Dr. Maroon received an athletic scholarship to Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana where as an undergraduate, he was named a Scholastic All-American in football. Dr. Maroon has successfully maintained his personal athletic interests through participation in 9 marathons and more than 72 Olympic-distance triathlon events. However, his greatest athletic accomplishment is his participation in 8 Ironman triathlons (Hawaii – 1993, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2013; Canada – 1995; New Zealand – 1997; Germany – 2000), where he usually finishes in the top 10 of his age group. Recently, in July 2012 and 2013, he finished second and third, respectively, in his age group in the Muncie, Indiana half Ironman triathlon. In October 2013 he completed his 5th World Championship Ironman in Kona, Hawaii.Living Well Radio Rebroadcast on Fish Oil Benefit for Inflammation and Joint Pain
Over the last year Living Well, a weekly radio show hosted by Dr. Joseph Maroon and Jeff Bost PAC, has aired on Saturday Mornings at 8:30 am on Beaver County Radio. Beaver County Radio is part of the St Barnabas Radio Network and sponsors Living Well, which now airs on 1230 WBVP, 1460 WMBA, 99.3 F.M., and 95.7 F.M. Living Well recently also began to aired on Butler Radio Station WBUT at 1050 AM and 97.3 FM at 8:30 am on Saturday morning.
The recorded 30 minute shows are now available for rebroadcast on our josephmaroon.com website. Over the next several months we will feature some of the best of the Living Well shows to be rebroadcasted along with the information presented in written form. Our hope is the you use the additional information provided here to help improve your understanding the topics being presented.
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Living Well – Show 6 – Understanding Omega-3 Fish Oil – LISTEN HERE
The Question – This question is about Use of Omega- 3 – This question is from a listener, a husband and wife, who are both resided at St. Barnabas in an independent living apartment in Gibsonia. They have a friend who takes fish oil for arthritic pain and thought it might help them. Their question is since they eat fish would adding fish oil capsules really help their arthritic joints or should they just eat more fish?
Discussion:
Topics:
• Link between Inflammation and disease
• Silent/chronic inflammation
• Causes of Inflammation
• How O3 works in Cell membranes to counter inflammation (Joints, Heart, Brain etc)
• Benefits of O3 in Brain Cells
• Lack of O3 in America Diet
o North Americans have among the lowest dietary intakes of omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFA), or fish oil, in the world.
o 83% of Americans are deficient in omega-3 EFAs.
o An inverse relationship between intake of omega-3 EFAs and death due to coronary heart disease, incidence of depression, and the health of new born babies.
o That is in those populations and countries where more fish oil and omega-3’s are consumed, fewer of these serious health problems occur.
o Studies at Harvard and CDC estimated that Omega-3 deficiency causes 96,000 US deaths per year.
o Omega-3 deficiency was the sixth biggest killer of Americans
• Omega-3 EFAs can benefit
o Risk of coronary heart disease by lowering blood pressure, reducing platelet adherence to the lining of blood vessels, and enhancing blood vessel vasodilatation.
o Protect against and reduce the incidence of coronary events in people with underlying heart disease.
o A major benefit of consuming omega-3 EFAs is the prevention of cardiac arrhythmias, including sudden cardiac death, which annually causes some 300,000 deaths in the United States.
Fish Oil AHA Recommendations
The American Heart Association’s (AHA’s) dietary guidelines now recognize the benefits of omega-3 EFAs. The AHA recommends consuming fish, which is high in omega-3 fatty acids, at least twice weekly to reduce the risk of CHD. In addition, the AHA recommends the inclusion of oils and other food sources high in omega-3 fatty acids. The AHA concluded that omega-3 EFAs decrease the risk of arrhythmias (which can lead to sudden cardiac death), decrease triglyceride levels, decrease the growth rate of atherosclerotic plaque and lower blood pressure. Fish oil supplementation should be done under physician guidance for people with cardiac disease.
O3 for Mental Health
Study Using Omega-3s Lowers Stress Hormones – randomized, controlled trial in 138 sedentary, overweight, middle-aged people and gave 2/3s of them either 1.25 or 2.5 grams of omega-3 supplement per day, another 1/3 received a placebo for 4 months.
Omega -3 Benefits for Longevity
Same Study evaluated an enzyme in the blood call telomerase. On the strains of DNA that make up our 23 chromosome pairs in each cell that divides is a little cap called a telomere. It is like the plastic cap on the end of a shoelace (An aglet), and as cells divide it tends to get shorter and weaker and eventually it can not hold the DNA in place and the cell stops dividing and is no longer functioning. Many human studies have linked the length of telomeres to human lifespan. Shorter telomeres are associated with early death and more disease. Because telomerase is associated with building telomeres and making them stronger, lower levels of telomerase are also used as a prediction of less longevity.
FINDINGS –
Both doses omega-3 supplementation significantly protected telomerase (drop) and inflammation (increase) after stress compared to the placebo group. By lowering overall inflammation and cortisol levels during stress and boosting repair mechanisms (telomerase) during recovery, omega-3 may slow accelerated aging and reduce depression risk.