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Bacon, Eggs, Toast: As Many Omega-3s As A Piece of Salmon?

Eating fish is not the only way of increasing the omega-3s in our diet, as "The Queen of Fats: Why Omega-3s were removed from our diet and what we can do to replace them," by science writer Susan Allport shows.

Many of the foods we eat every day, including eggs and bacon, used to be full of these essential nutrients -- when the animals they came from were eating grass, insects, and other green foods. Omega-3s originate in the green leaves of plants (not fish, as many people believe), and they accumulate in animals that eat those leaves, including fish.

Now that our livestock eat mostly seeds and grains, our foods are full of a second family of polyunsaturated fats, omega-6s which are much more prevalent in those parts of plants. This second family of polyunsaturated fats is also essential for health, but it competes with omega-3s for positions in cell membranes and affects cells in different ways. Fats in this family are not as dynamic, or speedy, as omega-3s. They also produce cell messengers called prostaglandins that are far more inflammatory and far more likely to cause thrombosis or blood clotting. As our reliance on seeds and seed oils has increased since the turn of the last century, so has the incidence of heart disease and other inflammatory disorders.

It may not be practical for us to eat only grass-fed meats and eggs. But it’s also not possible for us to catch, or raise, enough fish to correct this problem. We can, however, increase our omega-3s by eating small amounts of fish and grass-fed animals and using vegetable oils with a healthier balance of omega-6s to omega-3s. The Queen of Fats (University of California Press), out in paperback February, 2008 and described as a “must read” by physicians and nutritionists, explains the reasoning behind these simple steps and tells the compelling history of the omega-3 research.

Diabetes Increases Risk of Heart Disease Death for Women

Libraries Medical News		Keywords WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH GENDER DIFFERENCES DIABETES HEART DISEASE CARDIOVASCULAR
Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only
Description The word is out: women are at risk for heart disease, just like men. In fact, roughly twice as many women in this country will die of heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases than from all forms of cancer combined, including breast cancer, according to the American Heart Association.

Jennifer Wider, M.D.
Society for Women’s Health Research

Newswise — The word is out: women are at risk for heart disease, just like men. In fact, roughly twice as many women in this country will die of heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases than from all forms of cancer combined, including breast cancer, according to the American Heart Association.

Risk factors for heart disease and stroke have long been identified. Several risk factors cannot be controlled by the individual, such as sex, increasing age and a family history of heart disease. Others can be modified and include:

• Smoking
• High blood pressure and cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Body weight

Diabetes continues to be a growing problem in the United States for both men and women. A study published in the December 2007 issue of the European Heart Journal reveals that diabetes is a stronger risk factor for heart disease death in women than in men.

“The reason for the higher relative risk of coronary heart disease in women with diabetes than in men with diabetes is still unclear,” explains Ane Cecilie Dale, M.D., the study’s lead researcher and head of the Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. “But research in this field continues to go on.”

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, diabetes affects approximately 8.9 percent of American women. The occurrence of diabetes is significantly higher among African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, and Asian/Pacific Islander women than in white women.

Women with diabetes have a two to four times higher risk of dying from heart disease and stroke compared to women without diabetes, according to data from the American Heart Association. Women with diabetes are often overweight and suffer from high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, and high cholesterol levels, which can add to the risk.

“Women with diabetes need to be aware of the associated risk of heart disease. The most important thing to do for all persons with diabetes to protect themselves from heart disease and other diabetes complications is to have a good glucometabolic control with a blood glucose as near normal as possible,” Dale said. “They also need to control other risk factors like hypertension and blood cholesterol levels. In addition it is important to quit smoking, have a healthy diet and practice regularly exercise.”

Considering how complex the management of diabetes and heart diseases risks are, women should talk to their health care providers to develop a plan of action. Without the support of health care professionals, patients can easily feel overwhelmed.

February is American Heart Month. For tips on reducing your heart disease risk, visit the American Heart Association Web site: http:/www.heart.org. For diabetes information, visit the American Diabetes Association: http://www.diabetes.org. WomenHeart, the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease, provides patients with education and grassroots support networks. WomenHeart is online at http://www.womenheart.org.

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