Omega-3 And Inflammation

Here are some facts you should know about inflammation and Omega-3.

What is inflammation?

• Inflammation is the immune system response to an injury or infection. More blood is sent to the affected area to speed a cure. It is identified by swelling, redness, warmth and pain.

Can inflammation be bad for your health?

• Though inflammation is vital to the health of the body, too much inflammation can cause the body problems. This is usually a result of the immune system responding to a situation when there is no need to.

What type of health problems can be created by too much inflammation?

• The most common problem caused by inflammation is arthritis. Not all cases of arthritis are caused by inflammation. One type of arthritis caused by this condition is rheumatoid arthritis. Other problems that can be caused by inflammation are heart problems and damage to your blood vessels.

What causes too much inflammation?

• You may find this hard to believe, but Omega - 6, an essential fatty acid, causes up to have too much inflammation. In todays world, we eat more processed foods than ever before. These processed foods are such packaged foods as lunch meat, breads, snacks etc. By eating these foods we get more than enough Omega - 6.

So what does Omega-3 have to do with it?

• Omega-3 and Omega - 6 need to balance. In fact, nutritionist recommend a ratio of two Omega - 6 to every one Omega-3. Once this balance is obtained, inflammation will be balanced and problems caused by too much inflammation minimized.

How do I balance Omega-3 and Omega - 6?

• There are a couple of things you can do to get them in proper balance. The first thing is to reduce your consumption of processed foods. Shift to more natural foods.


• The other thing to do is to increase your consumption of food sources rich in Omega-3. These food sources are cold-water fish such as salmon, sardines, anchovies and trout.


• When selecting your fish ensure you get wild fish such as wild Alaskan salmon. The farm raised salmon does not have as much Omega-3 as wild Alaskan salmon.


• If you do not like fish, or do not want to eat the required three to four servings per week, then you may want to look at taking fish oil supplements.

Conclusion

Omega-3 and inflammation are needed by the body for good health. But too much inflammation can do the body harm. Omega-3 can keep your inflammation at the required levels needed for a healthy body.

Walter Chase made a life style change when he was 35. When that happened he started taking supplements, exercising, which included weight lifting and running. Walter started taking Omega - 3 supplements five years ago. Receive a free e-book all about Omega-3 at his web site http://www.goodfattyacids.com/.