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One of the “new” nutrients you often hear recommended these days is Omega 3 fatty acid. Omega 3 is found in various foods, but an especially rich source of Omega 3 is fish oil.

Fish oil has been found by researchers to do the following things:

Alleviate or prevent depression

Improve brain function and help protect the brain from Alzheimers

Help brain development and prevent ADD and ADHD in children.

Regulate cholesterol levels

Prevent certain kinds of cancer

Help heal injuries faster and promote faster recovery from illness

Prevent heart disease

Slow aging

Omega 3 used to be plentiful in our diets, back when cattle were grass fed, chickens ranged freely in the barnyard, and vegetables were grown without pesticides and artificial fertilizers and were allowed to ripen in the sun. Today’s factory farmed foods, however, tend to lack or be extremely low in Omega 3. The easiest way to replace it is by taking a good quality fish oil.

Fish oil is extracted from oil-rich fish: cod, salmon, tuna, sardines, herring, mackerel and others. It contains polyunsaturated fat, Omega 3, that the body needs but cannot produce on its own.  The three main types of Omega 3 fatty acids are a-Linolenic Acid (ALA), Eicosapentaenoic Acid (ELA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA).

In the past, people took codfish oil, which is rich in Omega 3, to alleviate the symptoms of arthritis and prevent rickets. Now we know that fish oils can do much more to improve and protect our health.