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Deficiences
People with rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, dementia,
diabetes or depression often have a
deficiency in omega-3 fatty
acids and essential B vitamins including folic acid.
The question of which came first,
the disease or the deficiency, has no clear answer. Do these diseases contribute
to deficiencies or do insufficient dietary intakes of these essential nutrients
lead to the onset and deterioration associated with these diseases?
Statistics confirm
that Americans have the lowest intake of essential omega-3 fatty acids of any developed
country. DHA, the omega-3 that is present in every cell membrane of the human body
and highly concentrated in the brain, retina of the eye and the heart, is vital
to good health.
According to Dr. Barbara
Levine, associate professor of nutrition in clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medical
College and director of the DHA Information Center
at New York-Presbyterian/Weill
Cornell:
"Increasing the intake of omega-3 fatty acids, including DHA and EPA, has been
clinically shown to often reduce severity of these diseases, so that patients are able to reduce or eliminate medications that have serious side
effects."
Dr.
Levine is an expert
on nutritional interactions between genetics and the prevention of cardiovascular
disease, diabetes, and cancer, as well as the optimal diet for cognitive function
and visual acuity in young children.
The risk of heart
disease is often linked to an increase in homocysteine levels,
which is a risk factor for other disease states. Homocysteine
is an amino acid in the blood stream that can be measured by a physician and may help predict some diseases.
Read more about omega-3
(DHA & EPA),
folic acid, vitamins B6 and B12 conditional deficiencies in:
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FDA “Qualified Health Claims” Omega-3
Fatty Acids & Coronary Heart Disease. Consumption of omega-3 fatty acids may
reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. FDA evaluated the above claim and determined
that, although there is scientific evidence supporting the claim, the evidence is
not conclusive. Docket No. 9IN-0103.
FDA “Qualified Health Claims” B vitamins & Vascular Disease. As part of a well-balanced
diet that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol, Folic Acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin
B12 may reduce the risk of vascular disease. FDA evaluated the above claim and found
that, while it is known that diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol reduce the
risk of heart disease and other vascular diseases, the evidence in support of the
above claim is inconclusive. Docket No. 99P-3029.
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