Vitality News Health Articles

It is most likely that you have heard much about health benefits of Omega 3 fats if you have followed nutrition and health news. Though fats are generally considered unhealthy, Omega 3 fats are an exception. These compounds have been known to have positive effects on the rate of heart disease, high cholesterol levels, dementia, and even arthritis. Now scientists have added a new dimention by proving its efficacy in attention deficit disorder to this list.

There are a lot of polyunsaturated fats found in food like Omega 3 fats. Alpha-Linolenic acid (ALA), EicosaPentaenoic acid (EPA), and DocosaHexaenoic acid (DHA) are the three main varities of Omega 3 fats. Among the three, DHA has positive effect on attention deficit disorder.

Recent research at the University of Purdue, has found a link between attention deficient disorder and a child’s diet that is lacking in a fatty acid called DHA. The children’s diets that lacked DHA showed the classic symptoms of ADD, such as behavior issues and hyperactivity. Because DHA is transmitted through breast milk infants are at risk for ADD as well. They believe that at least 85% of women in America are not digesting enough DHA to pass along to their children.

Fortunately, there are a lot of ways to include more of these healthy fats into your diet. One way is to add foods to your diet that are rich in these nutrients, including fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and tuna. Non-fish sources include flax and walnuts. If you have deficiencies in this area of your diet, increasing your intake of any or all of these foods will help.

Fish oil supplements are available for individuals who do not like the foods listed above or who cannot change their diet. These supplements contain omega 3 fats and can provide all the fish oil benefits of foods rich in DHA. An added benefit of the fish oil supplements is the lack of aversive taste and the lack of change in diet.

Research by scientists and nutritionists regarding the benefits of omega 3 fats has come a long way, yet new discoveries are being made each day. There are many new frontiers to be explored in this area. Their newest findings about the effects of omega 3 fats on attention deficit disorder is one of many avenues of research currently being pursued.

Fat in the diet is generally considered bad for health but omega 3 has health benefits. This polyunsaturated fat comes in several foods naturally. The DHA or fatty acids derived from it have been shown to be lacking in childrens’ diets by researchers at the University of Purdue. Supplements are a way to get more of these useful fats into your system. These are usually in the form of fish oil supplements and contain enough useful fats to produce noticeable benefits. you can receive all the fish oil benefits of DHA-rich foods without any of the taste or hassle.

- Michael Byrd