Omega-3 fatty acids play an essential role in human health, promoting brain function and normal growth and development. These important nutrients manufacture cell membranes in the brain, control blood clotting and perform other body functions. Omega-3 fatty acids provide heart health benefits and offer potential protection for many conditions and diseases.
Foods
Your body does not make omega-3 fatty acids, so you must get them from the foods you eat. You can find omega-3s in oily fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, halibut, herring, sardines and freshwater trout. MayoClinic.com recommends eating two servings of omega-3-rich fish a week. Brussels sprouts, kale, spinach and salad greens contain omega-3s. The fatty acids also come from walnuts, flaxseeds, soybeans and pumpkin seeds, and canola, flaxseed, soybean, pumpkin seed and walnut oils.
Heart Disease
Omega-3 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fat, may help reduce risk factors for heart disease. Recommended diets to prevent heart disease are low in saturated fat, yet rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats appear to control cholesterol and blood pressure and lower levels of triglycerides, fats in the blood, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. The fish oil from omega-3-rich fish may treat and prevent atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, a symptom of heart disease when cholesterol forms plaque on the arteries and slows blood flow to the heart.
High Cholesterol
People who practice diets high in omega-3 fatty acids have improved cholesterol, particularly high levels of HDL, the UMMC explains. HDL, known as the good cholesterol, clears away excess cholesterol in the bloodstream left by LDL, the bad cholesterol, which causes plaque buildup. Inuit Eskimos from the Canadian Arctic and Greenland eat high amounts of omega-3s from fatty fish and have high HDL levels as well as low triglyceride levels.
Other Conditions
The omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil may expand blood vessels to normalize blood pressure in people with high blood pressure. Research of 17 clinical studies found that fish oil supplements containing omega-3s may lower blood pressure for people with untreated blood pressure, according to the UMMC. Fish oil may help in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, menstrual pain and stroke. It may also improve the thinking skills and behavior of children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, according to MedlinePlus. Researchers continue to study the use of omega-3s for possible treatment of cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and lupus.
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