Omega-3 polyunsaturates and the cardiovascular system

The cardiovascular system is the network of tubes which circulates blood around the body. The movement is created by the heart, acting as a pump. Blood is pumped into the arteries for delivery to the cells where it is needed, then drawn back through the veins to the heart to begin the cycle over again. The flow of blood can be hindered by deposits which can form on the insides of the blood vessels. This process is a bit like the fur which forms on the inside of hot water pipes in hard water areas. Basically the effect is to reduce the size of the hole through which blood flows, slowing down the circulation. This then makes the system more vulnerable to the second factor which can interfere with blood flow, the formation of a blood clot. While is it clearly necessary to have blood which clots, to reduce blood loss in the event of an injury, a clot (or thrombosis) forming within intact blood vessels can cause a blockage in the flow of blood. If the clot becomes stuck in the narrowed part of one of the arteries supplying blood to keep the heart working (the coronary arteries) then blood flow is stopped, and a heart attack can follow as the heart becomes starved of the blood-born oxygen it needs to keep working.

Heart disease was the first area investigated with regard to the impact of the omega-3’s. It was noticed in the early 1970’s that Inuits (Eskimos) had a high fat, high cholesterol diet, yet virtually no heart disease. Investigations by two Danish medical researchers, Dyerberg & Bang resulted in the conclusion that this was due to the high level of omega-3 polyunsaturates in their native diet. Investigations in hospitals and laboratories all over the world have confirmed that for people living on typical Western diets, increasing omega-3 intake has a number of beneficial effects:

• the level of a fat called triglyceride in blood goes down, by as much as 30%. A high level of triglyceride encourages blood to clot, and is associated with an increased risk of read more
  
  
  
  
  

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