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Omega 3 And Eczema

By David McEvoy

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 12Mar2010
Word count: 651
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In light of recent headlines surrounding the health benefits of Omega 3 some people are asking if taking a fish oil supplement might help ease the symptoms of eczema.

Although there haven't been as many clinical trials as there has been with heart disease, arthritis and depression, the few that have been conducted on eczema do point to a beneficial effect and the reason for this is thought to be linked in part to the anti-inflammatory properties of Omega 3.

It's an interesting fact that the number of people suffering from eczema and allergies in general has been rising steadily over the past few decades and although there are a number of theories as to why this might be, no one really knows for sure. Some researchers reckon that as the increasing number of eczema sufferers coincides with a general decline in fish consumption, then this might play a significant role.

It's true, here in the West we are eating less fish than we ever have and even those that do include a regular portion of fish in their diet are advised to eat too much due to the risk of harmful toxins found in fish. Unfortunately, it is in fatty fish like herring, mackerel, sardines, tuna and salmon that we find the most important Omega 3 fatty acids known as Eicosapentaenoic acid or EPA and Docosahexaenoic acid or DHA. There just isn't another reliable source of this type of Omega 3 unless we extract the oil from the fish and purify it leaving only the essential fatty acids behind.

There is another type of Omega 3 known as Alpha Linolenic acid (ALA) which can be found in some plants, nuts and vegetable oils but we aren't very good at converting this type of Omega 3 into the more beneficial EPA and DHA. This leaves us with no option other than to eat contaminated fish or take fish oil supplements if we want the health benefits associated with Omega 3.

The Omega 6 and Omega 3 imbalance

Something which is exacerbating the problem to a worrying degree is that these days most of us are consuming far too much Omega 6 whilst at the same time not getting enough Omega 3 and this is causing havoc with our health. We need Omega 6 just as much as we need Omega 3 but the Omega 6 fatty acids just so happen to be abundant in our diet so we don't have any problems getting enough. We can find Omega 6 in meat and dairy sources, vegetable oils and processed foods. However, the same doesn't apply to Omega 3.

In an ideal world we would consume these two important nutrients in roughly equal proportions, but we aren't. Omega 6 just so happens to promote inflammation and without enough Omega 3 to redress the imbalance, what we are seeing is a significant rise in inflammatory conditions and when we consider that some form of inflammation lies at the root of just about every health problem we see today, it isn't surprising.

What is Eczema and can Omega 3 help?

Eczema is a common chronic inflammatory skin condition affecting around twenty percent of children and five percent of adults, which is characterised by inflamed, itchy, red patches of skin, sometimes with weeping blisters which crust over.

In order to cure eczema completely we would need to find out what the root cause is but so far a single cause hasn't been identified. What we do know is that eczema can run in families and is often linked to food allergies, particularly milk and wheat.

It's possible that by redressing the balance between Omega 3 and Omega 6 we can help to reduce inflammation and therefore all the health problems associated with inflammation, including eczema. It's interesting to note that one of the first indications that you are not getting enough Omega 3 in your diet just so happens to be dry, flaky, and irritated skin.

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