Truly healthy diets take advantage of krill oil

When it comes to essential fatty acids, good nutrition isn't always the best nutrition. For example, omega-6 fats are necessary for the body, but most people consume too many. Even if they think they are eating right, these fats sneak into healthy meals as well as unhealthy ones. As a general rule of thumb, everyone should concentrate on adding more omega-3 fats to healthy diets. Keep reading to learn the details.

The payoffs of making an effort to learn how to eat healthy with omega-3s, specifically EPA and DHA, are far-reaching. Everything you need to know in order to make healthy eating choices can be found in a large collection of research on omega-3 fatty acids.

In one study, mild Alzheimer's was the focus in determining the benefits of EPA and DHA. People with the condition were give
EPA/DHA supplements, and after 6 months of this treatment, their scores on cognitive tests improved. We also know that an EPA/DHA treatment can reduce depression. Conversely, people with low levels of DHA in their brains are more prone to depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is associated with low levels of EPA and DHA and high levels of omega-6 fats in the blood. All of these health conce
s relate to the brain, an all-important organ in everyone's bodies.

Another study looked at the effects of omega-3s on body composition. Programs that work on re-composition ideally have healthy weight loss and muscle increase occurring simultaneously. EPA/DHA supplements just might be the best addition to diet food to reach these goals. To show why, men and women who were overweight took 6g of tuna oil a day, which meant about 1.9g of omega-3s. After 12 weeks of combining this healthy eating plan with moderate exercise, they lost clinically significant amounts of body fat. Even people who are at their ideal weights can get some extra help. When healthy women and men replaced 6g of dietary fat with 6g of fish oil a day, lipid oxidation increased and they shed even more fat. Healthy weight loss happens because EPA and DHA, most likely, are the catalysts of advantageous anti-inflammatory processes and are preferentially incorporated into cell membranes. Either way, the fats are being used in ways other than storage, which is the goal of learning how to eat healthy in order to improve body composition.

People with rheumatoid arthritis can find some relief from debilitating symptoms by using omega-3 diet food as treatment. Two recent meta-analyses showed that EPA/DHA supplementation lessened pain intensity, decreased morning stiffness, limited the number of affected joints, improved physical performance, and reduced the amount of necessary pain medication.

Essential omega-3 fatty acids come into healthy diets through plant oils, like chia, pumpkin, hemp, and flax, and marine plants and animals, like fish, algae, and shellfish. The fatty acids we are focusing on as the origin of multiple health benefits, EPA and DHA, are linoleic acids and come from the marine sources. While any nutrient under the umbrella category of omega-3 fat is good nutrition, EPA and DHA are the ones every person should concentrate on obtaining. Rather than turning to the sea for every ingredient, people usually turn to a supplement of fish oil. But, times are changing, and research has identified a new marine source of omega-3s that is even more effective and beneficial than fish oil.

Krill is this source. Krill are actually crustaceans that resemble tiny shrimp. Their habitat is the frigid Antarctic Ocean. The high levels of EPA and DHA in their cell membranes helps them survive in their environment. This feature, coupled with a lack of toxic build-up, makes krill a safe alte
ative to fish. Another unique feature of krill is that its EPA and DHA are in the phospholipid form, instead of triglyceride, which means more efficient intake by cells. Phospholipids have additional helpful components that are not found in fish. Choline is an important nutrient for brain development and astaxanthin is an antioxidant that protects cells from damage and boosts immune function.

We can turn to more research to explore how krill oil can actually help individual people and whether or not it's worth it for you to start a supplement regimen. For a few examples, if you suffer from PMS, deal with inflammation in your body, or want a healthier heart, then you should be taking krill oil. A research study took 70 women who were diagnosed with PMS and treated them with 2g of either fish oil or krill oil. Both supplied 600mg of EPA and DHA, but remember that krill oil has a bonus: naturally occurring phospholipids. Krill outperformed fish oil in lessening joint pain, irritability, depression, stress, and bloating. Also, the participants who received krill oil did not need as much analgesic pain medication as the fish oil group.

If you are familiar with inflammatory diseases and CRP then you know that it is a systemic marker of inflammation which is often high in people who have heart disease or arthritis. A recent study performed with people who had high CRP levels and either heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, or osteoarthritis found that krill oil worked to reduce CRP levels by 19% after only 7 days. After 30 days of treatment, levels were reduced by 30%.

Another study focused solely on heart health. People with elevated blood LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, which are common risk factors for heart disease, were given one of the following treatments: 1-1.5g/day or 2-3g/day of krill oil (based on individuals' BMIs), 3g of fish oil, or a placebo. Krill oil, at its lowest dose, successfully improved levels of both HDL and LDL cholesterol. 2g/day added the effect of lowered triglycerides. The fish oil did lower cholesterol, but it was a smaller change than what the krill oil produced, and it failed to improve triglyceride levels.

The bottom line on eating right with omega-3 fats is that you should choose EPA and DHA from marine sources. Not only does krill oil work daily to close the gap between omega-6 and omega-3 fats, providing you with a healthier ratio, but it adds so many health benefits for your entire body. Prograde's EFA Icon will get you started on the path to a healthier life.