To Your Health: Omega-3s

16 Aug To Your Health: Omega-3s

Dr. Alan Safdi was one of the most popular speakers at the Telluride First Foundation’s inaugural Integrative Wellness Summit. He is scheduled to speak again at the 2nd annual conference at the Telluride Conference Center in Mountain Village. The intensive takes place September 9 – 11 and also features Deepak Chopra (streaming live); Dr. David Agus; Dr. George Pratt, and more. Jewel is the Friday night keynote; she will tell her story of personal growth through words and music. For more about the speakers, go here. To purchase tickets, go here.

A regular contributor to Telluride Inside… and Out, Dr. Safdi’s column is entitled “To Your Health.” (Search under the column name or Safdi’s name on our home page to find all his eye-opening posts.)

In the run-up to the WellnessTelluride Inside.. and Out is hosting a series of podcasts on subjects in medical headlines today, including exercise, supplements, longevity, diet and nutrition, break-throughs in cancer research. 

This week, Dr. Safdi talks about the importance of omega-3s. 

Please scroll down to the bottom of the story to listen to his podcast on the subject.

Omega-3.

The name of a spaceship?

Apple’s next operating system?

Nope. Omega-3s are the fatty acids that function as the building blocks for all fats in your body. And the jury is in: Omega-3s are absolutely essential to our health and well-being.

Omega-3s reduce inflammation and may help lower risk of chronic afflictions such as heart disease (by decreasing the amount of bad fat circulating in your blood), cancer, and arthritis.

Omega-3 fatty acids are highly concentrated in the brain and appear to be important for cognitive (brain memory and performance) and behavioral function. They are also really good for your eyes.

According to The University of Maryland Medical Center ”… infants who do not get enough omega-3 fatty acids from their mothers during pregnancy are at risk for developing vision and nerve problems.”

A recent report suggests that omega-3 fatty acids might also increase a colon cancer patient’s odds of survival. A study of about 1,700 Americans showed colon cancer patients who ate 0.3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids everyday were 41% less likely to die.

Other potential benefits include increases in the good cholesterol (HDL), decreases in triglycerides, and lowering blood pressure in people with hyptertention.

Symptoms of omega-3 fatty acid deficiency include fatigue, poor memory, dry skin, heart problems, mood swings or depression, and poor circulation.

Omega-3s are clearly necessary for human health, but here’s the rub: the body can’t make them. You have to get omega-3s through food.

But which foods?

Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish, such as salmon, tuna, and halibut, other seafood’s including algae and krill, some plants, and nut oils. In fact, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends eating fish (particularly fatty fish such as mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna, and salmon) at least two times a week.

One good way to get omega-3s is to follow the Mediterranean diet, which  emphasizes foods  rich in omega-3 fatty acids, including whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, nuts, olive oil, spices, and garlic. What’s more, the Mediterranean diet seems to includes a good balance between omega-3 and  omega-6.

To learn more about omega-3s, listen to my conversation with Susan Viebrock.

Editor’s Note: 

Our relationship with Dr. Alan Safdi started several years ago when we attended a Wellness Conference at The Peaks Resort & Spa. Dr. Safdi, is a gastroenterologist with a talent for offering evidence-based medical findings for healthy living in easily digestible sound bytes. We next heard him speak at Telluride First Foundation’s inaugural Integrative Wellness Conference, where the audience got just a taste of his encyclopedic knowledge of mind-body wellness with an emphasis on prevention.

More about Dr. Alan Safdi:

Dr. Alan Safdi

Dr. Alan Safdi is a speaker, contributor, and serves on the advisory board of the Telluride First Foundation.

He is board certified in Internal Medicine and in Gastroenterology and a Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology. A proven leader in the healthcare arena, Safdi has been featured on the national program “Medical Crossfire” and authored or co-authored numerous medical articles and abstracts. He has been an investigator in over 581 studies and is President of both the Consultants For Clinical Research and the Ohio Gastroenterology and Liver Institute.

Dr. Safdi has been involved in grant-based and clinical research for about 35 years and is passionate about disease prevention and wellness, not just fixing what has gone wrong. He is an international lecturer on the subjects of wellness, nutrition, and gastroenterology.