Is Fish Oil The Fountain of Youth??

The claim:

Fish Oil may slow the genetic age of cardiac patients.

The evidence:

A recent study conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association at University of California in San Francisco concluded the following:

Of the nearly 600 men with heart disease tested, those with higher levels of fish oil in the blood also had less of a decrease in telomere length and what researchers would consider slowed genetic aging. Conversely, those with LOWER levels of fish oil also had the MOST decrease in telomere length, and are aging faster.

So... is there a correlation between fish oil and telomere length? And what the heck is a telomere?

Ok, a little background:

Telomeres are the tails found on chromosomes. It is found that they help the body repair damage. The more damage, the higher your genetic/chromosomal age. That's the most basic explanation.

As many are aware, fish oil has been found to be a major supplier of Omega-3 fatty acids, and ever since the Greenland Inuit Eskimo tribe was studied back in the 70's (due to their good health and longevity despite the frigid ridiculous climate!), Omega-3's have been seen as one of the more superior nutritional necessities to promote health and prevent sicknesses in ALL parts of the body.

Now it should be mentioned that this study I mention captions preliminary findings, and they do not factor in the extra variables, like the theory that those who eat more fish/consume more fish oil live healthier lifestyles than those who do not.

But if there is a correlation between aging faster and omega-3 fatty acids, I sure want to know about it!!!!

So what do we know about Omega-3's:

- Made up of 3 acids, ALA, DHA, and EPA. DHA and EPA are used by the body in brain and retinal growth. (ahhhh, I see!!! - I had to do it.) They have even been linked to slowing dementia in old age.

- Omega-3's help to fortify the myelin sheath. This helps the brain repair damage - think Alzheimer's, dementia, schizophrenia. These have all been linked to these Wonder-acids.

- We KNOW Omega-3's helps patients with coronary artery disease and heart risk, because it has a positive effect on LIPIDS, which, when left unchecked, circle and harm the heart. They also lower triglycerides, non-HDL cholesterol, and stabilize cell membranes.

- Help prevent blood clots, and, in turn, strokes.

- Is linked to aiding in the maintenance and prevention of diabetes, as well as in cellular health and regeneration.

- Did you know that concentrations of DHA in an infant's brain rises 300-500% in the third trimester of pregnancy??

- Studies are even being done right now to assess whether the presence or absence of Omega-3's has an effect on mood and emotion, as well as whether the presence of Omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish oil) can improve emotional and mental health problems.

Ok, so now where do we find this wonderful acid?

Well, they are most prevalent in cold water fish (like Alaskan salmon), although they can also be found in the following:

Sources of Omega-3 Fatty Acids:

Grass-fed beef (has Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids)
Milk and cheese from the above cows
Tuna (I know, it's a cold water fish, but most people only think of salmon for Omega-3's!)
Sardines
Anchovies
Most oily fish have higher levels of fish oil (this would appear self-evident, but now you know for sure.)

Vegetarian Sources of Omega-3 Fatty Acids:

Walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts
Rapeseed oil
Butternuts
Hempseed
Eggs (organic, when hen has been fed flaxseed diet.)
Small amounts are found in the fat in green leafy vegetables, i.e. broccoli, cabbage.

If you aren't comfortable with your intake, you can always look to supplement what is missing from your diet. There are TONS of Fish Oil Supplements to choose from - liquids, tablets, softgels, concentration levels and pill counts differ.... the list goes on and on.

There has also been concern raised about the safety of ingesting the amount of fish needed to reach the daily goals on a regular basis. As salmon is higher on the food chain than many other fish, the potential for accumulated dioxins and heavy metals is higher. However, studies show that the risks from these are far outweighed by the benefits of adding fish oil to the diet. (Not to mention all the Vitamin D, etc a fishy diet can bring!)

The total recommended dose of fish oil for a cardiac patient is 1 gram per day. The accepted intake recommended for others is 1.6 grams/day for men and 1.1 grams/day for women. (Although always check with your doctor to be sure before taking ANY supplements, as our own body chemistries don't always fit into precise tables and figures.)

Recently I learned that there are two main forms of fish oil supplements - ester and triglyceride. While a small number of studies have shown that the triglyceride form is easier to digest, nothing has shown that the ester form is superior.

Also, the ester is cheaper to manufacture - and not to sound like a pessimist, but that to me sends up red flags telling me to shop triglyceride!!! Nothing worse than taking a supplement and wondering if it's even making it into your body, right?!?!


I will say one last thing about salmon.

There is this debate about wild vs. farmed, and I have been sitting on the fence for awhile now. I have read arguments that while yes, like most food we raise in a controlled environment, these fish tend to be fattier, that this also results in MORE OMEGA-3's!!!

