Fish Intake Cuts Heart Disease Risk

Eating more fish is the best way to save thousands of lives that succumbs to heart disease every year.

Eating more fish is the best way to save thousands of lives that succumbs to heart disease every year, finds a British University study.

The Omega-3 fish oils are far more powerful than previously thought at warding off heart disease, the Daily Express cited the study by the University of Reading as saying.

Health Benefits of Fish
Fish is one of the staple food of coastal inhabitants. Nutrition in fish includes protein, calcium and omega-3 fatty acids. Fish is considered to be beneficial for heart and brain.

Eating just two or three portions of fish like sardines, salmon or mackerel every week or taking an oil supplement will do the job, the study said.

Earlier studies also showed that fish oils can dramatically cut the risk of death by slashing blood fat, and thereby reducing the chance of a blood clot.

The latest study found that fish oils have a direct impact on muscle cells that control the elasticity of blood vessels.

Advantages of Eating Fish Foods - Health Benefits
Researchers worldwide have discovered that eating fish regularly is good for health. Regular consumption of fish may reduce the risk of diseases such as asthma, prostate cancer and eyesight.

People who have suffered a heart attack are encouraged to eat more fish or take a fish oil capsule.

The researchers introduced small amounts of fish oils to meals containing saturated fat eaten by both men and women, and found that muscle elasticity was improved four-fold in women and two-fold in men.

Fish: The Best and The Worst
Some fish are contaminated with high levels of methyl mercury. Methyl mercury is a neurotoxin, which affects the pregnant or lactating mother’s child’s brain.

The fish oils were so effective on women that they matched the benefits of L-arginine, an amino acid supplement taken for heart health.

The study was published in The Journal of Lipid Research.

Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids Provide Health Benefits Throughout Life
Omega-3 and Omega-6 are two essential fatty acids that are necessary for human health which can be obtained only through food because our body cannot make them.

"While our study found fish oils to be particularly beneficial for women they are also effective for men. Adding oily fish to your diet can help increase the elasticity of our blood vessels which is key to lowering blood pressure," Christine Williams, who led the study, was quoted as saying by the British daily.

Source-IANS