Hi folks.
Secretlife is about as close as I get to having a friend here at SoulCast.
That is why it comes as quite a shock to her, no doubt, that she's been leading me into a trap. A DEADLY trap! Well... not so much.
Truthfully, DestinyDiva confessed that she read Dyingman 54 strictly because of a deceptively enticing title. As it turned out, she enjoyed the read anyway and subscribed. Well, I'm no dummy. Maybe some of Secret's fans will drop in to find our what my groundless accusation of malfeasance is all about. Just shameless, yes..
It has been my intention for quite some time to begin taking fish oil to help with my HDL LDL cholesterol imbalance as Omega 3 fatty acids that are abundant in fish oil are supposedly good for increasing the HDL and lowering the LDL. I was aware of this link, but Secretlife asked me about whether I'd heard about them and later asked if I started taking them. Little did I realize the path to ruin she wished to lead me towards!
A recent report shows that nine grams of fish oil
supplements per day may not be completely safe because they
can cause a substantial rise in the bad LDL cholesterol (from
106 to 186) that increases heart attack risk (The Annals of
Pharmacotherapy, July 2007). Fish oil supplements lower
triglycerides by reducing liver cells' ability to manufacture
triglycerides. At the same time, they can block the LDL
receptors on liver cells from removing LDL from the
bloodstream. Once again, I recommend getting the nutrients
your body needs from food rather than from supplements.
This Mirkin article led a very irate fish oil fan to lambast the good doctor with epithets. I followed up on the claims of the doctors HE preferred and found the following trivia about fish oil.
Some studies show a connection between high doses and an increased risk of bleeding due to the blood-thinning properties of fish oil.
One study showed that after taking fish oil for two years, patients with ventricular tachycardia who weren't taking antiarrthythmic drugs had a significantly worse outcome than those patients taking placebo.
AND
It did not prevent blockages from reforming in the arteries following angioplasty in which obstructed blood vessels are cleared.
"Fish oils have promise as beneficial in cardiovascular disease but our work highlights our gaps in understanding and the need for more research," said Paul Dorian, a cardiologist at St. Michael's Hospital and professor of medicine at University of Toronto, in a release.
So far, my case against Secretlife is iron-clad! Throw the murderess in the brig!
Well, no.
Fish oil pills usually dispense a 1000 mg dose. This is the same as 1 gram. To get to the dose Mirkin is warning against, you need to take 9 pills per day. That's more than most folks are likely to indulge in. I hadn't planned on taking more than two and fish oil and fish HAVE been proven to be beneficial.
The fish oil pills Secretlife was suggesting have an interesting benefit over fish. Canadian researchers have determined They contain smaller amounts of heavy metals and PCB contaminants than eating the same amount of fish oil in the fish itself. This is because the fish oil is generally obtained from smaller fish that don't offer as good a price. Younger fish have not accumulated as much contamination from the food they ate. (Bigger fish have eaten more food and allowed larger amounts of contaminants to accumulate in their bodies.
Fir those who don't mind getting their fish oil from canned fish, a little known hint for getting the most out of your meal is to compare cans of fish when you buy them. Look at the nutrition label of Omega 3 rich fatty fish that live in cold, deep water: tuna, salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel and anchovies. (Canned clams, crabmeat, squid or shrimp also contribute smaller amounts of omega-3's.) Different cans of the same fish will vary in the amount of fat because the fish caught for each batch of cans varied at the packing plant from fish to fish and the packer must measure and label each batch to reflect the actual fat content. You may find two cans of the exact same brand, one with 1 gram of fat per serving and another with 5 grams per serving. This is one time that more is better; the fattiest tuna contains the most omega-3's. Remember, getting fish packed in oil can usually adds Omega 6 fatty acids which we get too much of in the rest of our diet anyway. Buy fish in water if you can.
Mirkin tells of an article in Circulation showed that eating fish slows your heart rate, lowers blood pressure and triglycerides and raises good HDL cholesterol, as I said earlier. Though the connection between LDL and HDL cholesterol may be less strong than once believed, the high triglyceride levels are still a suspected problem perhaps having a role in the production of rho kinase, an inflammatory agent found elevated levels in heart disease patients.
While there was no documentation that Omega-3s found in plant sources provide these benefits, they contain vitamin E, while fish oils are low in vitamin E. All omega-3's break down very quickly when exposed to oxygen in your body, and vitamin E stabilizes them so they may be just as effective.
On one final note of praise, Omega-3s fatty acids are used by the body to form specific prostaglandins that help to reduce swelling, redness, and pain which have delivered some relief from the effects of Crohn's disease (a condition marked by bloody diarrhea and cramping),. Conversely, omega-6s found in vegetable oils (corn oil is remarkably high, canola and soybean are better) form prostaglandins that increase these symptoms.
Given the high doses that appear necessary to suffer detrimental effects (9 fish oil pills a day), it seems that to avoid the pitfalls of fish oil, one merely needs to fall back on an old saw of physicians and philosophers that has stood the test of time: "Everything in moderation."
Next: The pressure is killing me.
* DM
Fitness Goals:
60 beats per minute resting pulse.
10 minutes hard cycling. (intensity 5 out of 10)
Weights: 3 days - 100 lbs. - 6 cycles of 5,5,5,10 repetitions (2 cycles/day)
Current Fitness Record: (since last entry)
Pulse: 58 beats per minute
1 x < 2 min cycling - average intensity 3.5 - 65 cycles (Pulse = 126 at last check 2-2008)
0 day - 65 lbs. - 0 cycles
Blood Pressure: 125/76 03-22-2008
Workout Wingwoman Gingersoul's Goals & Progress: Unknown
RECENT SYMPTOMS : None.
ONGOING SYMPTOMS: Clicking knees, Pain in right knee when kneeling and shifting knee to the right. Hyperhidrosis.
DIAGNOSIS: Unknown injury to right knee, possible impact from small stumble (c. 2006) onto landing of concrete stairs. Injured knee joints from sprinting (c. 2007)
DRUG REGIMEN: Aspartame. (3 diet sodas daily) Caffeine (three cups of coffee daily. One cola.)ONGOING TREATMENT: Tri-Annual dental visits. Cycling / Spinning for strength training.
PROGNOSIS FOR FOLLOWING WEEK: Slow improvement of knees. Good health.
POTENTIAL TREATMENTS: Fish Oil supplements. Leafy greens. Axillary vacuum curettage.
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