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DHA Algae Supplements–A New Method to Eat Your Veggies

By: Lee Cole
DHA supplements are something loads of health conscious people are taking. DHA, called docosahexaenoic acid, is amongst the all important omega-3 fatty acids. You need to have omega-3's in your diet for good health. Unfortunately, you can't make omega-3 essential fatty acids in your body from other chemicals. You need to eat omega-3's. Cold water fish and free-range fowl and other animals are some good sources of DHA and of omega-3's in general. But there's a problem with eating all of that fish and free-range game. So far as the fish is concerned, there's the problem with mercury. And free-range fowl and other animal proteins cost a lot. Also, there's the challenge of being a vegetarian. Wouldn't it be great if you could get to the source, if you could just eat whatever the fish eat to get your essential fatty acids that way? Well, now there is.

You see our biggest method of obtaining omega-3 essential fatty acids is big, cold-water fish like tuna. The tuna obtain the omega-3's from smaller fish they eat. Eventually, farther down the food chain, the original method of obtaining omega-3 fatty acids is algae that grows in the sea. If you could potentially just obtain the fatty acids directly from the algae, you could possibly skip the fish part. That works well for vegetarians. One more reason why this might be a really great idea is the big ocean fish frequently have mercury and other toxins accumulated in their bodies.

There's one special group of people that this all affects more than others. That's expectant mothers. You see, DHA is recommended for brain health in fetuses and also in young kids. But expectant women are not recommended to eat plenty of seafood, or even to take omega-3 fatty acid supplements, because of the issue with toxins.

Some companies make DHA supplements straight from algae. This is just the thing for expectant mothers, mainly because they know they can't get toxins that might hurt their children this way. There are even some infant formulas out now that had DHA supplements.

Should you be not pregnant, or even female, there are some other ways to obtain omega-3's without eating seafood or other types of meats. They come through walnuts and flax seeds. Eggs have some DHA. Probably the best way, however, is to have a vitamin or other pill which includes DHA supplements.

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To learn more about Dr. Scott Doughman see Pure One - A New Way to Eat Your Veggies

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DHA | Omega-3 Fatty Acids Could Help Prevent Traumatic Brain Injury

Washington, Jan 9 (ANI): Taking the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexanoic acid (DHA) might offer a new way of protecting against traumatic brain injury (TBI), suggest animal experiments.

Although only preliminary, the results raise the "intriguing" possibility of preventive treatment with DHA in groups at high risk of TBI, such as military personnel and athletes in contact sports--including football players. The lead author is Dr. Julian E. Bailes of West Virginia University, Morgantown.

In the experiment, rats were treated with DHA at varying doses, equivalent to those used in humans taking DHA supplements. After one month of treatment, tissue and behavioral responses to induced TBI were compared between groups of treated animals.

The tissue damage caused by TBI was significantly reduced in rats taking the highest dose of DHA: 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Cellular findings included a significant reduction in expression of a protein (beta amyloid protein) that has been implicated in the development of Alzheimer"s disease.

Animals receiving the highest dose of DHA before TBI also had reduced expression of key indicators of brain cell death (caspase 3 and macrophages). The DHA-treated rats also performed better on a test of spatial memory, indicating less behavioral impairment.

Recent research has suggested that treatment with omega-3 fatty acids could help to improve the outcomes of TBI. Docosahexanoic acid is one of the main fatty acids found in the brain, where it may play a number of "neuroprotective" roles.

The new study adds to recent evidence suggesting that DHA may be the first treatment of any type to reduce brain tissue damage caused by TBI.

This omega-3 fatty acid is widely available from an algae or fish oil source.

The study appears in the February issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. (ANIhttp://www.yahind.com/omega-3-fatty-acids-could-help-prevent-traumatic-brain-injury_7029.html)


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OMEGA-3 | Indian supplements market to approach €2bn by 2016

Indian supplements market to approach €2bn by 2016

11-Jan-2011

Related topics: Consumer Trends, Weight management

 

The booming interest in food supplements in India will translate into a market worth 107.7 billion rupees (€1.84bn) in 2016 nearly triple 2009 levels, according to researcher Frost and Sullivan.

Weight concerns are driving double digit growth in the Indian supplements market

Weight concerns are driving double digit growth in the Indian supplements market

In 2009 the market was worth INR37.7bn (€645m), Frost observed of a market being driven by increasing health awareness and desire to use supplements to combat obesity and overweight problems, which are on the rise in India, along with China, as western dietary habits gain favour.

Due to these factors, food supplements and dietetic products grew 16 and 20 per cent respectively in 2009, making India one of the most attractive markets in the world.

But Frost analyst Partha Basu warned that competition from functional foods and the need to build science to back claims could jeopardise growth.

"Most supplements in the market make health claims that are not independently verified," he said. "The participants need to conduct clinical studies on their products and publish them in peer-review journals to prove their efficacy and thereby, gain acceptance."

Frost observed that functional foods were more popular than supplements in India but that taste issues with some functional foods was opening doors to supplements.

"Depending on the mode of distribution, a suitable strategy may be developed to link performance of the product with the brand," said Basu. "This is aptly seen in the communication strategy of participants in the chyawanprash segment, as they use brand ambassadors such as cricketers and movie stars."


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