Barlean’s Fish Oil

Omega-3’s and eye benefits:

1.  Dry eye Sydrome:

Dry eye syndrome is one of the most frequent eye problems in the United States, and a common complaint of patients seeking eye care. It is usually caused by a problem with the quality of the tear film that lubricates the eyes.

Dry eye syndrome can lead to discomfort, poor vision, and problems with reading, using a computer, or driving at night.
In a study conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical school, participants who consumed the highest amount of Omega-3 fatty acids had an 83% lower risk of dry eye syndrome.  32,470 female health professionals aged between 45 and 84 years provided information on diet and Dry Eye Syndrome. Based on this study, oral Omega-3 fish oil supplements may provide dry eye relief. 

2. Macular Degeneration: 
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in people over age fifty.

Currently, there has been evidence suggesting that adding omega 3 to the AREDS formulation may further reduce the risk of developing advanced age-related macular degeneration. In fact, in 2006,  the Age Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS 2) was piloted as the TOZAL study.  This study adds omega 3’s to the AREDS formulation, and replaces the beta-carotene with lutein and zeozanthin.  It is a phase III study with 4,000 participants that is ongoing but it is not recruiting new participants. The estimated study completion date is June 2013.
We feel that the initial evidence of adding omega-3’s are so compelling that we have proactively added them to your macular degeneration kit.  

3. Glaucoma
In the past, we thought that glaucoma was mostly caused by an elevated intraocular pressure.  We thought this pressure build-up mechanically pushed on the optic nerve, leading to its demise.  Currently, we know there is much more to glaucoma.  While elevated intraocular pressure is still a risk for glaucoma, it is not its primary culprit.  The optic nerve requires constant nourishment from our vascular supply.  If our general vascular health is compromised, the optic nerve becomes malnourished and becomes damaged.  The newest research on glaucoma suggests that good nutrition and judicious use of supplements can lessen your risk for glaucomatous progression.  Omega-3 fatty acids are thought to be beneficial to several different mechanisms in addition to vascular regulation.  No specific “dosage” guidelines are definitely established, however most glaucoma patients should completely eliminate trans fats from their diet, significantly reduce intake of saturated fats, and supplement an already-abundant intake of omega-6 fatty acids with an omega-3 fatty acid supplement.

Systemic Benefits of Omega-3

A Healthy Heart:

• Reduce risk of strokes & heart attacks
• Lower blood pressure
• Reduce risk of blood clots
• Reduce triglycerides (blood fat levels)
• Protect against atherosclerosis

A Healthy Brain:

• Alleviate Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity
  Disorder (ADHD)
• Alleviate Dyslexia
• Alleviate Depression and aggression
• Alleviate Memory problems, Alzheimers
  disease and dementia

A Healthy Body:

• Reduce risk Rheumatoid arthritis
• Reduce risk Inflammatory skin disorders
• Reduce risk Inflammatory bowel diseases

             A Lean Body:

Burn fat faster and reduce excess body fat at the fastest possible rate.

Reduction in the risk of inflammation
reactions caused by:

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Kidney disease
• Psoriasis
• Eczema
• Crohn'sdisease
• Ulcerative colitis
• Asthma
• Kidney failure that occurs with aging

Protection Against Degenerative Conditions

• Eyesight degeneration
• Alzheimer disease and age related memory loss
• Kidney failure that occurs with aging

6 reasons why we recommend Barlean’s brand over any other:

1. Three sources of beneficial oils: Barlean’s triple source formula is derived from 3 sources: fish, flaxseed, and borage oil, providing you three valuable sources to you. Simple fish oils are inadequate because they are lacking the flaxseed, which has been shown to be as necessary as the fish oil for dry eye and macular degeneration.
2. Best Value: You can buy fish oil cheaper but you would also have to purchase flaxseed oil to gain the benefits necessary to achieve the same benefits for your dry eye and macular degeneration.
3. Best Quality: Balean’s is an ultra-purified form of fish oil to minimize mercury and other toxicities.
4. Purest Form: Barlean’s uses a “cold press” to extract the fish oil. Most brands use a “hot press” because this is cheaper; however, when you heat up the oils you lose the benefits of the oil.
5. Support Local: That’s right—local! Barlean’s is located in Ferndale, Washington
6. Great non-fish flavor: It has a great non-fishy taste and is actually lemonade flavored.

Systemic Benefits: Fish and Flaxseed oil have many systemic benefits as well!

1. Less Pain and Inflammation. Omega 3 fatty acids, particularly EPA, have a very positive effect on your inflammatory response. Through several mechanisms, they regulate your body's inflammation cycle, which prevents and relieves painful conditions like arthritis, prostatitis, cystitis and anything else ending in "itis."
2. Cardiovascular Health. Omega 3 fatty acids have also been proven to work wonders for your heart and the miles and miles of arteries and veins that make up your cardiovascular system. They help to lower cholesterol, tryglicerides, LDLs and blood pressure, while at the same time increasing good HDL cholesterol. This adds years to your life expectancy.
3. Protection from Stroke and Heart Attack. When plaque builds up on arterial walls and then breaks loose, it causes what's known as a thrombosis, which is a fancy way of saying clot. If a clot gets stuck in the brain, it causes a stroke and when it plugs an artery, it causes a heart attack. Research shows omega 3 fatty acids break up clots before they can cause any damage.
4. Better Brain Function and Higher Intelligence. Pregnant and nursing mothers can have a great impact on the intelligence and happiness of their babies by supplementing with fish oil. For adults, omega 3 improves memory, recall, reasoning and focus. You'll swear you're getting younger and smarter.
5. Less Depression and Psychosis. Making you smarter is not all omega 3 does for your brain. Psychiatry department researchers at the University of Sheffield, along with many other research studies, found that omega 3 fish oil supplements "alleviate" the symptoms of depression, bipolar and psychosis (Journal of Affective Disorder Vol. 48(2-3);149-55).
6. Lower Incidence of Childhood Disorders. Just to show how fish oil fatty acids leave nobody out, studies show that children (and adults) with ADD and ADHD experience a greatly improved quality of life. And those with dyslexia, dyspraxia and compulsive disorders have gotten a new lease on life thanks to omega 3 oils.
7. Reduction of Breast, Colon and Prostate Cancer. And finally, omega 3 fish oil has been shown to help prevent three of the most common forms of cancer – breast, colon and prostate. Science tells us that omega 3s accomplish this in three ways. They stop the alteration from a normal healthy cell to a cancerous mass, inhibiting unwanted cellular growth and causing apoptosis, or cellular death, of cancer cells.