Omega 3 Fish Oil

Two new studies have shown that a diet rich in fish oil helps prevent macular degeneration, an illness that frequents aging individuals and is the most common cause of loss of eyesight due to old age.

Omega 3 fatty acids found in pelagic fish such as salmon, mackerel and tuna have already proved to help the brain and heart stay healthy.  These two new studies that are in print in the Archives of Ophthalmology add one more benefit of introducing omega 3 to your diet and that is the protection of your eyes.  These new studies support already existing evidence that link omega 3 found in fish and their correlating supplements to the prevention of blindness due to old age.

One portion of the study was conducted on 681 senior American men found that the men who ate fish at least twice a week had a 36 percent decreased chance of developing macular degeneration.  The other study focused on 2,335 men and women from Australia for a period of five years.  This study found that those who ate fish at least one every week reduced their risk of macular degeneration, or blindness, by an astounding 40 percent.

People in the developed nations have a longer life expectancy than ever before, so maintaining good health throughout old age is essential.  That is why a debilitating illness like macular degeneration should be avoided at all costs, when we are able to at least reduce the chances of it occurring.  Macular degeneration is an illness that will creep either slowly or quickly on you, depending on its type and stage of development.  Macular degeneration will start blurring out the center of the visual object in sight, until complete eyesight is lost.  6 to 8 percent of people who are aged 75 and above have acquired an advanced form of the illness.

In the studies conducted it was found that a diet rich in fish oil was critical in preventing eye disease.  Those American men who consumed omega 3 fatty acids and limited their omega 6 fatty acid intake were less likely to encounter this disease in old age.

The ability of omega 3 fatty acids to neutralize free radicals in the eye with the development of age; this prevents the creation of new blood vessels and, thus reduces inflammation.

Fish oil is a great supplement to add to your diet.  The benefits  are numerous and all research done on omega 3 effects on the body is positive in a number of outstanding ways.  You can not go wrong with adding fish oil to your diet.