Barry Sherr’s mother would often tell her child that “fish is brain food”. As a practicing nutritionist and owner of Chamomille Natural Foods in Danbury, over the past 38 years Sherr has now read many studies on the benefits of the essential fatty acids EPA and DHA found in fish oils; he discovered that his mother was right. Essential fatty acids are essential and must be taken into the body through diet.

As in everything, there are quality products and inferior ones. The science-based studies using quality oil are numerous. It is important to take a much closer look at the studies that state fish oil is dangerous. An analysis of such studies may reveal faulty science. As an example of faulty science, people in some studies did not even take fish oils as supplements, yet conclusions were drawn about fish oil supplements. Here are some evidence-based conclusions regarding benefits of fish oil:

• Cardiovascular: probable in preventing arrhythmias, atherosclerosis, thrombosis, angina, congestive heart failure, hypertension and strokes

• Digestive: reduces gallstones and relapsing inflammatory bowel diseases

• Vision: probable in preventing of age-related macular degeneration and improving night blindness

• Immune: helps prevent many common cancers—including breast, colon and lung cancer— and increases longer survival rates

• Metabolic: may improve athletic performance, cholesterol and triglyceride levels

• Nervous system: improves ADHD, depression, learning, memory, mental stress and certain migraines as well as potentially helps to prevent or slow dementias,

• Skin: may improve conditions of acne, psoriasis, eczema, burns and itching

Barry Sherr, owner of Chamomille Natural Foods in Danbury, is a certified nutritionist and registered herbalist. Connect at ChamomilleNaturalFoods.wordpress.com. See ad, page 46.