Flax Seed: How To Improve Your Mood With Omega-3?

Omega-3 and Fish Oil, Flax Seed
Routine consumption of fish oil is another highly recommended method of increasing your omega-3 intake and improving your health, and is also the most convenient for today's busy lifestyles. Fish oil contains high levels of the best omega-3 fats - those with the EPA and DHA fatty acids - and, as it is in pure form, does not pose the mercury risk of fresh fish. However, the best sources of Omega-3 and Omega-6 will be from Flax Seed oil where Flax Seed oil contains a balanced ratio between Omega-3 and Omega-6.

Omega-3 and Omega-6
Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are very important to our everyday life and function. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are critical in the structure of our cell membranes and the development of the nervous system and form the foundation for the synthesis of cell mediators (prostaglandins and leukotrienies). These cell mediators play an important role in human physiology and can affect coagulation, inflammation and proliferation of certain cells. That is why taking flax seed oil is so essential as flax seed contains high concentration of Omega-3 and Omega-6.

Good Fats in Fish
Fish is a good source of protein and doesn't have the high saturated fat that fatty meat products do. Fatty fish like mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon are high in two kinds of omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

What Is Fatty Acids
A saturated fatty acid has only single bonds in the carbon backbone. Unsaturated fatty acids have one or more double bonds in the carbon backbone. Thus, monounsaturated fat acids have one double bond and polyunsaturated fatty acids have two or more double bonds. These double bonds decrease the melting point that means they are more likely to be a liquid than a solid at room temperature. The longer the carbon backbone length, the higher the melting point and the more likely to be a solid than a liquid at room temperature. Flax seed has high concentration of fatty acids which are essential to our overall health.

Omega-3 Benefits:
Improves Mood - persons suffering from mood disorders such as depression benefit from fish oil supplementation and omega 3. The lack of omega 3 fatty acids (DHA) has been linked by researchers to depression.

Lowers Cancer Risk - studies on omega 3 benefits have linked lowered risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer to the consumption of fish oil.

Improves Heart Health - fish oil and Omega 3 benefits include reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, reducing the risk of heart-related sudden death and lowering unhealthy triglyceride levels. In fact, the American Heart Association recommends two servings of fish a week for healthy persons and one serving per day of fish or fish oil supplement containing at least 900mg of fish oil for persons with heart disease.

With all the known benefits of the flax seed, what else are you waiting for? We do urge you to find out more about flax seed oil and other flax seed benefits at www.flaxseedfitness.com