Omega 3 fatty acids as found in fish oil are essential to our diet and a deficiency in these omega 3 fatty acids can result in a variety of diseases and disorders such as heart disease, stroke, depression, attention deficit, macular degeneration as well as a number of other disorders.
Omega 3 fish oil deficiency may increase the chances of getting heart disease and strokes as omega 3 fatty acids as found in fish oils help prevent the development of plaque and clots that contribute to heart disease and strokes. Studies have shown that EPA and DHA, two omega-3 essential fatty acids found in fish oil reduce risk factors for heart disease such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Other studies have also shown that heart attack survivors who supplement their diets with omega-3 fatty acids such as fish oil reduce the risk of death, subsequent heart attacks and stroke quite significantly.
Another disorder associated with omega 3 fish oil deficiency is depression. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils help promote communication between nerve synapses. When problems occur with this communication depression may result. A study was done to show the effects of people suffering from depression eating fatty fish (high in fish oil) a couple of times a week and it was noticed that this resulted in a significant reduction in depression while other studies had shown that patients hospitalized for depression had particularly low levels of the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils.
Another brain disorder associated with omega 3 fish oil deficiency is attention deficit disorder. Studies done with 100 boys showed that those boys who had lower omega 3 fatty acids levels tended to show more learning or behavioral problems as those who had higher levels of omega 3 fatty acids. Low levels of omega 3 fatty acids may also lower the concentration of chemicals responsible for attention and motivation and so contribute to attention deficit disorders.
A large study where 3000 people over the age of 49 were questioned found that those who ate more fish tended to suffer from less macular degeneration than those who consumed less. Another study showed that taking EPA and DHA, two omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil may reduce risk of developing macular degeneration. These two tests as well as some others would suggest that omega 3 fish oil deficiency could contribute to macular degeneration.
Omega 3 essential fatty acids are essential to good health and a deficiency in omega 3 as found in fish oils may lead to a number of complications, illnesses and disorders such as heart disease, depression and macular degeneration.
Glossary:
Omega 3 fatty acids: A group of fatty acids essential for mental and physical wellbeing including the individual fatty acids ALA, DHA and GLA.
Macular degeneration: degeneration of the retina leading to blurred vision and blindness