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I stopped taking fish oil -- and all other vitamins -- a couple of months ago, after hearing no one knows what goes into them, as they're not regulated.  But maybe I stopped too soon.  A new study has found that fish oil can help preserve brain cells.  And I've been missing some for some time. People with higher levels of the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil may also have larger brain volumes in old age equivalent to preserving one to two years of brain health,according to newswise.com.   Shrinking brain volume is a sign of Alzheimer’s disease as well as normal aging. But the goods news is that  “These higher levels of fatty acids can be achieved through diet and the use of supplements, and the results suggest that the effect on brain volume is the equivalent of delaying the normal loss of brain cells that comes with aging by one to two years,” said study author James V. Pottala, PhD, of the University of South Dakota in Sioux Falls and Health Diagnost...

Remember how I told you omega-3s might be linked to prostate cancer?  Well, apparently a new study has put that completely to rest -- and probably buried it forever, excuse my mixed metaphors. Omega-3s are found in salmon, trout, tuna and what you probably take to prevent heart disease, fish oil. But a diet high in walnuts (protein to the max and loaded with omega-3s) seems to inhibit the growth of prostate cancer, and now studies are even showing it may stop the growth of breast cancer. These studies were done on mice who already had the cancers. Michael Roizen, MD, and Dr. Mehmet Oz, yes, the Dr. Oz, write that DHA omega-3 is something everyone needs to take, because it helps protect you from diabetes, decreases joint pain, fights macular degeneration, which can lead to blindness, and makes your brain function younger. Mark Hyman, MD, writing at HuffPost Healthy Living, says no study has proved cause and effect between omega-3s and prostate cancer.  He cites as ev...

We've all heard about the benefits of fish oil (even if we don't like the taste).  But now tests are showing that not only does it help protect our hearts, but it may also help us beat stress, too. Researchers at Michigan Technological University have been able to prove that fish oil may counteract the "detrimental" effect of mental stress to the heart, according to newswise.com. It might even prevent heart disease. Tests judged heart rate and muscle sympathetic nerve activity in people taking fish oil compared to those taking just olive oil and definitely found that the former had a more "blunted" reaction to stress than their counterparts.  In other words, their hearts were shielded more from stress. If you just can't stand the aftertaste fish oil tablets leave in your mouth, try two servings of fish a week, preferably salmon or others rich in omega-3 fatty acids.