As part of the ongoing Food Is Medicine Series, Angeles Health shares with readers compelling findings about the direct and indirect ways in which nutritive forces impact health and function.
Chances are you’ve been hearing about the benefits of fish oil for years. Fish – especially cold water fish like salmon – contain omega-3 fatty acids which are very good for us (largely because of the anti-inflammatory effect) but which our bodies cannot produce. Fortunately, in this case we can eat our way to health and even better eyesight.
New research reported in the New York Times shows that eating fish can ward off macular degeneration, a progressive eye disease that is the leading cause of irreversible loss of vision among elderly.
The report, based on an analysis in the Archives of Ophthalmology of the Harvard Women’s Health Study found that women reporting eating one or more servings of fish per week were significantly less likely to develop age-realted macular degneration than those who consumed fish less frequently.
The Harvard Women’s Health Study follows nearly 40,000 midlife-aged women who have been providing detailed food frequency surveys for the past 21 years.
In the article Dr. William G. Christen of Harvard Medical School suggests that findings may be attributable to the anti-inflammatory effect of the omega-3 long chain fatty acids, which have proven to have beneficial effect on a number of health conditions including stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, and eczema. Fish oil can also help prevent blood clots and lower high blood pressure. Consumption of fish oil is also associated with alleviating depression or mood disorders, especially in children.
Read about stem cell therapy for macular degeneration here.
The Food Is Medicine series is brought to you by Angeles Health and the Functional Medicine Center at Angeles Hospital in Tijuana, led by Dr. Ariel Perez distinguished graduate of the Institute for Functional Medicine.
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