It's hard for me to be ok with knowingly eating a fatter version of a healthy fish because there is more OF it.
But hey, it seems logical, as long as you consider the fact that everything ELSE is increased (mercury, dioxides, whatever else lies between the scales and the meat of a fish...)

Wild salmon, on the other hand, has not been subjected to the sometimes cruel and harsh realities of our farming industry (I'm not getting political, I know we all have to eat!)
Salmon farms have had problems with outbreaks of sea lice, which is an absolutely devastating parasite, HIGHLY contagious, and usually deadly to these fish.
Also, since the farms are trying to keep costs down and produce up, they are supplementing some of the meat in the developing salmons' diets with grain, which is producing a higher rate of ALA, the fatty acid LEAST desireable of the 3. (Attention salmon farmers: You're throwing off the balance of the almighty Omega-3's!!!!!)

So since Pacific Salmon is 80% more likely to be wild-caught than Atlantic, if you feel strongly about it, maybe it's a safer bet to choose Pacific. Although in these penny-pinching times, if you can afford to keep salmon stocked, do it any way you can!

Happy eating/fishing/supplementing!!!!

Toxic Toys

Toxic Toys

Ready, Set - Entertain!!!

Happy Friday!!!!

What a week! Ok so I hate to write back to back exercise-related posts, but this is more along the lines of games, gifts, and holiday season sanity maintenance.

As the holidays draw closer, a lot of families are planning festivities to celebrate with friends and family. Dinners, parties, and lots of hosting events, traveling to events, or both are likely in YOUR future. Extended holiday family time can be taxing as it is, and it's a whole different animal when children are thrown into the mix.

I can think back to my childhood, when Thanksgiving at my grandmother's consisted of 2 hours of driving in the minivan, followed by lots of hello kisses and hugs, the newest Barbie or fad present I rattled on about during my last visit to Nana and Pop-Pop's house, meatballs, gravies of all kinds, turkey, and then............. ADULTS TALKING..........

It seemed to me that the coffee-and-catching-up portion of the evening lasted
SO MUCH LONGER than everything else. This could be partially due to the fact that the time was typically spent inventing games that would usually end up with someone hurt, something broken, someone(s) being punished, and everyone crying, but I think the underlying reason was this: BOREDOM.

Nana and Pop-Pop's house had great stuff - like pretty china and silver tea pots, Nana's size 5 high heels that were closer to my size than any real shoe I'd ever seen (dress-up tea party anyone?), and a little black poodle named Lola who was ready-though-not-as-willing-as-we-regularly-assumed to entertain us. But all stuff this was off-limits, so while the grown-ups got their fill of napping, laughing, gossiping and carrying on, the kids were left twiddling our thumbs, flipping channels.

I only wish we'd had something to occupy our time in a POSITIVE way. There are tons of travel games and things to bring to occupy the kids, but one that I would recommend trying out would be the Smart Fit by Fisher Price. With only one piece to worry about, you won't lose parts to THIS one in your travels!

The Fisher Price Smart Fit is a game much like the Wii Fit for Nintendo, minus the game console, controllers, and adult-supervision-required handling of the equipment. The Smart Fit Park is an interactive learning device designed to plug into any television to provide entertainment, education, AND exercise to children ages 2-6. This is truly a plug and play device, as the software is in the mat.
The Park features 8 modes of acitivities for youngsters, including different subjects, like spelling, shapes and music, and allows children to see the effects of their movements as their characters walk, run, jump and stomp in response to the player's actions. It's never too early to sharpen motor skills and start building muscle memory, and this is a no-guilt way to let the kids burn off some post-turkey energy while the adults reconnect (and, if the men in your family are anything like MY power nappers, recharge)!

There are games like it, like the Fisher Price 3-in-1 Smart Sports Plug In, which boasts games like baseball, tennis and golf through 9 interactive levels, but the Smart Fit Park is a convenient under $50 tool to not only give kids an activity, but boost their skills at the same time.

Read more about the Smart Fit here .

Reviews on Amazon rate the product pretty well (see for yourself here), and I think it's definitely worth a shot.

Hey, maybe if Nana had had this, there wouldn't have been so much glitter in her shoes come Black Friday morning.


Now I want to know - how do YOUR family functions usually go around the holidays?

Shift Your Focus and Take Back the Controls!

In the wake of all things political this week, from the healthcare debates to what having a new NJ Governor means for the rest of the nation, I feel like I need a breather from distinguishing promises and ideals from propaganda babble.

