Glaucoma and Omega-3 Fatty Acids

By Dr. Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Over three million Americans have glaucoma, according to the Glaucoma Research Foundation. Although there is no cure for glaucoma - which causes blindness - a simple addition to your diet can help reduce the incidence of this disease.

Just add some omega-3 fatty acids to your meals.

We've mentioned the incredible health benefits of omega-3 fats in ETR before. For instance, they can help reduce the risk of diabetes, improve your cholesterol and triglycerides, reduce asthma and allergies, increase fertility and improve sexual function, fight cognitive decline, reduce wrinkles, improve skin tone, increase your overall energy, and much more. Now, research proves they can protect your eyes too.

Researchers at the University of Melbourne, Australia studied the association between dietary omega-3 fatty acid intake and glaucoma. They fed rats either an omega-3-sufficient or an omega-3-deficient diet from conception. The omega-3 diet contained safflower, flaxseed, and tuna oils, and the omega-3-deficient diet contained safflower oil only. Animals raised on the high-omega-3 diet had a decrease in intra-ocular pressure when they got older, meaning the tuna oil reduced their risk of developing glaucoma.

Get your omega-3 fix by eating eggs, grass-fed beef and wild game, fatty fish, flaxseeds, and walnuts. You can also take a fish oil supplement.

It's Fun to Know: About $1 Coins

Why is the government so eager to issue $1 coins... despite the indifference of the general public? Well, the average $1 bill circulates for 21 months and then must be replaced, while a coin can last 30 years or more. And although the $1 coin costs three times more to produce, government accountants contend that switching away from $1 bills completely could save the government $50 million a year.

(Source: Wired)

Word to the Wise: Sapid

Something that's "sapid" (SAP-id) - from the Latin for "to taste" - has a strong, pleasant flavor.

Example (as used by David William Cheever in The Atlantic): "Chemistry can concentrate the sapid and odorous elements of the peach and the bitter almond into a transparent fluid."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2312, 03-25-08], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.