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Adulthood

As you progress through adulthood, you may begin to experience diseases and medical conditions associated with aging. Fortunately, research suggests it may be possible to counteract many of these diseases and conditions by eating foods rich in the Omega-3 fatty acids EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) and DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid). Consuming plenty of Omega-3 EPA and DHA, as part of a well-balanced diet, is an effective way to remain healthy in heart, mind, and body. That’s because these essential nutrients may reduce the risk of:

Heart attacks, strokes, and other vascular diseases
Mental health conditions
Inflammatory and auto-immune diseases

Heart Attacks, Strokes, and Other Vascular Diseases

Most people don’t think of heart attacks and strokes as related. However, both are usually caused by the same thing: a rogue plaque that breaks away from an artery lining and causes the creation of a blood clot. The clot then creates a dam in the affected blood vessel, cutting off the flow of blood. If the blocked vessel leads to the heart, a heart attack occurs. If the blocked vessel leads to the brain, a stroke occurs.

Research suggests that Omega-3 EPA and DHA may help prevent vascular disease by deterring plaque and blood clots from developing or rupturing in the arteries. Consuming a well-balanced diet with foods rich in Omega-3 EPA and DHA, as part of a healthy lifestyle, can lead to reduced risk of a variety of vascular conditions, including:

Strokes
Heart attacks
Heartbeat abnormalities (arrhythmia, ventricular tachycardia, fibrillation)
Blood clots (thrombosis)
Arterial hardening (atherosclerosis)
Triglyceride (blood fat) buildup

The American Heart Association promotes a well-balanced diet with foods rich in Omega-3 EPA and DHA as being essential for good cardiovascular health.

Mental Health Conditions

Your brain is one of the vital organs that require Omega-3 EPA and DHA to perform optimally. In fact, 60% of your brain is made up of structural fat (a large part of which is DHA) and it requires a regular intake of Omega-3 EPA/DHA, to function properly.

Although the positive effects of EPA and DHA on chronic mental disorders are not fully understood, studies suggest that an adequate intake of Omega-3 EPA/DHA can help reduce the risk of the following mental illnesses and conditions:
Aggression
Bipolar disorder
Borderline personality disorder
Depression
Schizophrenia

Inflammatory and Auto-Immune Diseases

Inflammation has been linked to a number of different diseases, including auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. Research has shown that EPA keeps inflammation in check by regulating the effects of the omega-6 fatty acid ARA (arachidonic acid). Whereas ARA creates substances that promote inflammation, EPA creates substances that reduce inflammation. Consuming adequate amounts of Omega-3 EPA/DHA therefore balances the effects of ARA, helping reduce the risk and/or improve the symptoms of inflammatory and auto-immune diseases, including:

Chronic fatigue syndrome
Colorectal and prostate cancer
Exercise-induced asthma
Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis)
Inflammatory skin disorders (psoriasis)
Lupus
Multiple sclerosis
Rheumatoid arthritis

MEG-3® as Your Source of Omega-3 EPA and DHA

Increasingly, doctors, nutritionists and other health professionals agree that your diet should contain foods rich in EPA and DHA. However, if you’re not sure that you’re consuming enough of these two essential nutrients. MEG-3® can help balance your diet in a convenient and worry-free way. Available as a dietary supplement, and as a healthy food ingredient, MEG-3® provides you with Omega-3 EPA/DHA oils that conform to worldwide quality and purity standards. Along with a well-balanced diet, supplements or foods that contain MEG-3® ensure that you and your family are getting adequate amounts of these two essential fats.
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References:

