Labels: Omega

Eating a high amount of polyunsaturated fats and vitamin E may halve the risk of developing motor neurone disease, a study suggests.

Polyunsaturated fats include omega 3, in fish and leafy vegetables and omega 6, in cereals and whole-grain bread.

Dutch researchers found people who had the highest daily intake of the fats had a 60% lower risk of developing MND compared to those who ate the least.

Labels: Fish, Omega

Patrick Holford- DON'T BE FOOLED BY THE OMEGA 3 SCAM

The headlines in the newspapers read 'Experts cast doubts on Omega 3' BBC.. 'The benefits of fish and linseed oils as elixir of life are another health myth' the Times… 'The Benefits of Omega 3 Seem Fishy' CBS News.

This is due to a 'systematic review' of studies on omega 3 and it's effects on cardiovascular disease, cancer and mortality, published on Friday in the British Medical Journal. This is not a new study, but a study of studies. The authors conclude that 'omega 3 fats don't have a clear effect on total mortality, combined cardiovascular events or cancer.'

It's my job to read and analyse the whole paper and it soon becomes clear there is something very fishy going on. The main analysis is on 15 'randomised controlled studies'. Of these studies nine show benefit of omega 3, five show no big difference, and one is shown as negative. So nine for omega 3, one against. The author of the 'negative' study, Dr Bemelmans from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands questions how his study could be used to turn this review paper from positive to negative. For good reason. If you read the abstract of this paper (which you'll find on-line by typing in Bemelmans + margarin) the first thing you'll find is that this isn't a study on fish or fish oils, it's a study on margarine! The authors gave their subjects a margarine containing alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) – that's the omega 3 found in flax – or linoleic acid (omega 6) and found 'no significant difference existed in the 10 year estimated heart disease risk.'

Combs Spouts Off- They call this science?

In the past few months, several studies have been widely reported that supposedly discredited some widely-used nutritional supplement or alternative treatment. The fine folks at the Life Extension Foundation (LEF) have had enough of the shoddy studies, misleading press releases, and terrible reporting, and they're preparing a full-fledged response. A preliminary article is available on their website now:

Over the past several months, the media has questioned the efficacy of several popular dietary supplements. In the upcoming June 2006 issue of Life Extension magazine, we dissect these negative media reports down to the bone to reveal the hard scientific facts.

In doing so, we expose the absurdity of the headline-hungry media making proclamations such as “another natural remedy bit the dust” when describing the recent glucosamine study. We also reveal the inappropriateness of conventional doctors, with little knowledge about the proper use of nutrients, but with strong financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry, conducting studies that contain so many flaws that their findings are largely irrelevant.

As usual for LEF, this article is footnoted to a fare-thee-well -- 181 references, most to studies published in peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals. If you print the article, it runs about 6 pages, depending on margin settings, etc. The references add about 6 more pages. The article provides brief preliminary critiques -- scathing ones -- of studies claiming that:

* Eating a low-fat diet doesn't reduce women's risk of heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, or colon cancer.

* Calcium and vitamin D don't protect women's bones.

* Glucosamine and chondroitin aren't effective for osteoarthritis of the knee.

* Saw palmetto is ineffective in treating prostate enlargement.

Each of those four claims is easily shown to be false. In fact, a couple of them are even contradicted by the studies, which were mischaracterized in press releases and media reports.

Labels: Cancer, Fish, Omega

There is no evidence of a clear benefit to health from fats which are commonly found in oily fish, researchers say.

Consumption of omega-3 fatty acids is thought to protect against heart disease and UK guidelines advise eating four portions of oily fish a week.

But the British Medical Journal review of 89 earlier studies looking at heart disease, cancer or strokes found no evidence the fats offered protection.

Labels: Cancer, Fish, Omega

A diet rich in a fat found in oily fish may protect men with prostate cancer from developing a more aggressive form of the disease, scientists have found.

