Omega 3 Fatty Acid News and Research RSS Feed - Omega 3 Fatty Acid News and Research

Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid (EFA), consisting of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), and ALA (alpha-linolenic acid). Oily fish, including anchovies, sardines, mackerel, and salmon, are the only known natural sources of Omega-3 EPA/DHA. ALA is found in plants, such as flax and chia. It is important to note that only EPA and DHA contribute to the many health benefits associated with Omega-3. While the body can convert ALA into EPA/DHA, it does so very inefficiently (less than one percent), making it impossible to derive Omega-3-related health benefits from plant sources. Furthermore, although Omega-3 EPA/DHA is vital to overall good health, the human body is not able to produce it on its own, so supplementation is required, either by eating oily fish or foods fortified with Omega-3 EPA/DHA, or by taking fish oil supplements.
Six common myths about prostate cancer

Six common myths about prostate cancer

When it comes to prostate cancer, there's a lot of confusion about how to prevent it, find it early and the best way - or even whether - to treat it. Below are six common prostate cancer myths along with research-based information from scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to help men separate fact from fiction. [More]
Walnuts provide key nutrients that may be essential in male reproductive health

Walnuts provide key nutrients that may be essential in male reproductive health

Research published in the recent issue of Biology of Reproduction Papers-in-Press reports that 75 grams (approximately 2.5 ounces) of walnuts consumed per day improved sperm vitality, motility, and morphology (normal forms) in a group of healthy young men between 21-35 years of age. [More]
Fatty acids normalize without help in girls with eating disorders

Fatty acids normalize without help in girls with eating disorders

Omega-3 essential fatty acid supplementation is unnecessary for adolescent girls with eating disorders and weight-loss eating disorder, as levels normalize once they return to normal weight, say researchers. [More]
Normalizing weight helps girls with eating disorders improve essential fatty acid status

Normalizing weight helps girls with eating disorders improve essential fatty acid status

A study of teenage girls with eating disorders has shown that reduced essential fatty acid levels returned to normal once the girls increased their weight to a healthy level. [More]
Nutrient cocktail can boost memory in patients with mild cognitive impairment

Nutrient cocktail can boost memory in patients with mild cognitive impairment

A clinical trial of an Alzheimer's disease treatment developed at MIT has found that the nutrient cocktail can improve memory in patients with early Alzheimer's. The results confirm and expand the findings of an earlier trial of the nutritional supplement, which is designed to promote new connections between brain cells. [More]
Study explains why memory improves on a high-DHA diet

Study explains why memory improves on a high-DHA diet

We've all heard that eating fish is good for our brains and memory. But what is it about DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish, that makes our memory sharper? Medical researchers at the University of Alberta discovered a possible explanation and just published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. [More]
DHA and curcumin help maintain neurological function after degenerative damage

DHA and curcumin help maintain neurological function after degenerative damage

UCLA researchers discovered that a diet enriched with a popular omega-3 fatty acid and an ingredient in curry spice preserved walking ability in rats with spinal-cord injury. Published June 26 in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, the findings suggest that these dietary supplements help repair nerve cells and maintain neurological function after degenerative damage to the neck. [More]
Diet enriched with curcumin and DHA can promote neuroprotection in chronic SCI

Diet enriched with curcumin and DHA can promote neuroprotection in chronic SCI

Researchers from the Department of Neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine and the Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology at UCLA have found that a diet enriched with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid, and curcumin, a component of the Indian spice turmeric, can protect the injured spinal cord and minimize the clinical and biochemical effects of spinal cord myelopathy in rats. [More]
DHA and curcumin preserve walking ability in rats with spinal-cord injury

DHA and curcumin preserve walking ability in rats with spinal-cord injury

UCLA researchers discovered that a diet enriched with a popular omega-3 fatty acid and an ingredient of curry spice preserved walking ability in rats with spinal-cord injury. Published June 26 in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, the findings suggest that these dietary supplements help repair nerve cells and maintain neurological function after degenerative damage to the neck. [More]
Omega-3 fatty acid supplements can reduce inflammation in overweight older adults

Omega-3 fatty acid supplements can reduce inflammation in overweight older adults

New research shows that omega-3 fatty acid supplements can lower inflammation in healthy, but overweight, middle-aged and older adults, suggesting that regular use of these supplements could help protect against and treat certain illnesses. [More]

Omega 3 may not improve CV health

Daily omega 3 supplementation may not reduce risk for cardiovascular events in high-risk patients, show study findings. [More]
Omega-3 probably does not reduce cognitive decline in older people

Omega-3 probably does not reduce cognitive decline in older people

Older people who take omega-3 fish oil supplements are probably not reducing their chances of losing cognitive function, according to a new Cochrane systematic review. [More]

Long-term insulin use does not increase risk of heart disease in people with diabetes

Researchers at McMaster University have discovered that long-term insulin use does not harm people with diabetes or pre-diabetes or put them at risk of heart attacks, strokes or cancer. [More]
Study compares breast milk fatty acid composition in the U.S. and Tsimane women

Study compares breast milk fatty acid composition in the U.S. and Tsimane women

Working with researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, anthropologists at UC Santa Barbara have found high levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids in the breast milk of economically impoverished Amerindian woman as compared to women in the United States. [More]
Inflammation instigated by the immune system in ALS can trigger macrophages

Inflammation instigated by the immune system in ALS can trigger macrophages

In an early study, UCLA researchers found that the immune cells of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, may play a role in damaging the neurons in the spinal cord. [More]
Algal DHA supplementation benefits during pregnancy and infancy

Algal DHA supplementation benefits during pregnancy and infancy

Positive results from clinical trials exploring algal DHA supplementation during pregnancy and infancy were presented this week at the 10th Congress of the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL) – an international scientific society focused on research of dietary fats, oils and lipids. [More]
DHA prevents age-related vision loss in lab tests

DHA prevents age-related vision loss in lab tests

An omega-3 fatty acid found in fish, known as DHA, prevented age-related vision loss in lab tests, demonstrates recently published medical research from the University of Alberta. [More]

New DHA and ARA source suitable for supplementation of infant formulas

Scientists are reporting development of a healthy "designer fat" that, when added to infant formula, provides a key nutrient that premature babies need in high quantities, but isn't available in large enough amounts in their mothers' milk. [More]

Human memory: how to improve yours

Many of us wish we had better memories: be it so that we can pass our exams; remember what to buy from the supermarket; or even remember what we went upstairs for! [More]
Researchers map processes that power health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids

Researchers map processes that power health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids

For the first time, researchers at the University of California, San Diego have peered inside a living mouse cell and mapped the processes that power the celebrated health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. More profoundly, they say their findings suggest it may be possible to manipulate these processes to short-circuit inflammation before it begins, or at least help to resolve inflammation before it becomes detrimental. [More]