Strokes, Heart Attacks, and Other Arterial Diseases

1. Harper C and Jacobson T. “Usefulness of n-3 fatty acids and the prevention of coronary heart disease.” American Journal of Cardiology 96, no., 11 (December 2005): 1521-9.
2. Kris-Etherton PM, Harris WS, Appel LJ; American Heart Association. Nutrition Committee. “Fish consumption, fish oil, omega-3 fatty acids, and cardiovascular disease.” Circulation 107, no. 21 (November 2002): 2747-57.
3. von Schacky C. “Omega-3 fatty acids and cardiovascular disease.” Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care 7, no., 2 (March 2004): 131-6
4. Albert CM, Campos H, Stampfer MJ, Ridker PM, Manson JE, Willett WC, Ma J. “Blood levels of long-chain n-3 fatty acids and the risk of sudden death.” New England Journal of Medicine 346, no., 15 (April 2002): 1113-8.
5. Harris W. “Extending the cardiovascular benefits of omega-3 fatty acids.” Current Atherosclerosis Reports 7, no., 5 (September 2005): 375-80.
6. Holub D and Holub B. “Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils and cardiovascular disease.” Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry 263, no., 1-2 (August 2004): 217-25.
7. Geelen A, Brouwer I, Schouten E, Maan A, Katan M , Zock P. “Effects of n-3 fatty acids from fish on premature ventricular complexes and heart rate in humans.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 81, no., 2 (February 2005): 416-20.
8. “Dietary supplementation with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E after myocardial infraction: results of the GISSI-Prevenzione trial.” The Lancet 354, no., 9177 (August 1999): 354-55. Correction: The Lancet 357, no., 9256 (February 2001): 642.
9. Yokoyama, et al. Effects of eicosapentaenoic acid on major coronary events in hypercholesterolaemic patients (JELIS): a randomised open-label, blinded endpoint analysis. The Lancet. 2007; 369:1090-98.
10. Matsuzaki, et al. Effectiveness of Eicosapentanoic Acid for Preventing Coronary Artery Disease: Secondary Prevention Strata. Circulation. 2006; 114:II_65.0
11. Adam, et al. Omega 3 fatty acids and arteriosclerosis. Ernährung & Medizin. 2003; 18(4):205-210.
12. Yokoyama, et al. Composition and method for preventing recurrence of stroke. Mochida Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd. 2007: United States Patent 20070185198.
13. Zampelas, et al. Fish Consumption Among Healthy Adults Is Associated With Decreased Levels of Inflammatory Markers Related to Cardiovascular Disease. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2005; 46:120-124. (ATTICA).
14. Burns, et al. Effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on the arachidonic acid: eicosapentaenoic acid ratio. Pharmacotherapy. 2007; 27(5): 633-638.
15. Li, et al. Dose response of dietary fish oil supplementations on platelet adhesion. Arteriosclerosis and Thrombosis. 1991; 11(1):39-46.
16. Wang, et al. Fish oil supplementation improves large arterial elasticity in overweight hypertensive patients. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2007; Published on-line ahead of print.
17. Nakamuraa, et al. Fish consumption and early atherosclerosis in middle-aged men. Metabolism. 2007; 56(8):1060-64.
18. Szapary. The heart-healthy benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. Advanced Studies in Medicine 2005. 5(6A):S511-S517.

Mental Health Conditions

1. Bourre JM. “Dietary omega-3 fatty acids and psychiatry: mood, behavior, stress, depression, dementia and aging.” Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging 9, no., 1 (2005): 31-8.
2. Peet, Horrobin, et al. A dose-ranging study of the effects of ethyl-eicosapentaenoate in patients with ongoing depression despite apparently adequate treatment with standard drugs. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2002; 59:913-919.
3. Peet, et al. Omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Drugs. 2005; 65(8):1051-9.
4. Nemets, et al. Addition of omega-3 fatty acid to maintenance medication treatment for recurrent unipolar depressive disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2002; 159(3):477
5. Su, et al. Omega-3 fatty acids in major depressive disorder. A preliminary double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2003; 13(4):267-71.
6. Stoll et al. Omega-3 fatty acids in bipolar disorder: a preliminary controlled trial. Archives of General Psychiatry. 1999; 56 (5) 507-12.
7. Frangou, et al. Efficacy of ethyl-eicosapentaenoic acid in bipolar depression: randomised double-blind placebo-controlled study. British Journal of Psychiatry. 2006; 188:46-50
8. Zanarini, et al. Omega-3 Fatty Acid Treatment of Women With Borderline Personality Disorder: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2003; 160:167–16.
9. Song, et al. Omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid. A new treatment for psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases: a review of clinical investigations. Expert Opinion: Investigative Drugs. 2007; 16(10):1627-38.
10. Silvers, et al. Randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial of fish oil in the treatment of depression. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2005; 72(3):211-8.
11. Lin, et al. A meta-analytic review of double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of antidepressant efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 2007; 68:1056-61.
12. Peet, et al. Eicosapentaenoic acid in the treatment of schizophrenia and depression: rationale and preliminary double-blind clinical trial results. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2003; 69(6):477-85.
13. Osher. Omega-3 eicosapentaenoic acid in bipolar depression: report of a small open-label study. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2005 Jun;66(6):726-9.

