Teenagers’ Test Scores Soar After Taking Fish Oil
Amazing news out of the UK, for hopeful parents: 184 teenagers aged 15-16 at a school for the behaviorally-challenged were given fish oil supplements for 12 weeks prior to taking the GCSE (General Certificate Of Secondary Education). This is the standardized education test given to teenagers in the UK. The results are astounding:
A total of 34% passed five GCSEs at grade C or higher, compared with 27% in 2004. On average, they exceeded the results predicted for them by one grade.
Pupils taking fish oil also did significantly better than expected in reading tests set by researchers. Girls showed the biggest improvement after taking fish oil.
It makes perfect sense. Fish oil has been touted dozens of times for helping concentration, memory and language skills, as well as to lower impulsivity and distractibility. Imagine what kind of grades your son or daughter would get if they were taking fish oil regularly. How about the SAT and ACT? GMAT? LSAT? MCAT? The possibilities are endless!
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Fish oil can halt Age-Related Macular Degeneration, a prominent eye disease for the elderly
A new study publish at the BBC found that twice-weekly consumption of fish prevented those with Age-related Macular Degeneration, or AMD, from deteriorating into the advanced form of the disease. Age-related macular degeneration is an aging disease of the eye that gradually destroys the macula, seated at the center of the retina, resulting in the deterioration of sharp, central vision. Why is central vision important? According to the National Eye Institute, central vision is “needed for seeing objects clearly and for common daily tasks such as reading and driving.”
The same scene as viewed with normal vision,
and then age-related macular degeneration.
The study, published by researchers at Tufts University (Boston) in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, followed over 3,000 people and found results for both the “wet” and “dry” forms of the disease. The “wet” form occurs when abnormal blood vessels behind the retina start to grow under the macula, and tend to be very fragile, often leaking blood and fluid that dislocates the macula. The “dry” form occurs when the light-sensitive cells in the macula slowly break down, gradually blurring central vision in the affected eye. The most common symptom of the dry form is drusen, yellow deposits that form under the retina in people over 60. The researchers believe “omega-3 fatty acids offer protection against AMD by altering fat levels in the blood after a meal that can be damaging to the body.”
Age-related macular degeneration affects over half a million in the UK and more than 10 million Americans, and is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. Omega-3 fish oil has already been found in studies to prevent age-related blindness, as well as dry-eye syndrome and this latest research suggests benefits for those already with the disease. A diet low on the Glycemic Index, as well as the intake of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, led to greater reductions in the advancing of the disease.
Source: Oily fish ‘can halt eye disease’ at BBC News
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Fish Oil Cuts ADHD Symptoms by Nearly Half
Some exciting new research from Goteborg University in Sweden found that children, ages 8 to 18, diagnosed with ADHD experienced almost 50% fewer ADHD symptoms when taking a daily dose of fish oil.
This echoes some previous studies that found fish oil calms ADHD children, boosts teenager test scores and improves child behavior & concentration as well as verbal, memory & spelling skills.
Source:
ADHD can be treated with Omega-3 found in fish oil
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Singapore Prison Studying Effects of Fish Oil on Violence
A new study being planned will test the effects of omega-3 fish oil on reducing violent behavior for inmates in the Singapore Prison System. They are modeling a study from the UK published in 2002, where 231 prisoners were given fish oil supplements and researchers observed a one-third drop in violent incidents. This study also echoes other similar studies, such as this one on fish oil reducing road rage!
Source: A fishy solution to ending violence?
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Omega-3 Fish Oil Protects Men from Heart Failure
The latest European Heart Journal contains a new study about the preventative effects of fish oil on Congestive Heart Failure, a condition that affects around 5 million Americans. US & Swedish researchers tracked the lives and diets of 39,367 Swedish men, aged 45 and 79, from 1998 to 2004. The results of this study?
The men who consumed approximately 0.36 grams a day were 33% less likely to develop heart failure than their counterparts who ate little or no marine omega-3 fatty acids.
0.36 grams is almost the equivalent of 1 health-food grade fish oil capsule, and half of a pharmaceutical grade capsule.
This echoes some recent news that fish oil is better than cholesterol medication for chronic heart failure. The study results will not be surprising for many doctors is Europe, where it’s almost considered malpractice to not prescribe fish oil for heart conditions.
Source: Fish Oil and Fatty Fish Protect Men from Heart Failure
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Many children rely on alternative remedies like fish oil
Some good news from the New York Times about children receiving alternative treatments. According to a recent government study, one in 9 children “practices yoga, goes to a chiropractor, takes a supplement like fish oil or uses some other alternative treatment.”
While the article discusses various alternative remedies that children take, one of the researchers makes an interesting comment about fish oil:
“They included fish oil in this survey, but I’ve been asking psychiatrists if they use fish oil and it looks like 80 percent of psychiatrists are recommending it, as are cardiologists,” Dr. Kemper said.
Why is fish oil so popular for children? Perhaps because fish oil improves school performance for kids, fish oil improves verbal memory and spelling skills and fish oil is more effective for ADHD than Ritalin!
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Fish Oil May Treat Emphysema and Chronic Bronchitis
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the #5 cause of death in the world, and includes diseases like Emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Smoking is often a cause of COPD, so promising new research out of Japan may be welcome news to anyone that opted for cigarettes over health in their life.
We already knew that fish oil limits the effects of smoking, and is useful for a wide range of respiratory diseases. Now a 2-year study on the effects of fish oil for COPD has found promising results.
People with COPD, who hadn’t smoked in 6 months, were given omega-3 supplements and they were compared to a placebo group. The omega-3 group not only had less inflammation in their lungs, but also walked the farthest in the 6-minute walking fitness test.