Prostate cancer is much more likely to be life-threatening if tumour cells migrate and invade other tissues, such as the bone marrow.

Lab tests found omega-3 oil - present in fish like salmon - prevented this.

Labels: Cancer, Fish, Omega

Omega-3 fatty acids probably do not help prevent any type of cancer, according to a review that evaluated every cited study looking into the question.

"Taking dietary supplements or regularly consuming fish doesn't appear to reduce the risk of developing cancer," says Catherine MacLean, of RAND Health in Santa Monica, California, US, who led the study.

Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat, one of four types of fat the body derives from food. Omega-3 comes in three forms - EPA, DHA and ALA - and they appear to do different things. EPA and DHA come from foods like salmon, fresh tuna and a few plants - or from supplements - and have been most associated with health benefits. ALA, on the other hand, which you can get from flax, walnuts, and enriched soy milks, has to be converted into one of the other two within the body to be beneficial.

Labels: Cancer, Fish, Omega

Pregnant women who eat more fish, which contains omega-3 fatty acids, tend to have brighter, more sociable children, claim researchers.

The amount of omega-3 helps to determine the child's intelligence, fine motor skills - the ability to manipulate small objects and hand and eye co-ordination - and the propensity to anti-social behaviour, says a study by Dr Joseph Hibbeln, of the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.

Labels: Fish, Omega

Depression - Linked to low intakes of fish - high in omega-3 fatty acids which are essential for good brain health
Schizophrenia - Epidemiological evidence has shown sufferers have lower levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids, unclear though what changes need to address this
Alzheimer's disease - Some studies have suggested high vegetable consumption can protect against the brain disorder
ADHD - Research shown children with disorder are low in iron and fatty acids

Labels: Fish, Omega

Pupils at a school for children with special educational needs are taking part in a study to see if taking fish oil supplements can improve behaviour.

The 38 boys at Eaton Hall Special School in Norwich will take the fish oil every day for six months and their behaviour will be monitored.

It is thought to be the first such trial at a special school.

The boys at the school are aged between 10 and 16 and have behavioural, social and emotional difficulties.

Lianne Quantrill, project co-ordinator at the school said, : "There is already mounting evidence to suggest that there are benefits of taking omega 3 fish oils, particularly for those with behavioural problems who may already have fatty acid deficiencies.

Labels: Fish, Omega

'The performance of almost 60 per cent of the children involved has improved dramatically,' said Dr Madeleine Portwood, educational psychologist for Durham local education authority and lead investigator at the Durham Sure Start trial. 'We saw children whose learning skills went from being six months below their chronological age to absolutely normal in just three months.

'Some two-year-olds went from having a vocabulary of 25 single words to being able to use whole sentences, while others were able to sit down and concentrate for the first time in their lives.'

Labels: Fish, Omega

The Indiana team studied the effect of two omega-3 fatty acids - docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

Both have a minimal effect on cancer cells when applied alone.

But the researchers combined them with propofol, which was already known to inhibit cancer cell migration in a limited way.

.....

It is thought the fatty acids help to increase the absorption of propofol by the cancer cells.

Labels: Cancer, Fish, Omega

"Extremes of diet are sometimes unwise, because a balanced diet may be critical for providing certain dietary signals that allow you to respond appropriately to stresses, and one of those stresses is eating too much," said Dr. Clay Semenkovich, a professor of medicine, cell biology and physiology at the University of Washington and co-author of the study.

Labels: Omega

In a series of trials, they have found that dyslexia, dyspraxia, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can all be dramatically improved by simple nutritional supplements. Their work exploring the biological basis of personality and behaviour suggests we may need to rewrite the books on crime and punishment. Revealing as it does that mood, behaviour and achievement are affected by whether the brain has enough of the right kind of nutrients to function properly, it throws into doubt how far anyone, from the disruptive child to the convicted criminal, can actually control their behaviour.

Labels: Fish, Omega