In 1906, explorer Stephen Stephenson discovered that the Inuit people living near the North Pole were among the world's largest meat-eaters, and that they had little access to vegetables, grains, and fruits.
Surprisingly, they rarely suffer from high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia and other cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, the mystery of which has aroused extensive interest of researchers.
Later, scientists have observed and explored the diet structure of Inuit people for decades, and found that the seal meat and seal oil they often eat contain very rich omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, of which EPA, DHA and DPA have a good role in preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases [1]. It turns out that the secret of Inuit's susceptibility to cardiovascular disease is seal oil.
What are the Inuit health secrets?
It's seal oil, not the same omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids!
Modern scientific research shows that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are very important for human health. Supplementation of sufficient omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids can effectively regulate blood lipids, reduce cholesterol, maintain fatty acid balance in the body, control inflammation, and prevent the formation of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, and cerebral infarction [2].
Seal oil, which is extracted from seal fat, contains 20 to 25 percent of omega-3, making it the richest omega-3 food in nature. [3] These omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids include EPA, DHA and DPA.
EPA can inhibit the synthesis of cholesterol and triglyceride, thereby regulating blood lipids and preventing arteriosclerosis; In addition, EPA can also inhibit platelet aggregation, prevent thrombosis and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, so it is known as "blood vessel scavenger". As for DPA, its efficacy is more than 10 times that of EPA, and it has certain effects on diabetes, skin diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcerative enteritis [4].
DHA is known as "brain gold", is an indispensable substance for the development of brain nerves and optic nerves, has the effect of enhancing memory and helping to prevent senile dementia. In addition to these, seal oil also contains a natural antioxidant called squalene. It helps keep the skin moisturized, smooth and elastic, and also inhibits the absorption of cholesterol in the body [4].
Is there a problem with the oil the Chinese eat?
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are very important for human health, but we Chinese people don't eat enough of them.
This is because, on the one hand, Chinese people eat less products, on the other hand, we like to use vegetable oil for cooking, which has a very low content of omega-3, and a relatively rich content of omega-6 fatty acids, which can not meet our daily needs.
A number of studies have shown that the golden ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids should be 1:4 to 1:6, but the intake ratio of Chinese residents is 1:10 or even 1:20, which is a serious imbalance.
Once the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the body is unbalanced, it will lead to an increase in pro-inflammatory factors and a decrease in anti-inflammatory factors, resulting in various inflammatory reactions. Inflammatory response is closely related to the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes, arthritis and other common chronic diseases [5][6].
How to supplement omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids?
Some people may say that fish oil can also supplement omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, why do you have to eat seal oil? Between you and me, there is a big difference: seal oil is rich and abundant in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and has DPA and squalene that are not found in fish oil [4].
In addition, because seal is also a mammal, the molecular structure of omega-3 fatty acids in seal oil is closer to human beings, and the absorption and utilization rate are high. More importantly, seal oil is produced by low temperature extraction, while some inferior fish oil may only be extracted from various aquatic waste materials such as fish bones, fish heads and fish guts [7]. As a savvy consumer, seal oil is your smart choice.
