Entries in fish oil (4)

Sunday
May022010

The Genetics of Weight and Diabetes

DateSunday, May 2, 2010 at 5:22PM

A few weeks back I attended an international conference on pregnancy induced diabetes also known gestational diabetes.  Little did I know the surprise I was in for with the most fascinating and disturbing information I have ever heard on these topics.   Over the next few blogs I’ll share some of those insights, some of which may surprise you.

The conference gave details of what happens in the womb to determine whether or not you become overweight or have a predisposition towards diabetes. 

A prominent topic we hear about in research is inflammation in the body.  Inflammation is believed to be the precursor of most medical issues – weight, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and arthritis to name a few.

Excess weight or fat prior to pregnancy can significantly increase the chances of the placenta transferring inflammatory hormones to the baby.  These hormones can increase the baby’s chance of an increased body fat or a higher triglyceride level.

What does this mean?  Babies born to overweight or diabetic moms have almost double the body fat of normal weight or non-diabetic moms.  Starting out with a higher body fat as an infant drives obesity in childhood and adulthood.  A higher triglyceride level (the storage form of fat in the blood) can increase the risk of fatty liver disease and obesity in children.

What is the take home message here?  It depends on where you are in your journey of life.  If you are planning to become pregnant it is in the best interest of your future child to have the healthiest body and diet before conception.

If you are someone who struggles with weight or diabetes, it is important to know that part of your struggle happened before you even entered the world.  I have struggled my whole life with managing my weight and working hard not to become diabetic.  After this conference I had much more empathy for myself in this journey.  I knew I had power over my lifestyle factors but the backbone of the struggle I had no control over. 

Work with your body and know there is hope.  Keep your diet clean, exercise as much as you can, and get your rest.  One bright spot presented with this information was the power of omega 3 fats to promote resolution of the inflammation both in vitro and later in life.  Daily fish oil and flax seed is one easy thing to add to your lifestyle regimen – even if you are not planning to have a baby all too soon.

AuthorSusan Dopart | Comment2 Comments |
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Sunday
Sep132009

Benefits of Fish oil, Flax Seed on Hormones, Migraines and Fertility

DateSunday, September 13, 2009 at 1:20PM

I have blogged about this subject elsewhere and it is such needed information I decided to blog about it on my own site.  About a year and a half ago I attended a conference at UCLA on omega-3 fatty acids.  Up to that point in time I had studied the effects of omega 3’s in the body but considered them more for those with heart disease, arthritis and other inflammatory problems.  After hearing the speakers tout the enormous results of omega-3 fats in multiple research studies, I decided to add them to my own diet.

First, I added 1 tablespoon of Spectrum ground flax seeds. I had been taking fish oil capsules for some time, but changed to the liquid Carlson Lemon Fish oil and took 2 teaspoons per day.

Although I eat very healthy and what I call “clean” with no processed foods, I experienced some incredible results within 3 weeks. I’ve had hormonal migraine headaches for about 20 years with not much relief.  Although I had no adolescent acne, I had quite a bit of adult cystic acne for many years with no change from my diet, exercise, or even acupuncture.

After taking the combination of the ground flax seed and liquid fish oil for three weeks, my acne almost completely cleared up, and usual 4-5 migraines per month disappeared.  I was not expecting a change in either my acne or headaches so these changes came as a surprise. I feel like a crusader now with my patients in terms of touting the benefits of the ground flax seed/liquid fish oil combo and am happy to pass along this information to anyone who has had similar challenging issues.

Since this initial blog came out I’ve been emailed multiple times by women who had challenging hormonal issues combined with infertility.  After adding the omega-3 fats women who had tried to become pregnant for 2-3 years were able to successfully conceive.  Many times infertility is caused by multiple issues.  Omega 3 fats are just one possible way to restore hormone balance.

 
AuthorSusan Dopart | Comment3 Comments |
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Saturday
Sep122009

Designer Food Worth the Extra Cost?

DateSaturday, September 12, 2009 at 5:14PM

Jumping off grocery store shelves are foods laced with specialty food supplements.  Are these “foods” worth the extra cost?  Can they really improve your health or are these products just another way to allure us to buy something that is “good” for us?

Omega3-laced eggs and milk.  Calcium supplemented chocolate chews and orange juice.  Vitamin C supplemented “energy drinks.”  Just how practical are these foods to our needs?

A typical omega-3 supplemented egg provides about 200 mg. of omega 3 fatty acids – sounds good so far.  However, if you break it down a typical omega 3 gel supplement has 1000 mg. of total omega-3 fatty acids per capsule.  Therefore, you are only getting about a fifth of a capsule in an egg. 

In addition, the most important thing to know about omega 3’s in HOW much DHA and EPA you are receiving in your supplement (see blog 7/5/09).  A 1000 mg. capsule of Carlson Super Omega 3 Fish Oil Capsules has 200 mg of DHA and 300 mg. of EPA. The outside of the bottle says 1000 mg. of omega 3’s but that is TOTAL marine fats. 

Therefore, your omega 3 eggs costing you about 60-80 percent more than regular eggs are not worth the extra cost.  The wiser investment is to take the supplement and consume regular eggs.  The same is true for most all of these “foods.”  Manufacturers are just using buzzwords to entice us to buy their products to improve our health and well-being. 

Eating clean food with no food label or less than 5 ingredients is the start.  Then consuming a balance of protein, low fat dairy, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, good fats from omega-3 rich foods (fish and ground flax seed), and monounsaturated sources (avocados, olive oil) is the next step.  An important supplement may be fish oil or Vitamin D (see blog 7/12).

 
AuthorSusan Dopart | CommentPost a Comment |
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Monday
Sep072009

The Omega-3 Index?

DateMonday, September 7, 2009 at 4:02PM

In today’s LA Times health Section, Chris Woolston gives an unbiased and helpful review on the Omega-3 Index, a new tool sold to measure 2 out of the 3 types of omega 3’s fatty acids in your blood:  EPA and DHA. For $149 you can prick your finger (much like a diabetic pricks their finger to measure their blood sugars), put your blood on a strip and send it away for testing.

Omega 3’s are vital for health (see blog 7/5/09) and are helpful for prevention of many health related issues such as insulin resistance, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, arthritis to name a few.  Is it really necessary to order this type of test versus just going out and purchasing a supplement that contains at least 1000 mg. each of DHA and EPA?  That depends on your particular situation.

If for some medical reason you are unable to take fish oil supplements due to an allergy or a medication interaction, this test may be a good idea to measure the levels of omega 3’s in your blood.  If you can take fish oil, skip the test and buy a good supplement.  They are a healthful addition to any diet and can assist immensely with lowering many types of inflammation in the body.

 
AuthorSusan Dopart | CommentPost a Comment |
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