QUESTION: What are Ome-ga-3 fatty acids and how do they lower a person's risk of dying from heart disease? Omega-3 fatty acids
fight heart disease in
more ways than oneANSWER: Omega-3 is a type of dietary fat found in high concentrations in fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, halibut, herring and bass.
Omega-3s are also available, but in much smaller amounts, in dark green vegetables, canola and soybean oils, tofu, nuts (especially walnuts), and flaxseed.
Here's how Omega-3 fats work to lower a person's risk of dying from heart disease. This type of fat protects the heart by making our blood less likely to coagulate (thicken). That means your body is also less likely to form clots. Blood clots can lead to sudden death by causing fatal heart attacks. Also, Omega - 3 fats appear to stabilize the heart's muscle cells in such a way as to prevent interruptions in its heart-pumping rhythm. Arrhythmia, as it is known when interruptions occur, is a life-threatening disorder.
Here are some conclusions which are based on controlled studies involving Omega-3 fatty acids. One study has shown that men instructed to eat Omega-3 fatty fish were 30 percent less likely to die after a heart attack, during a 2-year period, than heart-attack victims who did not receive this recommendation. Another finding has to do with patients being given Omega-3s after angioplasty. Their arteries tended to remain clear, rather than reclogging.
Q: Are products with the American Heart Association logo on them more healthful than products that don't display the logo? I've noticed that the labels of identical products are similar even though only one displays the logo. A: Let's first clear up what the American Heart Association logo signifies. A product displaying the logo is required to have no more than three grams of fat (no more than one of them saturated), 20 milligrams of cholesterol, and 480 milligrams of sodium per serving. Meats, fish, poultry and frozen dinners are allowed a little more. The product also must have at least 10 percent of the recommended daily amount of one or more of the following nutrients: protein, vitamin A and C, calcium, iron and dietary fiber.
The Heart Association doesn't allow its logo to be used on products produced by tobacco companies or their subsidiaries, even if the foods are themselves healthy. Consequently, products from Kraft and Nabisco are ineligible.
Here's the catch. Products displaying the Heart Association logo aren't necessarily healthier than those without it. Why? Because the Heart Association charges a $7,500 fee to use its logo. Many foods are eligible to display the logo but the product manufacturers choose not to purchase it.
If you want to support the Heart Association, go ahead and buy products with the logo. But it's still a good idea to read food labels. You may find a similar product even healthier than the one endorsed by the AHA.
Q: Does stress make it easier to catch a cold? A: There is extensive research being conducted on how stress affects the physical body. Scientists believe that emotions like worry, anger, fear and sadness stimulate the release of excessive amounts of stress hormones, including cortisone and adrenaline. These hormones in turn produce changes in the antibodies, proteins and cells of the body's immune system.
Exactly how this occurs is still somewhat unclear. Scientists in the new field of psychoneuroimmunology are working hard toward finding a connection between our state of mind, our nervous system and our immune response. What we do know is that there is a direct link between body and mind. The mind affects many functions of the body, especially the immune apparatus. And the immune system affects many aspects of an individual's overall health.
Stephenie Karony is a certified health
and fitness instructor, a personal trainer and the author of
"Body Shaping with Free Weights." Send questions to her at
P.O. Box 262, Wailuku Hi. Her column appears on Wednesdays.
