Staying Social May Keep Dementia at Bay (HealthDay)

HealthDay - FRIDAY, June 27 (HealthDay News) -- The key to a healthy mind in oldage may lie in an active social life, a new study suggests.

Omega-3 Rich Supplements Seen As a Way to Improve Alarming Omega-6 to Omega-3 Ratios

The best omega-3 rich supplements are made from purified fish oil naturally high in omega-3 fatty acids. Fatty fish is naturally high in the two vital types methylsulfonylmethane MSM supplement omega-3 fats: DHA and EPA.

Tens of thousands of years ago, before the advent of civilization and agriculture and the rise of processed foods and grain-fed meats, humans rarely suffered from diseases. Heart disease, arthritis, stroke, etc., were simply unheard of.

Many natural health experts believe that the omega-6 to omega-3 ratios in American men and women account for a great deal of the current health fiasco.

Depending on which natural health expert you read, the optimal ratios of omega-6 to omega-3 we should be consuming is either 1:1 or at most, 2:1.

But because we get less omega-3 fats than ever -- farm raised fish, grain-fed game, fast foods, etc, the typical person is now consuming 20:1 omega-6 to omega-3 ratios. Not just Americans, but for many Westerners over all.

One of the biggest culprits is the oils we cook with and eat. It's not going to come as a shock to you when I tell you that if you look in the typical American's cabinets, or your own, you will see corn oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, soybean oil, safflower oil....these are the oils we cook our foods in. Even if you don't use them consciously, start reading the labels of things you buy: chips, salad dressings, etc., and you'll be shocked to see these oils appear on the ingredient list time and time again.

All of these oils are high in omega-6's, throwing off our omega-6 to omega-3 ratios even further.

This is why omega-3 rich supplements are becoming so popular. They are a cheap way of balancing out the omega-6 to omega-3 ratios in American men and women. The other way you should balance this ratio out is to start eating a lot less of these oils...and start using extra virgin olive oil a lot more.

So, what's the big deal about eating too much omega-6 and too little omega-3 anyway? Well, for starters, you'll increase inflammation in your body, thus aggravation or triggering many diseases characterized by inflammation such as heart disease, arthritis, skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and acne.

You can also start including more omega-3 rich foods in your diet in addition to supplementation. Good examples of foods to increase your intake of include: fatty fish, whole grains, flaxseed, spinach and other dark leafy greens, beans, nuts (walnuts and almonds) and seeds, and omega 3 rich eggs found at any quality supermarket.

Taking omega-3 rich supplements on a daily basis can really help put your omega-6 to omega-3 ratios back in alignment and significantly improve your health.

Dan Ho is editor of http://www.omega-3-fish-oil-guide.com Visit us now to learn more about the omega-3 rich supplements we personally use and why we chose them.