Omega 3 Benefits
Our grandparents were perfectly aware that Cod Liver Oil was good for health but they believed at the time that the health properties of Cod Liver Oil were due to the Vitamins in Cod Liver Oil.
It wasn’t until the 1980s that Cod Liver Oil hit the headlines in a big way when Danish researchers discovered that the Inuit Eskimos who ate a diet rich in fat didn’t suffer from heart disease and arthritis the way the rest of us did, and they put this down to the type of fatty acids found in oily fish.
We now know that both Cod Liver Oil and Fish Oil contain Eicosapentaenoic acid or EPA and Docosahexaenoic acid or DHA, essential Omega 3 fatty acids that we need but cannot produce in the body. Further research trials identified EPA as being the most beneficial overall as we can produce DHA from EPA.
There are many health benefits associated with taking a daily dose of Cod Liver Oil, in fact too many to mention. The following represents just a small sample of the ways in which EPA in Cod Liver Oil has proved to be beneficial for health.
• Helps prevent heart disease
• Reduces pain and inflammation in arthritis
• Alleviates symptoms of many different types of depression
• Lowers blood pressure
• Thins the blood
• Inhibits tumour growth
• Improves concentration and memory
• Boosts brain power
• Sooths inflammatory skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis and acne
• Helps promote weight loss
• Improves behaviour in children with ADHD
We’ve come a long way since our Grandparents day. Cod Liver Oil back then tasted foul and smelled awful. These days you can purchase Cod Liver Oil with added flavourings to mask the taste.
One important point to note is that Cod Liver Oil also contains Vitamins A and D which can be harmful to health in high doses. Pregnant women should avoid Cod Liver Oil altogether as we now know that Vitamin A is harmful to the unborn baby.
Vitamin D could be beneficial for anyone living in an area where there is not much sunlight during the winter but for most of us, we are unlikely to be deficient in either Vitamin A or Vitamin D and might be better taking Fish Oil instead.
Fish Oil is extracted from the whole fish and not the liver so does not contain Vitamins A and D but still contains EPA and DHA. It is also possible to buy Fish Oil which has been concentrated to contain very high amounts of EPA and which has been purified to remove any toxins.
Omega 3 fish oils Pure EPA is available exclusively from www.health-products.co.za
