Fish Oils - Omega 3

Interestingly, eggs are the only food-specific dietary restriction ever suggested by the American Heart Association. Think about that. Of all the crappy food you could possibly eat, eggs end up being restricted!

Conclusion

There were no changes in total cholesterol or triglycerides in either egg group. Thus it seems that eating one egg per day for a month will not affect your cholesterol or triglycerides negatively, regardless of what type of egg.

The increase in ApoA1 and the decrease in ApoB/ApoA1 ratio in the omega-3 egg group is a very good thing. ApoA1 and ApoB/ApoA1 ratio seem to be better indicators of cardiovascular disease than total cholesterol, HDL or LDL (2-4). After a month of eating Omega-3 eggs there was no change in cholesterol but positive changes in ApoA1 levels and ApoB/ApoA1 ratios. This means that the omega-3 eggs seem to be improving cardiovascular health!

One other positive benefit from omega-3 egg consumption was that blood plasma glucose was lowered. In diabetics, lower blood glucose could be helpful.

When we consider these findings together, we can see that there are two key messages:

Eggs in general don’t seem to have a negative effect on any of the blood measures surveyed. That means no increase in bad cholesterol or decrease in good cholesterol.
Omega-3 eggs, however, seem to have a beneficial effect since they improve key blood proteins that are indicators of cardiovascular disease and decrease blood glucose.

Fantastic! I haven’t been wasting my money on omega-3 eggs all these years. And the evidence from this study shows that Humpty Dumpty was indeed framed.

Since most all fish is severely contaminated with heavy metals, PCBs and other toxins these days, it stood to reason that fish oil may carry the risk of contamination as well. However, based on the two recent studies above, that does not appear to be a major problem.

ConsumerLab.com tested 52 fish oil products and found no evidence of mercury, PCBs or other contaminants typically found in fish. The study published in Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, however, did find mercury in two of the five brands tested.

Mercury contamination turns out to be an insignificant concern when it comes to fish oil.

The omega-3 fatty acids EPA (eicosapentanoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) are found in abundance in fatty fish and some marine mammals, as well as in the algae (seaweed) upon which they feed. Based on the multiple health effects of omega-3 fatty acids, including its effects on the heart, the importance of DHA and EPA cannot be over-stated. Life Extension’s Super Omega-3 utilizes a patented Pure+™ EPA/DHA extraction and distillation process that results in a pure, stable and easy-to-tolerate fish oil extract, reducing contaminants such as mercury and PCBs to virtually undetectable levels. The result is improved fish oil that exceeds the standards set by international rating agencies. (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are usually lacking in the typical Western diet that includes high amounts of omega-6 fats.7 EPA and DHA can be synthesized from ALA, but EPA and DHA synthesis may be insufficient under certain conditions.

While the polyunsaturated fats known as omega-6 fatty acids are essential to optimal health, most Americans and citizens of other Western nations consume far too many omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and not enough omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. In fact, some Western diets consist of 20 parts of omega-6 to only one part of omega-3. For optimum health, the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids should be between 1:1 and 4:1. This severe imbalance that occurs with most people contributes to the development of long-term health problems.

Benefits of fish oil supplements

Studies associate the Mediterranean diet, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, olive oil, and antioxidant-rich fruits, vegetables, and herbs, with lowered cardiovascular risk and increased life span.9-15 Other studies support omega-3’s importance in cardiovascular health.16,17 In fact, the FDA states that supportive but not conclusive research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

Super Omega-3 EPA/DHA with Sesame Lignans & Olive Fruit Extract contains premium-grade fish oil with a unique 2.8 to 2 ratio of EPA/DHA. Research demonstrates that the addition of sesame lignans to fish oil supplements enhances its beneficial effects. Sesame lignans inhibit an enzyme (delta-5-desaturase) that causes dietary fats to be converted into arachidonic acid (AA), a precursor to the toxic inflammatory factors prostaglandin E2 and leukotriene B4.

Polyphen-Oil™ Olive Fruit Extract is a proprietary, fortified extra virgin olive oil complex developed by Life Extension. The naturally occurring polyphenol antioxidants are typically lost in olive juice discarded during olive oil pressing. Polyphen-Oil™ is highly enriched oil with olive juice extract standardized with these naturally occurring antioxidants. The olive polyphenols in Polyphen-Oil™ help impede LDL oxidation, suppress free radicals, and stabilize cell membranes.

