Eye Health and Fish Oil

We at Back in Action Chiropractic have shared the many powerful benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids in the past. Here is just another health benefit of these fishy fats. A recent study was done which showed that omega-3 fatty acids prevent disease of the eyes! The researchers fed two groups of mice diets which were either high or low in Omega-3’s. The group with higher amounts of the omega-3’s had a nearly 50 percent decrease in retinopathy or eye disease. I know what you are saying, “Eating fish will help me see better?” YES! “The retina has one of the highest concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids in the body,” said lead author and NEI fellowship recipient Kip M. Connor, Ph.D., a postdoctoral research fellow at Children’s Hospital Boston. The retina is a thin layer of cells in the back of the eye that “reads” the light that enters the eye. That light is then sent to the back of the brain where it is turned into the image that you are seeing now. So if one of the primary components of the retina is omega-3 it is vitally important to eye sight. But, if there is not enough omega-3 in the retina that will decrease the health and function of the eye.

As you may have read in past daily health secret emails, diet is vitally important to the health and wellness of the human body. Not only did inadequate levels of omega-3 affect the health of the eye, but diet also was found to influence it as well. More specifically they were looking at omega-6 fatty acids which are the black sheep of the fatty acid family. The omega-6 fatty acids (which are extremely common in the standard American diet) contributed to the growth of abnormal blood vessels in the retina. These abnormal blood vessels are found to eventually lead to eye disease and even blindness. Go to the grocery store and take a stroll down the inner isles of the store (the bread and box isles). Virtually every product on the shelves have omega-6’s in them. Do your absolute best to try to limit omega-6 fatty acids from your daily diet.

Now that I have shown you the importance of omega-3 fatty acids, let me show you how to get omega-3’s in your diet. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in flax seeds, some eggs and even some beef now. By far the best way to achieve optimal levels of omega-3 in the body and especially the retina of the eye is through fish oils. We are blessed in Bellevue to live in an area where we have plenty of fresh fish. The problem is that rarely in my patients do I find someone who even likes fish let alone gets the adequate amounts of four to five servings a day. What I recommend to all of my patients is to take an omega-3 supplement in the form of a pill or oil. When shopping for omega-3 supplements look for brands that have no omega-6’s in the formula. We are trying to stay away from the bad fatty acids, so there’s no point to have them in our supplements. Secondly make sure that the omega-3 supplement is “pharmaceutical grade”. What this means is that any of the impurities of the fish have been taken out before it is bottled. Many times it will say this right on the bottle as “Mercury Free”, or “Pharmaceutical Grade”. Be very suspicious if your supplement does not mention this in one way or another.

End of the day, make certain that you are supplementing your diet with omega-3 fatty acids as well as limiting your intake of omega-6 fatty acids in your diet.