There's no doubt that healthful eating habits can contribute to a healthy body. Because no single food can make a person healthy, health professionals and nutrition communicators stress the importance of eating a variety of foods to provide the nutrients that are necessary for maintaining overall good health.
The science of nutrition is constantly evolving, leading to a greater understanding of the benefits of food components. Among those components, dietary fats have long been known to be essential to a healthful diet. A type of fat called polyunsaturated fat contains two well-known subclasses of fatty acids: omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Current research on these fatty acids has been helpful in providing additional information about their benefits, including improved heart health and stroke reduction (
Journal of the American Medical Association, January 2001).
Omega-3 fatty acids are found in a variety of foods, most commonly fish and seafood. A new brochure produced by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation examines the value of fish and seafood in a healthful diet in general and the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids for children, adults, and pregnant women.
The brochure has been reviewed by the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation and is based on scientific consensus. To receive a copy of the brochure, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Fish & Your Health, Publications Department, IFIC Foundation, 1100 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 430, Washington, DC 20036. You can also access it on the IFIC Foundation Web site
here.
