Something You Don't Know About Fish

Here's something for the parents:

Elliot is nine years old. A year ago, he was falling behind in his schoolwork, particularly reading – which he found a struggle. He had little interest in studying and would crash on the sofa to watch TV when he got home from school.

But over the past year, a dramatic change has taken place in Elliot. He has soared through the Harry Potter books and now heads to the library after the school bell has sounded.

Elliot has been taking part in a scientific study on more than 100 children from 12 Durham schools. The children were required to take a course of capsules with their meals for the duration of six months.

“His reading jumped 18 months [over the trial period]. He’s just a lot more interested in everything. He’s even developed an interest in classical music,” says Sheila, Elliot’s mother.

Capsules...what?

Read here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/articles/intelligenceandmemory/omega_three.shtml



Here's something for the "kiasi" people like me:

In Western diets, omega-6 fatty acids are the predominant polyunsaturated fats. The omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are metabolically distinct and have opposing physiologic functions.

The increased omega-6/omega-3 ratio in Western diets most likely contributes to an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease and inflammatory disorders.

Patients with autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and asthma, usually respond to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation by decreasing the elevated levels of cytokines.

There have been a number of clinical trials assessing the benefits of dietary supplementation with fish oils in several inflammatory and autoimmune diseases in humans, including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis and migraine headaches.

Many of the placebo-controlled trials of fish oil in chronic inflammatory diseases reveal significant benefit, including decreased disease activity and a lowered use of anti-inflammatory drugs.

Craving for something more technical than these layman's terms?

Read on: http://www.jacn.org/content/21/6/495.full