Want to Live Longer? Try Omega-3
Learn the Japanese secret to longer life with omega-3
Can omega-3 help you live a longer, healthier life? Scientists seem to think so. The life expectancy for the Japanese people as of 2008 was 83 years of age. Japanese women live the longest in the world with an average age of 85.52. Currently, the life expectancy for Americans is 78 years of age. So what would it take to add 5 quality years of life to your expectancy rate? Many scientist believe it's fish oil.
Increase Life Expectancy with Omega-3
Japanese have the longest life expectancy rate in the world. For years, many people thought this was due to the fact that Japanese eat a low-fat diet. But consider for a moment that Switzerland, Austria and Greece have life expectancy rates that are close to that of the Japanese.
Do these countries live on low-fat diets? No. Swiss, Austrians, and Greeks live on diets high in fat - the highest in fat in the world. How can this be? It turns out that eating a high fat or low-fat diet isn't the issue. The real issue to health and longevity is the type of fat you eat.
For centuries, the Japanese culture has lived on a diet high in fish. The people of Switzerland, Austria, and Greece live on diets high in olive oil. What do fish and olive oil have in common? Essential fatty acids.
Both the fish that Japanese eat and the diet of the Swiss, Austrians, and Greeks consume are all high in omega-3. Omega-3 is a good fat found in seafood, walnuts, and flaxseed. To increase your health, you can begin to add these foods to your diet.
Unfortunately for Americans, our diets are not only sadly lacking in omega-3, but we have way too much omega-6 in our diets. Omega-6 comes from unhealthy food like fast food, junk food and snacks, and hydrogenated oils.
A health ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is 3:1. This is the average ratio for Japanese people. The average ratio for Americans is 15:1. The good news is you can change this ratio with just a few changes to your diet.
Begin eating less food that is high in omega-6 and increase your omega-3 through diet or by taking fish oil supplements. To reduce your omega-6 intake, limit foods containing sunflower, corn, soy, safflower, canola and vegetable oil. Increase your omega-3 intake by eating more seafood like wild-caught salmon, herring, and tuna. By making these changes to your diet, you'll improve your health, reap the benefits of omega-3 and you just might live longer.
