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A Purdue University study has showed that kids low in Omega-3 essential
fatty acids are significantly more likely
to be hyperactive, have learning disorders, and to display behavioral
problems. Omega-3 deficiencies have also been tied to many conditions,
including the following:
| dyslexia |
violence |
| depression |
memory problems |
| weight gain |
cancer |
| heart disease |
eczema |
| allergies |
inflammatory diseases |
| arthritis |
diabetes |
Over 2,000 scientific studies have demonstrated the wide range
of problems associated with Omega-3 deficiencies. The American diet
is almost devoid of Omega 3's, except for certain types of fish.
In fact, researchers believe that about 60%
of Americans are deficient in Omega-3 fatty acids, and about 20%
have so little that test methods cannot even detect any in their blood.
The human brain is more than 60% structural
fat, just as your muscles are made of protein and your
bones are made of calcium. But it's not just any fat that our brains
are made of. It has to be certain types of fats, and we no longer
eat these types of fats like we used to.
Worse, we eat man-made trans-fats and excessive amounts of saturated
fats and vegetable oils high in Omega-6 fatty acids, all of which
interfere which our body's attempt to utilize the tiny amount of
Omega-3 fats that it gets.
Other parts of our bodies also need Omega-3
fatty acids. Symptoms of fatty acid deficiency include
a variety of skin problems such as eczema, thick patches of skin,
and cracked heels.
To get the necessary Omega-3 fatty acids,
you must eat meat that is allowed to "free-range", or
in the case of cattle, to be grass-fed. You cannot buy
this grass-fed beef at your local grocery store.
But you can buy grass-fed beef online, shipped overnight to your
door, at Grassfed Organics.
Signs of Fatty Acid Imbalance (from the
book "Smart
Fats")
| Dry skin |
Alligator skin |
"Chicken skin" on back of arms |
| Dandruff |
Lowered immunity |
Dry eyes |
| Frequent urination |
Fatigue |
Poor wound healing |
| Irritability |
Dry, unmanageable hair |
Frequent infections |
| Attention deficit |
Hyperactivity |
Learning problems |
| Soft nails |
Brittle, easily frayed nails |
Patches of pale skin on cheeks |
| Allergies |
Excessive thirst |
Cracked skin on heels or fingertips |
Imagine your brain conducting some routine maintenance on your
dopamine and serotonin receptors (implicated in both ADD and mood
disorders). These receptors are composed of an Omega-3 fatty acid
called DHA.
If you don't have much DHA in your blood, man-made trans-fat molecules
may be used as a construction material instead. But trans-fats (hydrogenated
oils) are shaped differently than DHA: they are straight while DHA
is curved.
The dopamine receptor becomes deformed and doesn't work very well.
Repeat this scenario day after day, year after year, and you could
wind up with problems like depression and problems concentrating.
This problem is most severe for a child whose brain is still developing.
A lack of highly unsaturated fats is particularly noticeable in
connection with brain and nerve functioning. An
adjustment in diet to one with oil and protein contents high in
unsaturated fats brings the best results in children.
Now imagine a child in school learning math. The act of learning
requires the brain to form new neural pathways. DHA is needed, especially
for the delicate neural synapses which are composed entirely of
DHA. This child, like the vast majority of U.S. children, eats almost
no Omega-3 fatty acids. What does the brain do?
Again, it struggles and finally uses other types of fats, which
are the wrong shape. The neural network develops slowly and is defective.
The child has learning and memory problems
as well as behavior problems.
In a study of learning ability, rats were raised on either a diet
that was deficient in Omega-3 fatty acids or one that was nutritionally
complete. Initially, both groups of rats had similar numbers of
synaptic vesicles.
After a month-long learning program, however, the Omega-3 enriched
rats had considerably more vesicles in their nerve endings and also
performed markedly better on the tests. This study suggests there
may be a direct connection between the amount Omega-3 fatty acids
in your diet, the number of synaptic vesicles in your neurons, and
your ability to learn."
Within the next 5 or 10 years the population at large will become
familiar with the issue of fatty acid deficiency and the harm causes
by transfats, and there will be significant changes in the way food
is formulated and marketed.
In response to growing public pressure and the rising number of
studies implicating transfats, the FDA
has announced a new rule that will require the transfat content
of foods, but it won't become effective for a few years.
Companies are beginning to market omega-3 foods, like tuna and
eggs from chickens fed with high-omega 3 foods.
Babyfood companies like Gerber are talking about adding DHA to
foods (meanwhile the same food still contains transfats). In Japan
parents have been giving their kids DHA supplements for years to
improve their grades.
Research has shown that the diets of hunter/gatherers were rich
in Omega-3's. They ate a mix of meat, fruits and vegetables, with
little or no grains. Green leafy vegetables,
certain seeds and nuts, and wild game are rich in Omega-3's.
It turns out that cows, chickens and other animals have much higher
levels of Omega-3s when they are fed by "free-range" methods because
they eat lots of green leafy vegetables. On the other hand, if they
are fed grain, their Omega-3 levels crash. Wild game is much healthier
to eat and it is much leaner than farm-raised animals.
Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2001 Mar;3(2):174-9
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