HEART ATTACKS AND STROKES

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in western society. For men, the risk of heart attack begins very young and remains fairly constant throughout life while the female incidence of heart disease begins to equal and surpass that of men as women reach menopause.

Studies indicate that omega 3 can reduce the chance of a primary cardiac arrest by 70% and a second arrest by 30% This results primarily from the fact that omega 3 facilitates the maintenance of the walls of the blood vessels, making them smoother and more elastic, thus reducing vessel blockages which are often the cause of heart problems.

Omega 3 also tends to retard the rate of the blood clotting, by reducing the "stickiness" of platelets. Heart muscle damage may still take place from a temporary stoppage of an artery, and omega 3 PUFA’s prevent this damage from interfering with heartbeats.

Studies further indicate that omega 3 helps reduce a person’s blood pressure, which is becoming a chronic problem in an aging population.

In an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1997, researchers revealed that men with high levels of arterial inflammation were three times more likely to have a heart attack and twice as likely to have a stroke as were those without such inflammation.

"We now know that omega 3 fatty acids have similar anti-inflammatory properties as compared to A.S.A"

In a 1996 study, men who ate fatty fish (high in omega 3) on a regular basis were 42% less likely to die from a heart attack than men who did not eat fish.

This is a British study of 2000 men treated for heart disorders. The men were assigned to three quite different diets: high fibre, low-fat but high in omega 6 and a diet high in omega 3 (fatty fish or supplements). The study disclosed that omega 3 diet had a 29% lower death rate than the other two.

"An excess intake of omega 6 is a major risk factor... and omega 3 is suppressive for thrombotic disease."