cod liver oil
CENOVIS fish oil – omega 3
WITH the Philippines being an archipelago that is surrounded by a huge body of water, it is but natural to expect Filipinos to be natural fish and seafood eaters.
However, that is not the case.
Endocrinlogist Dr. Tommy Ty-Willing said the Filipino diet is in fact fast becoming “westernized” especially with more people opting to eat meat, instantly cooked food, and even the greasy ones offered fast foods that are cropping up like mushrooms around the country.
He said this means that less and less Filipinos would eat fish and seafood, which also results to the low to none intake of the essential omega 3 that is found on fish oil.
In fact initial data showed that consumers in the Philippines are not consuming enough omega-3 and that fish consumption has decreased from 36 kilograms to 31 kilogram per person per annum.
Ty-Willing said this also coincided with an increased level of coronary heart and cardio vascular diseases in the country and eventually among the leading causes of death.
He said omega 3 is essential in heart health, joint issues and brain development and daily intake levels are needed “to optimize our health.”
He added that omega 3 helps increase good cholesterol, blood circulation, and lower blood pressure. It also helps reduce inflammation in the joints and is important in cognitive development.
Cardiologist Dr. Eugene Reyes said there is, however, an urgent need to educate Filipino consumers on omega 3 to overcome some misperceptions and fear that may have led to low consumptions of omega 3 rich food.
He said among these wrong notions and concerns are: that only certain types of fresh saltwater and freshwater fish have high omega 3 content; extreme heat may destabilize omega 3 fatty acids DHA and EPA; not all fishes are rich in omega 3; and fears like fishes contains mercury.
Reyes said people should also learn that plants also contain omega 3 though they are very minimal, and that there is no such thing as an overdose of omega 3 nor is it harmful when taken with other vitamins and even medications. He said omega 3 intake had even been advised for patients with kidney problems, with fatty liver and heart ailment.
“Many consumers also don’t know how much omega 3 should be consumed to benefit their health; this is why we have formed the Omega 3 Academy Asia,” he said referring to the newly established Academy that is sponsored by Ssanofi-Aventis Consumer Health.
The Omega 3 Academy Asia undertakes a targeted educational program to raise awareness and understanding of the health benefits of fish oil and omega 3 amongst consumers and healthcare professionals in Korea, Thailand and the Philippines.
Ty-Willing and Reyes both said that like the Philippines, Thailand despite being surrounded by water also has low intake of omega 3 while Korea is one of the known countries with high fish and seafood intakes and eventually omega-3.
- Business Insight
- Living