The researchers concluded that fish oil supplements were “safe and practical method for treating COPD” conditions such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Source: Fish Oil may treat Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
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Fish Oil Boosts Kids Test Grades by 17.7 Points!
A new study from the folks at Durham County Council found that students who took fish oil scored an average of 2 grades higher than children that didn’t. They scored an average of 17.7 points higher.
Many studies examining fish oil for children have originated from the Durham, including one that found fish oil improves toddler learning skills.
Source: A Daily Dose of Fish Oil Can Boost Exam Grades
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BREAKING: Omega-3 Better than Cholesterol Medication for Chronic Heart Failure!
There is now a breakthrough treatment available for those suffering from Chronic Heart Failure, and no, it doesn’t come from a drug company.
What is Chronic Heart Failure?
Chronic heart failure is a condition that occurs when the heart becomes enlarged and cannot pump blood efficiently around the body.
Omega-3 Fish Oil has proven in a Germany study to be more effective than cholesterol medications for this condition for which there are very few options for treatment:
Italian researchers gave nearly 3,500 patients a daily omega-3 pill, a prescription-formulation pill derived from fish oils … Roughly the same number of patients were given placebo pills.
1,981 of the fish oil group experienced additional heart problems versus 2,053 died on placebos. Compare these results to the group given Crestor, a popular cholesterol medication:
In a parallel study, the same team of Italian doctors gave 2,285 patients the drug rosuvastatin, also known as Crestor, and gave placebo pills to 2,289 people. Patients were then tracked for about four years. The doctors found little difference in heart failure rates between the two groups.
After comparing the studies, the researchers found that the fish oil capsules provided a greater benefit over cholesterol medication for Chronic Heart Failure.
Source: Fish oil helps patients with chronic heart failure
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Lupus Breakthrough with Fish Oil
Dr. Stephen Wright, a researcher in Belfast, Ireland has successfully treated Lupus, a disease of the immune system that can be fatal, with low doses of omega-3 fish oil. Dr. Wright’s particular emphasis is on the deleterious effect of Lupus on blood vessels, and he sought to study the effects of fish oil to mitigate these effects. The results were very promising.
Patients that took fish oil, even at low doses, “showed improvement in blood vessel function and a reduction in cell damaging molecules.” Patients also reported far fewer incidents of “fatigue, joint pain, rashes, mouth ulcers and headaches.”
For his research on fish oil and lupus, Dr. Wright received the Irish Society for Rheumatology’s Young Investigator of the Year Award.
Source: Medic’s Lupus Breakthrough
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Omega-3 Reduces Body Weight and Increases Fat Loss by Raising Metabolism
A new study from the Journal of Nutrition on mice has shown a benefit of omega-3 for weight loss!
Two groups of mice were fed a high fat diet, and one group was given 8% fish oil while the other group did not receive the fish oil. The results? The fish oil fed mice gained significantly less weight and metabolized more fat! Specifically, they showed an increase in production of enzymes that metabolized fat.
The researchers wrote:
“These findings suggest that an up-regulation of intestinal lipid metabolism is associated with the anti-obesity effect of [fish oil].”
This isn’t the first time that omega-3 fatty acids have been found to be effective for weight loss, as another study found that fish oil and exercise led to fat loss.
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Can Omega-3 Relieve Asthma?
Asthma sufferers take note! As readers of this blog might know, Omega-3 has been found to reduce exercise-induced restriction of airways and relieve allergies. Now, researchers are investigating the ability of omega-3 supplements to relieve asthma:
John Brannan wants to determine if there may be another benefit: combatting asthma.
He’s leading a new study at the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Research at St. Joseph’s Hospital that hopes to confirm a promising University of Indiana study that found high doses of omega-3 fatty acids had a “profound effect” in reducing exercise-induced asthma.
24 participants will be examined for two factors, narrowing of respiratory airways and inflammation, following treatment with fish oil or placebo.
John goes on to mention an interesting study in the 1980s in Nova Scotia that “postulated that the low prevalence of asthma, cardiovascular disease and rheumatoid arthritis among the Inuit was due to their high fish diet.”
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Fish Oil During Pregnancy Prevents Allergies, Asthma and Eczema
New research shows that pregnant women who take omega-3 supplements during their pregnancy, as well as during their child’s infancy and nursing, have children with far fewer allergy problems:
A recent study … examined infants of expectant mothers from families with high risk of allergy and asthma who were given a fish oil supplement from the 25th week of pregnancy until the third month of breastfeeding.
At one year old, the children whose mothers took the supplement had “considerably fewer allergic reactions“. Significantly, they had less than half as many reactions to eggs, which is an early indicator of eczema and asthma.
One of the researchers in the study commented that fish oil worked by relieving inflammation in the mother, and this had an effect on the child’s immune system also.
Source: Fish Oils During Pregnancy Could Prevent Allergies
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Omega-3 Improves Lupus Symptoms
A recent study presented at the American College of Rhemutaology found significant improvements in symptoms System Lupus Erythematosus (SLE):
“This is the first study in lupus patients measuring improvements in blood vessel function,” said presenter and investigator Stephen Wright, MD, “After 6 months we saw evidence confirming the beneficial effects of omega-3 fish oils for improving symptoms of lupus and, also, evidence of a cardioprotective effect in these patients,”
After 6 months of fish oil supplements, there was a statistically-significant improvement in lupus symptoms.
Source: Omega-3 Fish Oil Improves Lupus Symptoms, Shows Possible Cardiovascular Benefits
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