Omega 3 - What's it all about?

We hear so much these days about Omega 3, 6 and 9, they’re in orange, juice, added in cereal, and other foods that we eat, but yet so many people never really understand the importance of these nutrients Omega 3 EFAs (essential fatty acids, meaning essential for your body but not produced by your body) are extremely important in the structure and function of every cell in the body and the function of your cells is what determines your health. Your cells are what determine your immune function, healing, hormone levels, heart function, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, digestion, moods etc. Literally, the function and health of your cells determines every aspect of your health. Omega 3 also play a major role in regulating inflammation in your body. Having a diet that is toxic with Omega 6 or deficient in Omega 3 EFAs creates a pro-inflammatory state within the body. (And, by the way, that is most of the population). When the two are out of balance, it creates havoc in your system and throws your cell function for a loop. Most food we eat has a very high ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3. For example, all grains and fried foods just to name a few. This is very significant because inflammation is at the root of virtually all of the common chronic illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and depression as well as the autoimmune and atopic diseases such as arthritis, Crohn’s Disease, irritable bowel, psoriasis, eczema, allergies, fibromyalgia, lupus, and multiple sclerosis. Inflammation is also a major factor in dysmenorrhea (menstrual pain and/or cramping), headaches, and back and neck pain Omega 3 EFAs play a role in virtually every human function including growth and development, digestion, brain and nerve function, immune function, hormone production and regulation, maintenance of skin and bones, regulation of healing and inflammation, heart function, vision, cholesterol levels, and even emotions and behavior. This is not to say that this is the ONLY cause of these diseases, but it does mean that anyone who is deficient in Omega 3 will show an improvement in health due to an improvement in cell function and will aid in preventing illness and promoting health.