The vital role of Omega 3.

There is a substantial amount of evidence that one should take a portion of omega 3 oil per day.

The consumption of omega 3 fish oils rather than genetics is responsible for the low incidence of coronary heart disease amongst the Japanese. In one commentary on the subject, it was shown that omega 3 consumption protected against heart disease even in the presence of traditional risk factors such as diabetes and hypertension [i]

In contrast to the anti-inflammatory, cell growth suppressive and blood thinning quality of Omega 3s, Omega 6 is associated with pro-inflammatory, cell stimulating and thrombotic tendency. It has been shown that women with breast cancer are far more likely to have lower levels of omega 3 [ii] and that Omega 3 inhibits tumour growth [iii]

There is quite frankly such strong evidence that omega 3 is a major contributor to general health, that I consider it almost negligent not to improve one's diet to increase consumption of oily fish or else take at least 1000mg of omega 3 oil per day. [iv]. In fact if one is suffering with arthritic or cardiovascular problems the suggestion is one should take 2000-4000mg per day .

The declining presence of omega 3 compared to omega 6 levels in the diet has been stated to be the root cause of much of the western epidemic of obesity in the last 50 years ( in the same article it demonstrates that young babies fed on the same number of calories but higher in omega 6 rather than omega 3 are more likely to be obese.

The omega 3 content of our daily food has profoundly altered; for example that the natural omega 3/omega 6 ratio in eggs has dropped 20 fold due to the diet of the chickens being supplemented with corn feed. The omega 3 content of free range butter eggs cheese and milk is much higher than intensively farmed produce fed on corn. This observation may contribute to the the ‘Alpine/ French paradoxes’ where high fat in diet is not associated with increase in heart disease due to the protective effects of high levels of omega 3.

In the same reference it is noted that the levels of the protective factor CLA (conjugated linoleic acid ) have dropped and the consumption of the extremely harmful trans fats has risen. Both can be remedied by eating free range (grass fed, not corn fed ) animals and avoiding processed foods particularly hydrogenated fats such as margarine. [v].

So eat good quality oily fish 4-5 time per week or if like me you can never manage this, consider taking a supplement of 2000-4000mg per day of Omega 3 fish oil.

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[i] Sekikawa A, Curb JD, Ueshima H, et al. Marine-derived n-3 fatty acids and atherosclerosis in Japanese, Japanese-American, and white men. A cross-sectional study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2008;52:417-424. Harris W. Omega-3 fatty acids: The "Japanese" factor? J Am Coll Cardiol. 2008;52:425-427

[ii] Researchers compared the omega 3 content of breast tissue from patients with invasive, breast cancer with those with benign breast disease and found inverse associations between breast cancer-risk and the women's breast tissue levels of omega-3 fatty acids . Women who had the highest ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s had a 67% lower risk for breast cancer compared to women with the lowest ratio of omega-3s to 6s. Maillard et al. . N-3 and N-6 fatty acids in breast adipose tissue and relative risk of breast cancer in a case-control study in Tours, France. Int J Cancer 2002 Mar 1;98(1):78-83.

[iii]Levent et al Protective Effects of Diets Supplemented with Omega-3Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Calcium Against ColorectalTumor Formation Dig Dis Sci (2008) 53:2177–2182

[iv]Mark A. Moyad An introduction to dietary/supplemental omega-3 fatty acids for general health and prevention: Part I, Urologic Oncology: Seminars and Original Investigations 23 (2005) 28–35. Urologic Oncology: Seminars and Original Investigations 23 (2005) 36–48. Mark A. Moyad An introduction to dietary/supplemental omega-3 fatty acids for general

health and prevention: Part II,. 3’s DeFilippis and Sperling Understanding omegas Am Heart J 2006;151:564- 70.)

[v] Dr David Servan-Schreiber ; Anti Cancer , a new way of life (penguin 2008) 82-94.

Simple changes to your diet reduce the onset of chronic disease

A St Lucian Sunset...2007

Where as I Consultant in Pain Medicine, I started thinking more about promoting health than treating disease.

The evidence linking diet to onset of chronic disease is now very clear. There are places in the world such as Okinawa where disease incidence is very low, about 75% less of any disease you care to mention Cancers, Alzheimer's, Cardiovascular disease and Strokes.

Particular scourges of the West such as breast and prostate cancer are about 90% lower. There are 4 times the rate of centenarians in Okinawa as in the developed West. We may have access to better medicine, but isn't it better to prevent onset of cancer than treat it?

From my reading of the literature if one took 100 women living in the UK who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, and transported back 20 years and put them on Okinawa with their dietary habits and lifestyle, then approx. 90 of them would not have developed breast cancer.

As you might expect the answer eating some fish (the Okinawans eat alot of fish), also eating green vegetables, fresh fruit and getting some sunshine and exercise everyday are the keys.

Even more importantly, the literature suggest that even small changes in diet and lifestyle can, even done late in life, may still be very helpful.

Not all of us have the time, energy or opportunity to make radical changes to our lifestyle or diet so here are a few observations and recommendations.



1) I suggest 2000-4000mg per day of a high quality Omega 3 Fish oil.(This is equivalent to 5 portions of oily fish per week) Make sure the combined EPA and DHA content is at least 55%.

2) Low vitamin D levels are associated with increasing numbers of diseases , we dont get the sunshine we need and most of us work in doors so I suggest 400-1000iu of vitamin D2/D3 per day

3) Consider a vitamin B/C supplement everyday

(if you need further information please consider www.healingtheperson.com)

4) Drink some red/purple berry juice very day (e.g superberry 100) and /or a glass of red wine (preferably full bodied from the south of France- they have some of the highest levels of protective polyphenol in the world)

5) Certain green teas are very high in the protective phytonutrient ECGC e.g Long Jing/ Dragon Well. (see website mentioned above if you need help) drink regularly. I find it much more refreshing than ordinary tea or coffee when I have a long day.

6)Eat a small avocado every day

7) Use a mixture of one quarter each of olive oil/rape seed oil/grape seed oil and coconut oil for cooking. This covers the types of fatty acids which have been shown to be associated with good health. Mix together and use. DONT USE CORN OIL.

8) Eat some salad before every meal. I am too busy to make it up so I buy the ready prepared stuff (including that already chopped for stir fries -its cheaper than buying the individual ingredients I think).

9) If you are over weight, cut down on processed foods, potatoes, refined carbohydrates such as white bread and white pasta. Wholemeal basmiti rice is so much better. Try meals mainly based on vegetables (not potatoes!) and meat. Use white meat more than red meat

10) Turmeric is an amazing spice which may contribute to the low incidence of both Alzheimer's and some cancers in India, add some to your cooking , eg in soups,stews and rice. Or take supplements if you don't like the taste (see strong yellow supplement at www.healingtheperson.com).

11) It is amazing what even a small amount of exercise will do. I recommend a x-trainer or ski walker set up in front of a TV so as soon as you come in from work, just do the exercise for 20 minutes whilst you watch TV, ....and then settle down with your glass of wine, red of course..

12) Smoking is a complete disaster I'm afraid. Do whatever you can to stop.

13) If you have a medical condition, particularly diabetes or on warfarin, take medical advice first.

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