Grandma was pretty smart. She knew eating fish was good for your brain long before scientists proved her right.
According to almost daily news reports, scientists are finding that the benefits of consuming fish oil as brain food helps everyone from a fetus to an Alzheimer’s patient.
A baby’s brain is 70% made up of omega 3 DHA and EPA fatty acids. These fatty acids are necessary for the optimum development of a baby’s intelligence, brain function and emotional well-being. They’re so vitally important that the U.S. National Institutes of Health recommends pregnant and lactating women supplement their diet with 1200 mg/day.
But only 3% of expectant and nursing mother’s are getting the DHA and EPA their babies need. In fact, the average woman gets only about 18% of the NIH recommended amount.
If the fetus isn’t getting the DHA and EPA it needs for the optimum development of its brain, it takes what it needs from the mother’s brain. That’s why so many pregnant women lose up to 3% of their own brain mass. This significant loss, according to many researchers, may be the primary cause of post-partum depression complications. To lessen the risks, many mothers choose to take an omega 3 supplement during pregnancy.
The odds are very high that the rest of the children in the family are also experiencing dietary deficiencies of DHA and EPA fatty acids. Many experts believe this is the cause of the behavior problems, temper outbursts and learning difficulties usually associated with ADD and ADHD.
But a British research team recently reported that omega 3 fish oil supplements can significantly reduce ADD, ADHD and dyslexia symptoms. After six months of supplementation, children with behavioral, social and learning difficulties tested six months higher in spelling and a year higher in reading skills than other children.
Children aren’t the only ones who benefit from daily omega 3 supplements or eating fish a couple of times a week. DHA and EPA fatty acids also help to keep the adult brain healthy.
Dietary deficiencies of omega 3 DHA and EPA have been linked to a higher incidence of migraine headaches, depression and bipolar disorder. Eating more fish or taking fish oil supplements, on the other hand, has been found to provide good quality, natural relief for these conditions.
There’s also good fish oil news for aging baby boomers who would like to avoid joining the already five million Americans who have Alzheimer’s disease. By eating more fish on a regular basis they can lower their risk of Alzheimer’s by 39% and dementia by 47%.
Stroke or “brain attack” can also be prevented by eating more fish. The Harvard Medical School studied over 43,000 men over a 12 year period and discovered that the men who ate fish only once a month reduced their risk of ischemic (blood clot) stroke by 44%. A daily aspirin, however, reduced stroke risk by just 21%.
Did you know that eating fish is not only good for your brain? It’s just as good for your heart as well. Research shows that a regular diet of fish (at least 2 or 3 times a week) can greatly reduce your risk of irregular heart beats (arrhythmia), high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
Fish oil omega 3 fatty acids DHA and EPA also reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death, the number one killer in the U.S., by 45% or nearly half. That’s pretty good, don’t you think? Even the American Heart Association recommends that all healthy people eat fish twice a week or more.
Grandma was pretty smart. She knew fish was brain food. So start eating more fish each week and taking omega 3 fish oil supplements every day. The omega 3 benefits are good for your heart, as well as your brain.
- Michael Byrd