News out of Seattle is sure to fuel confusion about fish oil supplements. Take this email I got yesterday from a friend. “Ok, I give up. Should I take them? June 29 — Fish oil may prevent breast cancer. Today (July 11) — Fish oil may increase risk of prostate cancer.” First, the latest news. A study by scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle linked eating a lot of oily fish or taking potent fish oil supplements to a 43% increased risk for prostate cancer overall, and a 71% increased risk for aggressive prostate cancer. Their report was published online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. They came to this conclusion by looking at blood samples of men taking part in the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial. That trial, dubbed SELECT, found that selenium supplements did nothing to prevent prostate cancer, while vitamin E supplements slightly increased prostate cancer risk. Blood samples from men who had developed prostate cancer over the course of the trial had more omega-3 fats than those of men who didn’t develop prostate cancer.
What’s so special about fish oil? It’s loaded with omega-3 fatty acids. These must come from food, since our bodies can’t make them. The two key omega-3 fatty acids are docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines are rich in these omega-3s. Some plants are rich in another type of omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid, which the body can convert to DHA and EPA. Good sources of these are flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and canola oil. Omega-3 fatty acids play important roles in brain function, normal growth and development, and inflammation. Deficiencies have been linked to a variety of health problems, including cardiovascular disease, some cancers, mood disorders, arthritis, and more. But that doesn’t mean taking high doses translates to better health and disease prevention. Fish oil supplements have been promoted as easy way to protect the heart, ease inflammation, improve mental health, and lengthen life.
Such claims are one reason why Americans spend more than $1 billion a year on over-the-counter fish oil. And food companies are adding it to milk, yogurt, cereal, chocolate, cookies, juice, and hundreds of other foods. The report from the Fred Hutchinson researchers is just the latest to sound a warning about too much omega-3 fatty acids. In May 2013, for example, Italian researchers reported in the New England Journal of Medicine that omega-3 fatty acid supplements did nothing to reduce heart attacks, strokes, or deaths from heart disease in people with risk factors for heart disease. This work follows similar warnings about vitamin E supplements, beta carotene supplements, and other high-dose dietary supplements. Evidence linking fish oil and cancer has been all over the map. Some research suggests diets high in fatty fish or fish oil supplements might reduce the risk of certain cancers, including prostate cancer. Other research shows no such association. How food, and its component molecules, affect the body is largely a mystery.
That makes the use of supplements for anything other than treating a deficiency questionable. Despite this one study, you should still consider eating fish and other seafood as a healthy strategy. If we could absolutely, positively say that the benefits of eating seafood comes entirely from omega-3 fats, then downing fish oil pills would be an alternative to eating fish. But it’s more than likely that you need the entire orchestra of fish fats, vitamins, minerals, and supporting molecules, rather than the lone notes of EPA and DHA. The same holds true of other foods. Taking even a handful of supplements is no substitute for wealth of nutrients you get from eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. What should you do if you currently take fish oil? If your doctor prescribed them—they are an approved and effective treatment for people with high blood triglyceride levels—follow his or her instructions until you can have a conversation about fish oil. If you are taking them on your own because you believe they are good for you, it’s time to rethink that strategy.
