Keep Your Arteries Supple with Omega-3
Supple arteries are a key factor in preventing heart disease. Learn how omega-3 helps.
Are you worried about cardiovascular disease? If so, rest easy. Studies prove omega-3 can help you avoid heart disease by keeping your arteries supple and strong. Not only that, but with the right levels of omega-3, you can slow dangerous plaque buildup.
Get Supple Arteries with Omega-3
For optimum cardiovascular health, your arteries need to be able to expand and contract. This suppleness allows your blood to flow freely sending a fresh blood supply to all your major organs. Baker Medical Research Institute in Australia (1) knows this and set out to see what effect omega-3 has on keeping your arteries supple.
For 7 weeks, the team tested 37 men and women who were non-smokers with moderate alcohol usage. The subjects ranged in age from 40 to 69 and had stopped taking supplements and eating fish six weeks before the test began. During the 7-week test, half of the subjects took an omega-3 supplement. The other half took a placebo.
After studying the results, the team concluded that taking fish oil or eating fish significantly reduces the chance of a fatal heart attack. The subjects that took the omega-3 supplement showed a significant increase in arterial softness and the placebo group showed no change.
Slow Plaque Buildup
As plaque builds up in your arteries, they gradually become blocked. If a blood vessel that feeds blood to your heart or brain is blocked, you'll have a heart attack or a stroke. Equally dangerous is when plaque breaks loose forming a blood clot.
To avoid these things from happening, eat one or more servings of tuna or dark fish each week. The American Dietetic Association takes it a step further and recommends eating two servings of fish each week.
The American Society for Clinical Nutrition made these recommendations after they performed a study proving that women who ate fish at least once every week had fewer lesions in their arteries than women who didn't (2).
To avoid having a heart attack or stroke, increase your omega-3 by taking a quality, purified omega-3 fish oil supplement or by following the American Dietetic Association's recommendation and eating fish at least once a week. Before taking any supplements, it's always wise to talk to your doctor first.
(1) American Journal of Clinical Nutrition August 2002;76:326-330
(2) American Journal of Clinical Nutrition September 2004 Vol.80, No. 3, 626-632
