Something Fishy Is Something Good!
There is a lot of excitement over Omega-3, with some food products pronouncing the fact that their nutrient content contains this healthy item. But a lot of nutrition and health experts still say that the everyday Pinoys, and their doctors themselves, are still not fully aware of what Omega-3 really is, and the whole range of benefits that this deep sea find can bring.
At the Sanofi-Aventis Cenovis Fish Oil media conference, Cardiology expert Dr. Tommy Ty-Willing, chair of the Endocrine and Metabolism Section at the Metropolitan Hospital in Manila, says that Omega-3 is fat, but instead of the kind of fat that clogs arteries, this kind of fat is kinder to the heart. Omega-3 cannot be made by our body; it can be sourced from plant and fish sources, with more benefits coming from the kind that we can get from our fishy friends from the deep. There are four main types of the long-chain Omega-3 fatty acids, and the kind that is found in plants, which Dr. Ty-Willing calls ALA, has to be converted by our body into the other types, which are already found straight up in fish oils.
Dr. Ty-Willing reveals how important this healthy oil is in our daily diet, “in 1979, an observation of Greenland Eskimos showed lower prevalence of heart disease and diabetes, and it was connected to their diet that consists of cold water fatty fish.”
Key to good health
The benefits of Omega-3 were revealed by Dr. Eugene Reyes, a Clinical Associate Professor at the UP College of Medicine. He enumerated the following key health areas where the cold water fish oil can help amp up a healthy lifestyle:
• Heart- a high intake of Omega-3 helps to lower cases of cardiovascular, corollary heart diseases and stroke.
• Joints – Omega-3 has been found to have an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect.
• Brain -- Omega-3 has been found to be essential for healthy brain development, especially in children. People with diets low in Omega-3 have been shown to have changes in learning and memory, and the senses including hearing and smell.
• Eye/vision – it has been found to improve age-related macropathy or visual impairment.
• Depression/Anxiety -- People with anxiety disorders have been found to have low levels of Omega-3.
Dr. Reyes even added that there are emerging areas of research in aggression, Alzheimer’s and ADHD.
What Pinoys are eating
Although Omega-3 is found in fish, Mina Grace Aquino of the FNRI revealed that Pinoys are not getting this fish oil from the foods that are commonly found on their dining tables. “The most common fish that Filipinos eat, according to the National Nutrition Survey, is galunggong, which is not a very good source of Omega 3. What’s worse is that the galunggong is often eaten as daing or tuyo, which is highly salted.” Other favorite food fish are bangus and tilapia, which are also low in omega 3, and the experts say that when the fish is fried, which is what most Pinoy cooks are won't to do, all the Omega-3 goes to the oil used for frying.
Experts agree that canned sardines and mackerel, that sari-sari store staple, does have a good Omega 3 content. They caution, though, about the sodium content and the other flavorings that may be used. The market already has some supplement products that offer Omega 3 in capsule form. The experts simply advise looking for a trusted band to ensure good quality and safety.
Spreading the Omega 3 advocacy
Because the experts at the media event believe in the benefits of Omega 3, they have teamed up with other experts in the South East Asian region to put together the Omega 3 Academy, which is basically a website where important news and information about this fish oil can be accessed by healthcare professionals and the general public. Check out the website at www.omega3academy.com and watch for the Daily Diet Risk Barometer, which will soon be uploaded as a guide to find out how your diet affects your overall health.-Article courtesy of Manila Bulletin.
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