If you don’t eat fish or other seafood, you can get omega-3s from ground flaxseed or flaxseed oil, chia seeds, walnuts, canola oil, and soy oil. One to two servings per day can help you avoid a deficiency of omega-3s. Experts will surely remain divided on their opinions about fish oil supplements for the general population. And don’t expect any clarity about what to do any time soon. I expect other studies with flip-flopping results in the future. Following food author Michael Pollan’s simple advice about choosing a diet may be the best way forward: “Eat food. Related Information: 2015 Annual Report on Prostate DiseasesCan we help you find something? We're sorry, but we couldn't find the page you tried.One of the links below may help. Or you can visit WebMD's Home Page. To check possible conditions. First Aid & Emergencies Find out what to do in case of an emergency Create a plan, log your food & fitness, and track your way toVitamin E protects omega-3 fatty acids and the brain
If you typed the page address in the Address bar, make sure that it is spelled correctly. home page, and then look for links to the information you want. Click the Back button to try another link. HTTP 404 - File not found Technical Information (for support personnel)How Omega 3 Helps With Hair Loss 1 Nutrition and Your Hair 2 How Hair Grows 4 What is Omega 3? 5 Dietary Sources of Omega 3 5.1 Fish (proportion of Omega 3 in grams per serving) 5.2 Seed Oil (% of ALA) 5.3 Seed & Nuts (% of ALA) 6 How Does Omega 3 Prevent/Reverse Hair Loss 7 Supplementation and Recommended Doses In order to have healthy hair and avoid hair loss, we need to make sure that we are getting enough of the right nutrients in our diets, including omega 3 fatty acids. Adding more of these fatty acids to your diet can help to prevent hair loss and even encourage hair to grow healthier, and at a faster rate. Omega 3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties, which can help to open the hair follicles, promoting healthy hair growth.
When the body is not getting the proper nutrients, the hairs that are lost regularly each day are not replaced easily, and hair loss may become a problem. Did you know that Omega 3 can help treat hair loss? Poor nutrition and lack of hair loss vitamins can lead to many health problems, including baldness, and Omega 3, along with other important nutrients, can help prevent and treat hair loss. Omega 3 is an essential fatty acid, one of the fats that our bodies need in order to be healthy. It is also necessary for healthy hair, and without enough of the right nutrients in the diet, including Omega 3, unhealthy hair and hair loss can follow. Each hair grows out of one follicle, and each time the follicle pushes a hair out, a new one forms in its place. Generally, hair grows about a millimeter a day, or a half an inch every month. Of course, this varies from person to person. Those who are not getting appropriate nutrition, and who do not get enough Omega 3 fatty acids, could end up experiencing hair loss, or at the very least, a lack of hair growth, which in itself can be quite annoying.
Having healthy hair means having a healthy diet. Hair loss is clinically referred to as Alopecia. Alopecia presents different and could refer to hair loss from the head and/or the body. Loss of hair from the head is the more common form of Alopecia and it can be seen from an examination of the scalp and the distribution of hair there. Males generally, but not always, start losing hair from the temples while female hair loss starts with thinning from the forehead and sometimes the crown. There are different causes of hair loss, the most prominent being genetics. Hereditary inheritance is responsible for the majority of cases of hair loss due to natural causes. Other causes of hair loss include hormonal imbalance, iron deficiency, scalp infections, system infections and excess Vitamin A. External causes include compulsive hair pulling, certain drugs, radiation therapy, and the use of some hair treatment products and regimens. Hair loss affects millions of people every year with 40% of men experiencing it at the age of 35 and by 60, the percentage of those who have discernible hair loss rises to 65.
Clinically, hair loss is the disruption of the balance between natural loss of hair and hair regrowth. The cycle of hair follicle growth involves 4 stages: Ideally, every day about 100 hair follicles fall out to be replaced by new hair growth. However, when the hair loss from the exogen phase exceeds the hair gain from the first 3 phases, then a clinical diagnosis of Alopecia is made. Omega 3 is the name given to a group of related fatty acids found in oils of plants and marine life. These are essential fatty acids which are important to metabolism but cannot be synthesized in humans. The 3 most important of these Omega 3 fatty acids are: While ALA cannot be synthesized in the body, both DHA and EPA can be made from shorter-chain fatty acids although the conversion efficiency is rather low (5% in men; higher in women). Omega 3 fatty acids need to be ingested in humans either from dietary sources or supplements. They provide a wide range of health benefits including the treatment of cardiovascular disease, cancer therapy, improvement of neurological ailments, and as anti-inflammatory agents.
