With Omega-3s, Seeing Is Believing

Each of you knows of at least one natural health skeptic, probably a bunch more than one.  They criticize how foolish you are for following the all-natural way of living, when, in their mind, eating organic produce is a waste of money, drinking only water is nothing more than bland imbibing, and supplementing with omega-3s is a “mega” waste of time.

To them, it’s all a lot of hullabaloo – after all, it’s not like natural products can cure male pattern baldness or prevent blindness, right?

The jury’s still out on baldness, but as for blindness, omega-3 fatty acids may at the very least prevent blindness from occurring later in life.

Researchers discovered this after feeding rats suffering from a common eye disorder in elderly men and women – age-related macular degeneration – a diet high in omega-3s, specifically the DHA and EPA kind.  Impressively, they discovered upon the study’s conclusion that not only did the rats that consumed the omega-3s display a slower deterioration, but many of the rats actually showed a reversal in symptoms.  In short, their eyesight improved!

The study is published in the journal American Journal of Pathology and supports previous studies that have found links between eye health and omega-3 supplementation.  One such study found that supplementing with omega-3s reduced the risk of AMD by nearly 40 percent (published in the June 2008 issue of Archives of Ophthalmology)!

Age-related macular degeneration is a common disease typically found in people 60 years of age and older.  The disease attacks the retinal portion of the eye, severely diminishes one’s ability to see centrally (as opposed to peripherally) due to decaying proteins and cells found beneath the retina.

It’s estimated that 25 to 30 million people worldwide are affected by AMD, with women leading the way in diagnoses.  Common symptoms of AMD are blurry or hazy vision, objects appearing distorted, drabness of colors, and blind spots.

Just what it is about EPA and DHA that’s so healthful for the eyes is still a mystery, but the chemical composition of the omega-3s are able to eat away at the inflammatory molecules that exacerbate AMD, according to the researchers.

This is sure to sound too good to be true for the naysayers, but science is science, and according to the National Eye Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, seeing is believing.

So continue to supplement with the omega-3s found in fish oil supplements – like Carson’s Liquid Fish and Cod Liver Oil, my brand of choice – and continue eating omega-3s found in salmon and walnuts.

And if you’re cynical friends ask why you do it, now you can accurately say you do it because it can cure blindness – age-related blindness, anyway.

Sources
nutraingredients.com
lucentis.com