The importance of Omega 3

There is much talk of Omega 3 in television or in magazines not only industry (fitness and personal training) as a healthy component of our food, but few explain exactly what really are, which provide benefits to our body and where they are but especially why it is good to integrate them. Together with Omega 6 fats are called "essential" because, although there are indispensable for living, our body is unable to produce them. They, accordingly, must be taken through diet or supplementation. According to Barry Sears (creator of the Zone diet) integration of Omega 3 is, in the context of a balanced diet, a significant protective effect on the body, helping to bring a number of benefits, including improved concentration, of ' mood, cognitive and capacitance of the result to be a valid support for the level of triglycerides in the blood through action antisclerotica, that clean the blood triglycerides, prevent excessive platelet aggregation and the consequent possible formation of blood clots. Furthermore give fluidity to membranes of nerve cells, making it easier the interaction between them.


Omega 3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated along with Omega-6 which are rich vegetable oils (from the chemical point of view, have the characteristic of a double bond in position 3 (omega 3) or in position 6 (omega 6), chain that forms them). They are technically called EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). The ideal ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 in the diet is 4:1, while the current one is 10:1. This explains why so much of the talk about the need to supplement Omega 3. The current diet of an average Italian is almost exclusively based on products based on cereals, vegetables and meat from livestock, all foods that contain Omega 6, this is the reason for the imbalance.

Foods that contain Omega 3 are mainly fish (all the big fish of the sea that are not breeding), shellfish (mussels, clams, scallops, oysters, shrimp), tofu, almonds and walnuts, as well as some oils plants such as flax seed oil, hazelnut oil and rapeseed oil. For this reason it is recommended to consume fish rich in Omega-3 fatty acids at least twice a week to obtain appreciable advantages to your health. Unlike the market you can find different types of supplements for supplementation but it is good to check the ratio of DHA and EPA. Before tell you a trick that personal trainers use to check the quality of my Omega3 supplements, remember two things: 1) - should not exceed 10 grams per day (thus avoiding the side effects, the O3 are in fact of Vasodilators) 2) - that diets rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats lower the levels of "bad" cholesterol, while saturated fats (meat and dairy) will increase. Secret of the personal trainer: good Omega3 put in the refrigerator should not freeze!