lucky Pollyanna.
The mood-boosting benefits of DHA go far beyond just a few studies. DHA can change the mod of entire countries. Depression rates vary up to sixty-fold form one country to another. Those rates mirror rats for heart disease and also reflect omega-3 intake. For example, as people switch from their culture’s traditional diets that are adequate in omega-3s to Western-style diets almost devoid of omega-3s, the country’s rates of heart disease, depression and postpartum depression skyrocket.
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