Supplementing with fatty acids can benefit the lives of seniors in many ways, including improving cardiovascular parameters, cognitive parameters, rheumatic disorders and macular degeneration. Today I will focus on the improvements that fish oil can lead to in rheumatoid and visual disorders.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory condition that causes pain, swelling, soreness, and stiffness in the joints. Research shows that the balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fats in a person's diet is one of the main determinants of the levels of inflammatory chemicals secreted in the body and the amount of discomfort experienced by sufferers of the disease. Most people in the western world have an overabundance of omega-6 fats in their diets and in their bloodstreams and a very low level of omega-3 fatty acid consumption.
Omega-3 fats are found in fish and flax seed oil. Omega six fats are the fats contained in most seed oils (including corn and sunflower seed oil, which are often used for cooking ) and processed foods, such as chips and margarine. The basis of any program to reduce inflammation is to reduce our intake of omega six fats and the foods that contain them. The next step is to take a good quality omega-3 supplement made from fish caught in clean seas.
It has been shown in many studies that levels of the two main inflammatory chemicals involved in arthritis and rheumatism, interleukin-1 and C-reactive protein, can be successfully decreased by taking a fish oil supplement high in DHA and EPA every day.
Fish oil can give similar benefits with regard to preserving good vision. Studies have shown that visual acuity is highly correlated to DHA levels in the blood. The greater the DHA deficiency in an elderly person, the greater his or her chance of having visual problems as the years go on.
In one university study done on nursing home residents in Waterloo, Canada, all of the residents except one were deficient in DHA and EPA, with the average resident having a level of only 121 mg in his or her blood. The only exception was a single resident with a level of over 400 mg of total EPA and DHA and that person was taking a fish oil supplement!
Getting the benefits of EPA/DHA supplementation is easy and cost-effective. All you have to do is find a superior-quality, purified fish oil supplement and take 2 to 3 capsules per day, every day.
Sector rotator. Natural health and biophysics devotee. I enjoy mountaineering, baguazhang, learning interesting things and the music of Piazzolla.
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