Other disease conditions treated with Omega 3 include asthma, ADHD, bipolar disorder, diabetes, depression, Alzheimer's disease, lupus, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, obesity, migraine, multiple sclerosis, high blood pressure, psoriasis and eczema. Dietary Sources of Omega 3 Fish – Salmon, halibut, sardines, albacore, trout, catfish, cod, tuna and herring Shellfish – Shrimp, clams, lobster, crab Nuts and Seeds – Walnuts, almonds and flax seed Oils – Canola oil Cold water oily fish are the most important sources of EPA and DHA Omega 3 fatty acids while seeds are rich in ALA. Fish oils are also a rich source of Omega 3. Other marine sources of these essential fatty acids include green-lipped mussels and krill. Of all seeds, flaxseed or linseed contain the highest percentage of ALA with but is low in EPA and DHA Omega 3 fatty acids. Vegetables do not contain appreciable amounts of Omega 3 except purslane. Eggs and meats are also good sources of Omega 3 especially if the animals producing them were fed on Omega 3-rich diets.
It is important to know that prolonged exposure of Omega 3 fatty acids to heat, light and oxygen can oxidize and denature them. Oils containing Omega 3 will turn rancid if so exposed. Therefore, dietary sources of Omega 3 should not be cooked for long, and frying removes some of the health benefits of these fatty acids. Omega 3 Rich Foods Fish (proportion of Omega 3 in grams per serving) Sardines and Herrines - 2 Canned Tuna - 0.25 Seed Oil (% of ALA) Chia seed - 58 Seed & Nuts (% of ALA) Hazel nuts - 0.1 How Does Omega 3 Prevent/Reverse Hair Loss Omega 3 is only one of the essential nutrients needed by the body for normal functioning. While only a few clinical studies have examined the usefulness of Omega 3 in the treatment of hair loss, those few concluded that Omega 3 helps with the condition. By considering the total effect on Omega 3 on the body’s biochemistry including its beneficial actions on the integrity of cell membranes, nerve functioning and its anti-inflammatory action, it is clear that Omega 3 can prevent and even reverse hair loss.
One of the popular cosmetic benefits of Omega 3 is the promotion of skin health. A healthy, well-oiled scalp, for example, means that the hair follicles are getting the proper nutrition. Omega 3 is especially beneficial to those whose hair loss is due to factors other than genetic. Even then, those with a genetic predisposition to hair loss can slow down the progression of their Alopecia with Omega 3. Furthermore, Omega 3 promotes the production and action of hormones that affect the health, tone, sheen and integrity of your skin and hair. It is also the source of the body’s natural lubricant for the scalp and big contributor to the sebaceous gland responsible for feeding hair follicles. Stress and aging are great inducers of hair loss, and Omega 3 reverses the signs and damage of these. By promoting general health, Omega 3 fatty acids stop the cascade of biochemical reactions leading to Alopecia. Supplementation and Recommended Doses Even though dietary sources of Omega 3 provide higher blood levels of the fatty acids than supplements, Omega 3 supplementation is recommended because most people never meet their daily requirement of Omega 3 from food sources.
The most common Omega 3 supplements are fish oil in liquid and capsule dosage forms. Experts recommend 1 tablespoon of fish oil or 1 – 2 capsules of fish oil daily to prevent hair loss and promote hair regrowth. At these doses, Omega 3 encourages the anagen growth phase of hair follicles and reduces hair loss during the exogen phase. It also reduces skin inflammation and oils dry scalps. Since Vitamin E is a known fat-soluble antioxidant, consider adding it to your daily vitamin supplementation to help protect Omega 3 fatty acids from degradation through oxidation. Omega 3 doses exceeding 4000mg can increase the risk of bleeding. Therefore, those with a history of ulcers or other bleeding disorders, those on drugs such as blood thinners and aspirins, should consult their physicians before starting Omega 3 supplementation. It is important to note here that if you do have a lack of Omega 3 fatty acids and other nutrients, there are going to be much more than just hair loss problems to deal with.