Omega-3s Won't Make You Smarter... Do you take omega-3 supplements?

[Cafe Kelly]

Omega-3s Won't Make You Smarter

Posted by Jacqueline Burt

 

Oh, man! Yet another miracle food/supplement isn't actually all that miraculous. Sheesh. First it was coconut water, then it was pomegranate juice ... now omega-3 fatty acids are under scrutiny. Because apparently, according to the most recent studies, omega-3s might NOT be bursting with brain-boosting benefits after all. Awww, so the wizard can't give me a new brain after all? Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!

Sad but true: The results of three large studies showed that individuals who took omega-3 for up to 3.5 years "didn't see an increase in memory, mental skills, or verbal skills."

Sigh. That was a waste of swallowing fish oil capsules and choking down flaxseed oil on a spoon, not to mention a waste of money. Well, maybe not a total waste ...

Omega-3s are still good for a bunch of other parts of your body. Studies show that EPA and DHA can lower triglycerides; still more studies have found that studies have found that fish oil supplements reduce stiffness and joint pain in rheumatoid arthritis.

Plus, all research has to be taken with a grain of salt. Study authors think the cognitive benefits of omega-3s may take longer than a few years to show up. After all, cognitive decline and dementia can take several years to develop.

Either way, I guess taking omega-3s can't hurt. Even if they won't make you an insta-genius.

Do you take omega-3 supplements?

Image via Peter Rosbjerg/Flickr

[celestegood]

Same here!

Quoting mandee1503:

I don't take fish pills. I eat fish and shrimp.

[sassymomntx1961]

I dont take it and I dont eat enough fish.Rhonda what foods have the omega-3 and 6 in them?

[michiganmom116]

Quoting sassymomntx1961:

I dont take it and I dont eat enough fish.Rhonda what foods have the omega-3 and 6 in them?

Omega-3:  found in fatty fish, flax seeds, nuts, and eggs from hens fed a diet high in omega-3 (they pass that along to us in their eggs!), however I wouldn't be too trustful of the eggs unless I know what else those hens ate.

Omega-6:  found in yellow seed oils (vegetable, corn, sunflower, safflower...I won't touch these), nuts, seeds, meat, egg yolks

Here's more:  http://www.livestrong.com/article/27297-foods-high-omega-/

[sassymomntx1961]

Quoting michiganmom116:

Quoting sassymomntx1961:

I dont take it and I dont eat enough fish.Rhonda what foods have the omega-3 and 6 in them?

Omega-3:  found in fatty fish, flax seeds, nuts, and eggs from hens fed a diet high in omega-3 (they pass that along to us in their eggs!), however I wouldn't be too trustful of the eggs unless I know what else those hens ate.

Omega-6:  found in yellow seed oils (vegetable, corn, sunflower, safflower...I won't touch these), nuts, seeds, meat, egg yolks

Here's more:  http://www.livestrong.com/article/27297-foods-high-omega-/

Why wont you touch thoses oils.The article mentioned corn and sunflower.

[michiganmom116]

Quoting sassymomntx1961:

Quoting michiganmom116:

Quoting sassymomntx1961:

I dont take it and I dont eat enough fish.Rhonda what foods have the omega-3 and 6 in them?

Omega-3:  found in fatty fish, flax seeds, nuts, and eggs from hens fed a diet high in omega-3 (they pass that along to us in their eggs!), however I wouldn't be too trustful of the eggs unless I know what else those hens ate.

Omega-6:  found in yellow seed oils (vegetable, corn, sunflower, safflower...I won't touch these), nuts, seeds, meat, egg yolks

Here's more:  http://www.livestrong.com/article/27297-foods-high-omega-/

Why wont you touch thoses oils.The article mentioned corn and sunflower.

First of all, I don't follow LIVESTRONG's advice very often since they're very biased and follow the conventional thinking that has gotten us in this epidemic of obesity, heart disease, and metabolic diseases in the first place.

Those particular oils go rancid very quickly and their chemical strands are very unstable.  In our bodies, those are the things that raise our blood cholesterol levels.    Even scarier, they'll oxidize in our bodies and we'll have plenty of free radicals floating around as a result.

We tend to over-consume the yellow seed oils in our diets because they're present in fried foods, baked goods, etc.  This upsets the ratio of omegas that we're supposed to be consuming (yellow seed oils are high in omega-6).

For more explanations, some more technical than others, here are a list of things to read:

http://www.livingpaleo.com/balancing-pufas-in-your-diet/

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/polyunsaturated-fat/#axzz1y3AOI6SC

http://paleodietlifestyle.com/many-dangers-of-excess-pufa-consumption/