Omega-3: allies of our heart ... and beyond
Omega-3s are essential fatty acids, i.e. substances that our body is unable to produce independently and which must therefore be taken with food: their correct intake is precious for our well-being, helping us to prevent various health problems. , in particular of a cardiovascular nature.
Omega-3s are contained in some vegetables (nuts, flax seeds, soybeans), but especially in fish (oily fish, salmon, shellfish, seafood), the consumption of which is recommended at least a couple of times a week. Research on the properties of these fatty acids is very intense today, and, as he claims Roberto Volpe, lipidologist and researcher of the CNR of Rome, their beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system are now confirmed.
Effective prevention
These substances, in practice, would be able to reduce the levels of triglycerides in the blood, to protect against arterial occlusions and to prevent cardiac arrhythmias. All precious characteristics for the well-being of the heart, which in fact are effectively used in the medical field, with the administration of pharmaceutical preparations in the treatment of patients with high triglycerides who are unable to normalize their levels through the diet, but also as a preventive therapy in people. who have suffered myocardial infarction, reducing the likelihood of a second heart attack. For Omega-3s to be truly effective, however, they must have high concentrations - explains Alessandro Mugelli, Professor of Pharmacology and Director of the NEUROFARBA Department of Florence - and it is therefore important to take formulations with a concentration of more than 85%.
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Pharmaceutical specialties vs. supplements
From this point of view, pharmaceutical formulations guarantee a quality and safety standard that supplements are unable to ensure due to a less rigorous production process. The preventive efficacy of Omega-3 pharmaceutical formulations is also recognized by the NHS, which in fact considers them reimbursable for some categories of patients. It is interesting to note that a bioequivalent pharmaceutical formulation has recently been available (commercial name: Olevia®) which ensures the achievement of Omega-3 levels in the blood (bioavailability) comparable to the branded formulations already on the market.
The heart of the Italians
Despite the encouraging data recently released by theCardiovascular Epidemiological Observatory, which in the last decade show a decline in the probability of heart disease equal to 6% in the male population and as much as 15% in the female population, still about 30,000 Italians are considered to be at risk.
Faced with better diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities, our lifestyle would indeed need to be improved a lot, and even women do not prove to be more "virtuous" than men in this: incorrect nutrition, obesity and sedentary lifestyle are still too widespread (increasing after menopause) which, combined with bad habits such as alcohol and smoking (19% of women smokers), represent important cardiovascular risk factors.
Watch the video interview with Dr. Michele Gulizia - President of ANMCO
How Omega-3s Work
In addition to the ability to reduce triglyceride levels, the beneficial role played on the cardiovascular system by Omega-3 fatty acids is also exercised through an action anticoagulant, able to reduce the tendency of platelets to aggregate and therefore to prevent the formation of thrombus in the blood. A further effect of prevention of arrhythmias is instead obtained through a modification of the transmission of electrical impulses responsible for irregular heart contractions.
Watch the video interview with the pharmacologist Prof. Alessandro Mugelli
Not just heart
However, the benefits of taking Omega-3 would not be limited to the prevention of cardiovascular disease: according to one experimental study of the Santa Lucia Foundation of Rome, in fact, these fatty acids would also be able to increase the volume and functionality of some brain areas, proving effective against aging-related memory loss and therefore representing an excellent weapon for the prevention of senile dementia.
Finally, Omega-3s would reduce the risk of developing depressive forms by 25%, but only for women. According to a study published in the "American Journal of Epidemiology", there is a strong link between consumption of fish and the reduction of depression in women: the interaction between fatty acids and estrogens would help the brain to maintain proper functionality.
In collaboration with Il Portale della Salute
