Fish diet benefits
For more than 200 years, cod liver oil was prescribed for a number of ailments, including rheumatism and arthritis, because it was believed it could "lubricate the joints." But it wasn't until 1985 that doctors writing in the New England Journal of Medicine recommended that arthritis sufferers could benefit from eating fish once or twice a week.
In the case of arthritis, the omega-3 oils do "lubricate" the joints by reducing painful inflammation. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases says the oils "unquestionably are anti-inflammatory agents."
Research funded through the institute demonstrated that these oils blocked the formation of something called leukotriene B4, which triggers inflammation. The institute reported ". a significant correlation between the drop in leukotriene B4 and decrease in the number of tender joints." after the oils were prescribed.
There are three villains lurking deep in side our bodies that cause heart attacks and strokes. They are the plaque that can clog arteries and dangerously restrict blood flow; the accumulation of platelets (sticky pieces of blood cells) that clump together and form clots; and the sudden, unexplained spasms of blood vessels that can throw the heart out of kilter or halt the flow of blood to the brain, causing strokes.
Studies on fish oil show it works wonders in reducing or eliminating all three risks. People who eat lots of fish seem to have thinner blood, which is less prone to clotting. Omega-3 oils also reduce triglycerides and dangerous LDL cholesterol and that may be why fish is such a powerful ally in the battle against heart disease.
Eskimos eat about 13 ounces of omega-3 rich seafood a day and rarely suffer from heart attacks. The same is true of Japanese fishermen and their families who consume, on average, at least 7 ounces of fish daily.
Norwegian scientists recently discovered that a mere three ounces of mackerel in the daily diet thins the blood within six weeks, significantly reducing the risk of clogged arteries, heart attacks and strokes.
In Britain, a study involving hundreds of participants revealed that those on a heavy fish diet developed higher concentration of "good" HDL cholesterol than even vegetarians. The best news is that it might not even take very much fish to fight off heart disease. Researchers at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands monitored residents of one small town who ate only one ounce of fish a week.
The results were astonishing. The risk of heart disease in the study group was 50% less than among those who ate no fish at all
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