It is observed that eating of the essential fatty acids, omega-3s, after preliminary research found Australians are not consuming enough of the oils, putting them at a higher risk of heart disease. Researchers and doctors meeting in Perth want to see the wider use of a test developed overseas that checks the amount of omega-3s in the blood and can help predict a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease.
Tests show that omega-3 is essential to keep the heart, brain and eyes in good health. They are found mostly in oily fish and other seafood, but also in meat, eggs, fish oil supplements and enriched foods such as bread. Therefore eating good fish is become important to keep heart and body healthy.
Professor Peter Howe, from the University of South Australia’s Nutritional Physiology Research Centre, said that the omega-3 index was a relatively new concept in Australia, but was already seen overseas as an important biomarker for heart disease. He added that the omega-3 index has been widely promoted internationally and we realise now that ideally, for heart health, you want to be over 8 per cent and if you’re below 4 per cent, then that’s not good at all.
This year, the National Heart Foundation advised for the first time that all adults should take 500mg a day of omega-3 fatty acids from fish or capsules. Professor Howe said Australians needed to increase their consumption of omega-3s. He opined that research shows people can consume enough omega-3s from a range of different foods other than fish, and can raise the level in their red blood cells quite markedly.
