Now I won't claim that this is representative Adrienne, but the very
first site that popped up on the search you recommended got me this
(said just the opposite regarding
stroke!):http://vitalpathhealthcentre.com/eskimos.htm

Why are the Eskimos Laughing?

The traditional diet of arctic peoples is high in seal meat and seal
             blubber. The hunting rituals and food-sharing for community
well-being                is viewed as a health practice for the
individual mind/body/soul                and as the source of personal
and political power. The Inuit and                Eskimos are full of
laughter and joy as they share the seal.

In 1972 a study of Greenland Eskimos found remarkably little circulatory
                diseases like stroke, heart attack and high blood
pressure, little                diabetes and other blood sugar problems,
and far less arthritis                and cancers among those living on
the seal and fish diet of their                ancestors. When moved
into settlements and onto a store food diet,                these
diseases emerge as in the outside world. The key turns out
   to be the balance of omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)
           from sea animals to the omega 6 fats from grains and land
animals.                Current omega 3 consumption in North America and
Europe averages                less than 20% of the recommended levels.

Omega 3 marine oils have been intensively studied, and it is safe to say
                are of proven health benefit in many important diseases.
Use of                cod liver oil for health goes back 200 years!
Studies in the 1950’s                showed an 88% clinical response to
fish oils for chest pain, blood                flow diseases, high
cholesterol and total blood fats - and reported
"increased feeling of well-being coupled with increased cerebration".
              Cerebration means thinking and remembering.

Researchers in Canada, Denmark and Norway have shown greater stability,
                absorption and benefits from seal oil. Dr. Robert
Ackman, a recognized                expert in marine oils and omega 3
research at Dalhousie University                in Nova Scotia calls
seal oil "biofiltered fish oil". The ratio                of fats and
absorbability compare closely with the fats in human
breast milk! Breastfed infants receive DHA and other factors critical
              to nerve/brain development and function. The human brain
and retina                are 60% fat, and half of that is DHA. Good
vision and motor skills                depend on these fats, and
supplemental seal oil will particularly                aid the premature
infant and those fed formula.

Persons with problems sleeping, schizophrenia , depression and mental
deterioration also markedly benefit from seal oil. Attention defecit
disorder( ADD ) and hyperactivity ( ADHD ) improve rapidly.

Benefits include powerful repair of damage to the linings blood vessels
and the blood-brain barrier, rapid clearance of cholesterol, increased
               HDL - which is the good form of cholesterol, lowered
platelet aggregation which means less risk of clotting of the blood in
the vessels, far more flexible red blood cells allowing improved blood
flow and therefore more oxygen and nutrition, Studies show a 70%
reduction in the risk of a fatal heart attack, and a 30% reduction in
fatal second heart attacks. This oil, in small doses, can prevent sudden
death from                irregular heart beats following a heart
attack. Blood pressure is                reduced, and BP meds tend to
work more effectively with this supplement.                Risk of
stroke is signifigantly lowered.

Risk of breast and bowel cancer is lowered. The squalene content
         is a powerful immune modulator. Seal oil is effective in
autoimmune                diseases such as lupus, scleroderma and
rheumatoid arthritis.

Other important applications include arthritis, colitis, irritable
bowel, kidney disease, eczema, psoriasis, brittle nails, dry skin, and
               dry hair. ........

Lots of our paleo ancestors camped out at salmon runs and ate virtually
nothing else when the salmon were running. If you can get your fish oil
from real food that would be ideal -- but our fish is so contaminated
that high dose pharmaceutical grade fish oil is the next best thing.

Liz

[log in to unmask] wrote:

> In a message dated 4/2/04 4:09:49 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
> The health of native peoples who
> rely heavily on long chain omega 3 fatty acid rich food is real life
> evidence of their benefits.
> Eskimos have virtually no heart disease but a relatively high rate of
> hemorrhagic strokes (bleeding in the brain).  Just do a google search on eskimos and
> hemorrhagic stroke
>
> Ultimately whether or not to supplement with fish oil is a personal choice.
> I certainly don't have all the answers and neither does anyone else.  However,
> before deciding to supplement with fish oil or anything else, I think it's
> best to hear arguments pro and against and then just make your decision.  If you
> are not persuaded that there could be a downside to fish oil, then go for it.
>  At least you took the time to research it a bit and made an informed
> decision.

--
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