The majority of the people within the United States and Europe consume "dietary supplements," as a socially acceptable structure of health maintenance. Dietary supplements include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, and herbs and other botanicals. The continual use of dietary supplements has not been linked to any unfavorable health effects, and many studies show that supplements present significant health benefits in certain cases. For example, it has been studied that omega fatty acids aid in reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes as well as aiding in the development and maintenance of the nervous system.

Scientific studies confirm that a diet higher in omega-3 fatty acids reduce the risks of heart attack as well as strokes and sudden cardiac death syndrome. Natural omega-3 fatty acids are found in the oils of fish.

The benefactors of omega-3 fatty acids reach far beyond further than just protecting against heart disease. Omega-3 fatty acids are also accredited in guarding against heart healthiness in general, mental health, child development, cancer, diabetes, inflammation, and many other health concerns.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids To maintain an optimized healthy lifestyle, the body needs to absorb two of the nutritionally indispensable fatty acids: omega-3 and omega-6. These fatty acids cannot be synthesized in our bodies but make up the fundamental structural and well-designed mechanism of our cells, and regulate many significant aspects of our bodies metabolism and immune system.

Dietary omega-3 fatty acids can be obtained from one of two sources; plants or animals. Plant Food a. Fruits b. Vegetables c. Oils d. Grains e. Seeds

Aquatic Plant a. Plankton b. Algae c. Seaweed

Animals a. Most fish b. Shellfish

On the other hand, the omega-3 fatty acids found in the aquatic plants and the animals are far more functional to the body than the plant food variety by itself. The body uses alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)—the short-string omega-3 fatty acids from plants—primarily to make a long-string omega-3 fatty acid called docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). In addition, our bodies use ALA to construct a secondary long-string omega-3 fatty acid called eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

An inadequate quantity of ALA was found in the mainstream of the American diet, most coming from seed oils like soy and canola. This includes far more omega-6 fatty acid thus, creating an imbalance on the nutrimental function of the body. The only significant sources of dietary ALA are flaxseed and hemp seed oils that have become uncommon in the Western American diet.

Omega-6 Fatty Acids Linoleic acid (LA) is a short-string omega-6 fatty acid the body utilizes to manufactor arachidonic acid (AA), a long-string omega-6 fatty acid, like omega-3 DHA, is a crucial element of the cell membrane. Linoleic acid is derived from grains, seeds, and vegetables. Meats that include both LA and AA are chicken, beef, pork, and lamb.

How do Omega fatty acids make us healthy? Omega fatty acids engage in the fundamental and indispensable role within the cells membrane, controlling the fluidity, flexibility, permeability and the response levels of vital membrane dependant enzymes. DHA is selectively infused into cell membranes in the retina of the eye and into postsynaptic neuronal cell membranes, which implies that it takes an important vital role in our vision and nervous system functionality.

Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids also manipulate the creation of ephemeral, a hormone-like composite called autocoids (eicosanoids, prostaglandins, and leukotrienes). These persuasive chemical messengers manipulate major body behaviors such as blood pressure, blood clotting, inflammation, and the cell immune system.

The predisposition of omega-3 fatty acids to hinder inflammation is beneficial because chronic, low-level inflammation produced by a diet high in omega-6 induces cardiovascular disease and cancer and has recently been studied to have an associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Omega-3 fatty acids have a tendency to reduce inflammation and the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mood disorders, autoimmune diseases, and certain cancers, while omega-6 tend to increase the risk of these conditions.

The Omega Fatty Acids Imbalance in a Troubled Western Diet Omega-6 fatty acids are not essentially detrimental in its natural form of balance. The imbalance is in the diets of people largely within the U.S., Europe, and other industrialized countries that socially maintain exceptionally elevated levels of omega-6 fatty acids.

The fact that most Americans and Europeans devour at least 10 times more omega-6 fatty acids in relative to the omega-3 fatty acids might explain why government health establishments on both sides of the Atlantic suggest that their general public boost dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids.

Most citizens in developed countries would do good to increase intake of omega-3 fatty acid, some experts firmly believe that the same could be accomplished through a sharp decreased intake of omega-6 fatty acids.

Because of the fact that omega-6 fatty acids are so plentiful in common cooking oils, some meats, most poultries, and through preprocessed and commercially prepared foods that dictate the largest part of our contemporary diets, it is less cumbersome to rectify the imbalance by increasing omega-3 intake than it is to suggest restricting omega-6 intake radically, which would require significant changes in a persons behavior in nutrimental choices and their consumption lifestyles.