There are several impressive clinical trials showing the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]) in the treatment and prevention of arthritis, cancer, premature labor, depression and heart disease.

Omega-3 fatty acids also help prevent strokes as shown in a 14-year study of 79,839 nurses reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The nurses who ate fish two or more times per week had a 52 percent lower risk of stroke than those who ate fish less than once per month.

However, heart health is the largest area of omega-3 fatty acid research because omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil are better than any available drug therapy in the prevention of heart disease!

How does fish oil help your heart? According to recommendations from the American Heart Association (AHA) omega-3 fatty acids can:

• Help prevent heart arrhythmias that can lead to
  heart attack…
• Decrease the risk of blood clot formation that leads to stroke or heart attack…
• Decrease blood triglyceride levels…
• Impair atherosclerotic plaque development…
• Improve blood vessel inner lining elasticity…
• Help restore healthy blood pressure levels…
• And decrease inflammation.

Here are some other impressive studies:

• A 10-year study of 18,000 men in Shanghai, China found that men who consumed more than 200 grams (7 ounces) of fish or shellfish weekly had a 59 percent lower risk of fatal acute heart attack than men who consumed less than 50 grams (2 ounces) weekly.
• Among 76,283 female nurses followed for 10 years, women who consumed omega-3 fatty acid from oil and vinegar salad dressing five to six times weekly had a 54 percent lower death rate from ischemic heart disease.
• In a study of 334 patients with primary cardiac arrest, researchers discovered that omega-3 fatty acid intakes in the equivalent of two fish meals per week were associated with a 50 percent decrease in the rate of heart attack.
• In a large study of more than 20,000 male physicians, men who ate fish at least once a week had a risk of sudden death that was 52 percent lower than those who ate fish less than once a month.

Based on these many studies, the AHA has recommended that individuals with documented heart disease consume approximately one gram per day of EPA and DHA combined (EPA + DHA) to lower their risk of this top-ranked killer
in America.

Comparing Omega-3 to Prescription Drugs
A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that omega-3 fatty acids used in food and as supplements are more effective than statin drugs such as Lipitor^® and Zocor^®.

Swiss researchers reviewed 97 clinical trials, including more than 275,000 participants. They discovered that omega-3 fatty acids decreased heart attack mortality by 32 percent versus a 22 percent decrease with statin drugs.

And while death from any cause was reduced by only 13 percent with statins, it was reduced by 23 percent with omega-3 fatty acids!

Foods high in omega-3 fatty acid include ocean (not farm) raised salmon, herring and mackerel, and cold-pressed oils such as olive, borage, primrose and flaxseed. You can also obtain omega-3 as a supplement, most commonly seen as cod liver and flaxseed oils.

So improve your health today! Add omega-3 to your diet though natural foods or supplements.