Omega-3 For Your Heart
Omega-3 fatty acids help to reduce the risk of heart disease by decreasing LDL ("bad") cholesterol and increasing HDL ("good") cholesterol.
What are omega-3 fatty acids?
Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fatty acid. Polyunsaturated fatty acids are healthy fats that help protect your heart by lowering the amount of LDL ("bad") cholesterol in your blood.
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for good health, but cannot be manufactured by your body. You have to get omega-3 fatty acids from the food you eat.
Common sources of omega-3 fatty acids include:
- fattier fish such as salmon, trout, herring, swordfish, cod, blue fish and mackerel
- canola and soybean oils
- nuts such as walnuts, pecans and pinenuts
- flaxseed
- omega-3 eggs
How do omega-3 fatty acids protect my heart?
Inflammation is known to greatly increase the risk for heart disease. Omega-3 fatty acids reduce the damaging effects of inflammation and help to manage cholesterol levels by increasing HDL ("good") cholesterol and lowering both LDL ("bad") cholesterol and blood triglycerides.
Clinical studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids also help to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke by:10
- lowering blood pressure
- reducing the risk of blood clots and blocked blood vessels
- protecting against abnormal heart rhythms that can cause sudden death
- preventing hardening of the arteries
What are the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids?
Omega-3 fatty acids are important for good vision, brain function and normal growth and development. Health experts recognize that omega-3 fatty acids play a vital role in preventing chronic diseases such as cancer, arthritis and heart disease. New guidelines now recommend that people protect their hearts by adding more omega-3 fatty acids to their diets.10
What are omega-3 eggs?
Omega-3 eggs are produced by hens that are fed a special diet in flaxseed and vitamin E. Flaxseed is one of the richest plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Vitamin E is a beneficial antioxidant.
Hens fed this unique diet produce eggs that have higher levels of naturally-occurring unsaturated fat, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E.
Eggs enhanced with omega-3 fatty acids contain up to 4 times more omega-3 fatty acids than regular eggs and still provide all of the protein and 14 key nutrients that make regular eggs so good for you.
Just one, large omega-3 egg provides between 1/4 and 1/3 of the recommended daily amount of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 eggs are also low in unhealthy saturated and trans fat, which makes them an excellent addition to a well-balanced diet.
Choose omega-3 eggs for the good of your heart
Omega-3 fatty acids help manage heart disease. If you are concerned about heart health, try omega-3 enhanced eggs. They're low in saturated fat and a source of omega-3 fatty acids.