Friday, November 9, 2007

Fish Oil And Concentration

According to the National Statistics Online website, more
children are being diagnosed with attention deficit
disorders in the UK and around the world. What's more
shocking to many people is that fact that adults too are
being seen with these forms of concentration impairment.
Is this something that has happened as our modern lives are
speeding up or perhaps are we all suffering from some sort
of nutritional deficit that might be causing these issues
to occur? This is the question that many scientists are
asking and the results might be surprising.

What are Concentration Issues?

Most of us have had some point in our lives where we've
felt disorganized or completely unable to concentrate on
the task at hand. Maybe we've been under a lot of stress
or our health has been poor – in any case, sometimes
we've all felt like we could use a little more
concentration power. Many times we can remedy the problem
with more sleep and a change in our eating habits, but when
it seems like none of the traditional methods are working
or that your problems with concentration are worse than
just being unable to focus some of the time, you may need
additional help.

Concentration issues can lead to poor behaviour in school,
as in the case of children, in addition to low grades and
problems with information retention. In adults,
concentration issues can show themselves as problems with
job performance as well as in troubles with relationships
and in their personal mental health state. By being a
constant state of stress because you can't focus on the
things you need to do, it can be difficult to achieve a
life that seems normal to you. You might always feel
behind or like you just can't seem to keep up with everyone
else.

What Causes Concentration Issues?

The trick with concentration is that the cause is not
nearly as simply as it seems. Many people would tell
someone with concentration issues to simply work harder
– but it's not that simple. Concentration issues
stem from problems within the nervous system. When the
nerves and synapses aren't firing correctly, the messages
that the brain is sending and receives aren't transmitted
at the most efficient speed. In the brain, there are
electrical impulses that are sent whenever the brain is
sending a message or when something else is causing the
brain to receive a message (as in the case of burning a
hand. That pain signal is sent through the nervous system
to the brain in order to tell your hand to move from the
heat source).

These electrical messages can have troubles getting to the
brain quickly when the electrical impulse doesn’t get
to the synapses in the neural network. Better put, think
of this system as pouring water into a glass. When the
water is running, all is well, but when there is something
blocking the source of water, the glass does not fill.

How Does Fish Oil Help with Concentration?

Since fish oil contains essential fatty acids, the body is
going to be getting nutrients it can not make on its own.
These fatty acids are necessary in order for the nervous
system to function properly as well as to help the messages
get from one place to another. A study done in 2004 in the
UK showed that students who took fish oil supplements as a
part of their education actually improved their test scores
as well as their behaviour within three months of
supplementation.

Other studies have concluded that fish oil supplementation
is also helpful then the brain is actively developing, as
in when the child is still n the womb or in the younger
years of development. The brain forms into an organ that
can maintain a higher level of concentration as seen in
test results and teacher reports.

But then again, this does not mean that children are the
only ones that can benefit from taking fish oil
supplements. Adults that are on Ritalin or other
concentration boosting drugs have often found that fish oil
can actually replace the traditional forms of medication or
supplement other therapies with great results.

Where Can You Find Fish Oil Supplements?

There are a number of ways to add fish oil to a diet that
are easy and convenient. With fish oil supplements, a
person can easily take the recommended dosage three times a
day, while adding a few servings of fish to the diet each
week will also help to keep the essential fatty acid
levels, high. These supplements can be found at online
retailers as well as in local grocers.

Conclusion

The benefits of fish oil go far beyond increasing
concentration, but one fact remains – studies have
shown time and time again that fish oil is something that
can help boost the brain as well as the intelligence of
those that decide to make the supplement a part of their
lives.


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Dave McEvoy is an expert in omega 3 fish oil EPA with over
20 years experience; for more information about fish oil
and how it can help come and visit.
http://www.mind1st.co.uk/blog_comments.asp?id=18

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