Inflammatory & Auto-Immune Diseases

1. Simopoulos, Artemis, P. “Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Inflammation and Autoimmune Diseases.” Journal of the American College of Nutrition 21, no. 6 (December 2002): 495-505.
2. Simopoulos, Artemis P.”Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Inflammation and Autoimmune Diseases.” Journal of the American College of Nutrition 21, no., 6 (December 2002): 495-505.
3. Nagakura T, Matsuda S, Shichijyo K, Sugimoto H, Hata K. “Dietary supplementation with fish oil rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in children with bronchial asthma.” The European Respiratory Journal: Official Journal of the European Society for Clinical Respiratory Physiology 16, no., 5 (November 2000): 861-5. Volker D, Fitzgerald P, Major G, Garg M. “Efficacy of fish oil concentrate in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.” The Journal of Rheumatology 27, no., 10 (October 2000): 2343-6.
4. Cleland L et al. “The role of fish oils in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.” Drugs 63, no., 9 (2003): 845-53.
5. James MJ et al. “Dietary n-3 fats as adjunctive therapy in a prototypic inflammatory disease: issues and obstacles for use in rheumatoid arthritis.” Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes, and Essential Fatty acids 68, no., 6 (June 2003): 399-405.
6. Schley PD, Jijon HB, Robinson LE, Field CJ. “Mechanisms of omega-3 fatty acid-induced growth inhibition in MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells.” Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 92, no., 2 (July 2005): 187-95.
7. Sharma A. “The effects of omega-3 fatty acids on growth regulation of epithelial ovarian cancer cells lines.” Gynecologic Oncology 99, no., 1 (October 2005): 58-64.
8. Narayanan NK, Narayanan BA, Reddy BS. “A combination of docosahexaenoic acid and celecoxib prevents prostate cancer cell growth in vitro and is associated with modulation of nuclear factor-kappaB, and steroid hormone receptors.” International Journal of Oncology 26, no., 3 (March 2005): 785-92.
9. Marchioli, et al. Early protection against sudden death by n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids after myocardial infarction - time-course analysis of the results of the Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nell’Infarto Miocardico (GISSI) - Prevenzione. Circulation 2002 Apr 23; 105(16):1897-903.
10. Oddy, et al. Ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids and childhood asthma. Journal of Asthma. 2004; 41(3):319-26.
11. Mickleborough, et al. Protective effect of fish oil supplementation on exercise-induced bronchoconstriction in asthma. Chest. 2006; 129:39-49.
12. Theodoratou, et al. Dietary fatty acids and colorectal cancer: a case-control study. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2007; 166(2):181-195.
13. Terry, et al. Increased fatty fish consumption may reduce prostate cancer risk. Lancet. 2001; 357(9269):1764-1766. Stene, et al. Use of cod liver oil during the first year of life is associated with lower risk of childhood-onset type I diabetes: a large, population based, case-control study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2003; 78:1128 –34.
14. Norris, et al. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake and islet autoimmunity in children at increased risk for type I diabetes. JAMA. 2007; 298:1420-28. (DAISY).
15. Puri, et al. The use of eicosapentaenoic acid in the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids. 2004; 70:399-401.
16. Simopoulos AP. Omega-3 fatty acids in inflammation and autoimmune diseases. J Am Coll Nutr. 2002; 21(6):495-505.
17. James, et al. Dietary n-3 fatty acids and therapy for rheumatoid arthritis. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 1997; 27:85-97.
18. Volker, et al. Efficacy of fish oil concentrate in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. J Rheumatol. 2000; 27:2343-2346.
19. Cleland, et al. The role of fish oils in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Drugs. 2003; 63:845-853.
20. Simopoulos AP. Omega-3 fatty acids in inflammation and autoimmune diseases. J Am Coll Nutr. 2002; 21(6):495-505.