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FISH OIL
Without the fats in fish, known to food scientists as omega-3 fatty acids, our bodies couldn't function properly. We can't manufacture them, so we have to get them from food or supplements. And while the body can synthesize them from the linolenic acid in walnuts, soybeans, and flaxseed, the only ready-made omega-3s come from fish and shellfish.
You've no doubt heard that these fats are good for your heart, but you may not have heard just how good. Omega-3s perform a host of tasks that reduce the risk of heart disease, including checking the tendency of blood to clot, discouraging the buildup of plaque in blood vessels, and lowering the level of blood-thickening lipids called triglycerides. Omega-3s also promote a steady heartbeat. Combined, these influences have been shown to help prevent both heart attacks and sudden cardiac arrests.
"If any drug company discovered a compound that had a fraction of the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids," says Joyce Nettleton, a nutrition expert at the Institute of Food Technologists, "they would beat a path to the FDA as fast as they could go."
These fats aren't just kind to hearts. They're necessary for proper neurological development in infants; they can ease pain for some sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis; and according to researchers at the University of California's Jonsson Cancer Center in Los Angeles, they appear to impede the development of breast tumors, helping to reduce the risk of that cancer.
As if those rewards weren't enough, omega-3s may also help prevent depression, stabilize the moods of manic-depressives, and alleviate symptoms of schizophrenia.
The bottom line:
Taking fish oil capsules could be economical insurance for people at high risk for heart disease; the usual dose is a single one-gram capsule a day. That said, eating fish a few times a week may be even smarter. Because fish oils slow clotting and prolong bleeding, taking the capsules regularly can slightly raise your risk of hemorrhagic stroke.
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