I try not to get into the habit of watching local news twice a day because I notice I feel depressed more often than informed. Unfortunately, aside from the scattered human interest stories that allow the stone-faced anchors to crack a smile once in a while, it seems bad news sells more airtime - like trying to take one's eyes off of a train wreck. I guess it's just human nature to be attracted to all things sinister and creepy; I'd venture that we're all guilty of giving more attention to the negative than the positive at one time or another.

With the presence of so many forces working against my attempts at maintaining a cheerful outlook, I feel the need to center myself and feel in control of at least one part of my life – and consequently my happiness. For me, that outlet has always come in the form of a workout. Aside from the physical health benefits of exercise (which are IMMENSE), and the endorphin rush that causes a mood lift in the afterglow, my workout time is one of the only intervals during the day where I decide what I’ll do, how hard I’m going to work, and how much of myself I’m going to devote to….MYSELF!

It can be really hard to start the ball rolling though, especially if you don’t think you have time to carve out a workout schedule in your busy day/week.

One really great tool that I have found useful and recommended to others is the Wii Fit
and the Wii Fit Plus.

These are more than just video games. They utilize modern media formats to inspire an age-old practice of relieving stress, improving focus and maintaining a generally better lifestyle. With the prevalence of video and television in our everyday lives, Nintendo is taking steps to give society what it doesn’t even realize it craves – exercise. Instead of sitting on the couch playing first-person shooters all day (which, don’t get me wrong, definitely have their place in our hearts), now individuals and families alike can have an interactive experience, get their play time in, and better themselves at the same time. There is even a multiplayer option for people to enjoy this experience in the same room! (Pardon my sarcasm but really, does the entire family flee to separate corners of the house the second dinner is over in YOUR world?!)

Read my full review here.

Gaming might not be for everyone, and I’m not advocating that it should fully replace an existing regimen. I’m a big fan of changing your routine no matter what you're doing for exercise.... which the Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus also allow for….hmm, maybe I AM a bigger fan than I thought….

But if your workout routine is in a slump and you need to get in the groove with OUT feeling like you’re taking on yet another chore, or if you have those lazy moments of low energy followed by guilt for not taking initiative, the Wii Fit
and the Wii Fit Plus could be the answer you’re looking for.

And now, I have to get back to my local news.... hey, Rome wasn't built in a day you know, and I already did my workout! I'm feeling more cheerful already.....

Find the review here, and more at www.mekimare.com

The Maiden Voyage

Hello, blogoshpere, and welcome to my first blog. This page, like myself, is a supreme multitasker. It functions as a go-to for the latest product reviews, deals, and comparisons. It also tackles everyday issues, current events, and other topics that are at the forefront - and maybe not so forefront - of everyone's mind. It also serves to put into words the 'musings', if you will, that go on inside an overworked and underpaid brain on a daily basis. This page is not for political gain, so all opinions are welcome!


So what's on today's agenda? Finding good deals on products you can trust!

I am constantly crawling the web to find the newest and best products for the wide array of hobbies and interests I'm interested in. It's sort of an addiction, but let's face it - gone are the days of going to a store completely blind and picking out a product, trusting you're being given the best possible savings and going home with the warm fuzzy feeling that you were led in the right direction by the honest and knowledgeable sales associate. (If these stores still exist PLEASE tell me where they are, I will visit for the sake of nostalgia!) The fast-paced targeted marketing tactics of retail today simply do not allow for this formula to exist while making a profit - and unforunately, the current economy squeeze has made it even harder to retain an adequate number of knowledgeable salespeople, invested in your loyalty as a customer. Consumers are left price comparing for the best deal, and many times the best deal is found online.
Product comparison is key to finding a good deal, and I like to see customer reviews on products I am interested in, because they are usually a good indicator of how the product will function once it's out of the bag/box/whatever.
However, you cannot take these out of context. Disgruntled customers tend to run to their keyboards more quickly than those who are content with their purchases, so I am always wary of the motives of one lone baaaaaaad review amongst a majority of favorable ones. It's good to see both sides of the coin, as long as you take each opinion for what it is - an opinion.
When researching a product, I look for sites with product reviews.
Amazon.com has pretty complete customer reviews, and I can usually get a good idea of what people think of the product with just a scroll of my mouse.
Returnability is also an important factor in my search. Both Amazon and Overstock.com are pretty reliable both in shipping on time and returning a product for an unsatisfied customer.

So stay tuned for many more product reviews as part of this blog...for now, I will leave you toy fans with this, a lens created in Squidoo for the purpose of educating the masses about Transformers Beast Wars, an awesome series that came out in the late 90's with great CGI animation. You don't have to be a die-hard Transformers fan to fall in love with the series, and it's NOT just for boys either!

http://www.squidoo.com/Beast_Wars_Transformers