According to new research released, the oils from fish such as salmon and tuna have a remarkably calming effect on the heart. Scientists who carried out the study said their findings helped to explain how fish oil can reduce the risk of heart attacks and heart disease.
The new findings, reported in the medical journal Circulation, state that fish oils, known as n-3 PUFAs, can block sudden irregular heart rhythms and therefore ward off serious heart problems experienced by people later in life.
The important research demonstrates the significant discovery that the human body stores the oil in the members of the cells of the heart - and they then help to control currents of the elements sodium and calcium which can trigger dangerous surges in the beat of the heart and result in heart attacks and a range of other life threatening cardiovascular problems. These problems generally only afflict people in their old age but warding against them from early in life is integral if the issues are to be avoided.
Doctors have known for some 14 years that eating fish can reduce the risk of dying of a heart attack by up to a third. We should expect to see a proliferation in the amount of fish eaten by the public as well as an increase in the production of fish oil vitamins and supplements.
Professor Alexander Leaf, of the Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, writes: "n-3 fatty acids have been part of the human diet for some two to four million years during which our genes were adapting to our environment, including our diets. They are safe."
But he added: "Tuna packed in oil is not a good choice because the extra oil will extract the beneficial n-3 oil from the fish." So if you're a big buyer of tuna it's certainly better to opt for tuna in brine or simply tuna in spring water as these two iterations will keep those healthy n-3 oils intact. And this rule goes for all other fish too so it's worth introducing a fish night at least once a week into your regular diet and always choose the fish without the extra oil.
Despite the fact that fish oil supplements have become one of the biggest selling dietary vitamins, there are converse reports that suggest that regular ingestion of omega-3 fatty acids did not reduce the risk of heart attacks. This report analyzed a thousand other studies and the results obviously contradicted recent reports.
However the scientists behind the pro-fish oil survey stick by their research and protest that the results are conclusive, people taking fish oil supplements or directly from eating fish often will experience less cardiovascular issues when they are older. Having fish as a frequent feature in your diet is definitely a good idea, whether it directly wards off heart attacks or not fish oil is essential to a balanced and healthy lifestyle.