Only Life Extension’s Super Omega-3 EPA/DHA with Sesame Lignans & Olive Fruit Extract contains the “healthy trio” of concentrated nutrients from fish oil, sesame seed oil, and extra virgin olive oil. Super Omega-3 EPA/DHA with Sesame Lignans & Olive Fruit Extract contains twice as much EPA and DHA as conventional fish oil capsules.

Standardized Olive Fruit

To emulate a Mediterranean diet, Super Omega-3 provides a standardized olive fruit extract to deliver the polyphenol hydroxytyrosol, a powerful antioxidant that protects normal LDL from oxidation and counters dangerous free radicals.18-21

Research shows that a combination of olive oil and fish oil supplements helps with inflammation better than a placebo or fish oil alone.22* An abundance of scientific research substantiates the wide-ranging health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil and monounsaturated fatty acids-polyphenols in olive fruit.23-31

Super Omega-3 provides an olive fruit extract standardized for hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein polyphenols. Brand-new research shows the value of oleuropein in favorably altering gene expression, delaying senescence in specialized skin cells, and helping maintain normal platelet activation.*

Sesame lignans enhance in vivo effects of fish oil supplements

The unstable nature of fatty acids like fish oil limits their biological efficacy in the body. Scientific studies show that when sesame lignans are supplemented with fish oil, the beneficial effects are augmented. Sesame lignans help guard against lipid peroxidation, thereby extending the stability of DHA in the body.* These lignans also direct fatty acids toward pathways which can help with inflammatory reactions.* Super Omega-3 provides standardized sesame lignans to enhance the overall benefits of the improved EPA/DHA fish oil blend.

Life Extension’s Super Omega-3 is the only fish concentrate that provides a full-spectrum blend of synergistic nutrients to provide optimal effects.

Supportive but not conclusive evidence shows that consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

References

Supplement Facts

Serving Size 2 softgels
Servings Per Container 60
Amount Per Serving
Calories	21
Calories from Fat	21
Total Fat	2.3 g
Cholesterol	8 mg
Pure+™ Wild Fish Oil Concentrate	2000 mg
Yielding
EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid)	700 mg
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid)	500 mg
Polyphen-Oil™ Olive (Olea europa) Fruit Extract [std. to 4.5% total polyphenols (13.5 mg), 0.7% hydroxytyrosol (2.1 mg), 0.3% oleuropein (0.9 mg) and 0.5% verbascoside (1.5 mg)]	300 mg
Sesame seed (Sesamum indicum) lignan extract	10 mg
Other ingredients: refined fish oil concentrate (anchovy, sardine, mackerel), gelatin, glycerin, colloidal silicon dioxide, soy lecithin, carob color, mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract.
Contains fish (anchovy, sardine, mackerel) and soybeans. Contains sesame. This product contains NO milk, egg, peanuts, crustacean shellfish (lobster, crab, shrimp), tree nuts, wheat, yeast, gluten, corn, or rice. Contains NO sugar, and no artificial sweeteners, flavors, colors, or preservatives.

IFOS™ certification mark is a registered trademark of Nutrasource Diagnostics, Inc. These products have been tested to the quality and purity standards of the IFOS™ program conducted at Nutrasource Diagnostics, Inc.

Dosage and Use

	Take two softgels twice daily with meals, or as recommended by a healthcare practitioner.
	Do not take with fiber supplements.

Caution

Those taking anticoagulant drugs like Coumadin® (warfarin) should inform their doctor that they are taking GLA, EPA, or DHA supplements, as the physician may want to adjust the dose of anticoagulant medication based on tests that measure coagulation factors such as template bleeding time.

Since GLA, EPA, and DHA interfere with blood clotting, those who suffer from any type of hemorrhagic disease related to excessive bleeding or blood vessel leakage should consult their physician before supplementing these fatty acids.

If you are taking anticoagulant drugs, use this product only under the supervision of your physician. Blood tests that measure clotting can be used to ensure these nutrients are not reducing the clotting factors in your blood to abnormal levels!