There are two families of essential fatty acids the Omega 3 series and the Omega 6 series. Both are known to be vitally important for health and it is essential that both are present in our diets since our bodies are unable to produce them from other nutrients (hence the term 'essential'). Researchers have found in recent studies that increasing oily fish in the diet which contains these omega fatty acids helps prevent prostate cancer and heart disease.

Fish Oil May Good For Arteries

NEW YORK, Feb 01 (Reuters Health) -- Adding to growing evidence that fish oil may promote heart health, researchers have found that fish oil supplements improve artery dilation in people with high cholesterol.
Such artery dilation depends on the proper functioning of the endothelium, or artery wall lining. High cholesterol levels may impair the endothelium, leading to constriction of coronary arteries and reduced blood flow.
In a study of 30 patients with high cholesterol, subjects took either daily fish oil supplements or (an inactive) placebo. At the end of 4 months, those taking fish oil supplements had an improvement in endothelial function, report Dr. Jonathan Goodfellow and his colleagues at the University of Wales College of Medicine in Cardiff, UK.
Ultrasound tests showed that in patients taking fish oil pills, the average artery dilation more than doubled during the study. In contrast, the 15 patients on placebo had no such change. The investigators measured blood flow in the forearm, which is considered an indicator for flow in the arteries supplying the heart with blood, according to the report in the February issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
In this study and in others, fish oil supplements did not lower the patients' overall cholesterol levels, or their LDL ("bad") cholesterol. And the supplements do not appear to increase HDL ("good") cholesterol.
Thus, the American Heart Association (AHA) says that fish oil pills should not be used to treat high cholesterol. While fish oil's role in treating artery disease is a "promising area" for research, it is premature to recommend taking the supplements to prevent heart disease, according to the AHA.
Fish oil is rich in polyunsaturated fats known as omega-3 fatty acids, which have in recent years garnered increasing interest for their possible heart benefits. One reason is that in countries where the fish-rich "Mediterranean diet" is popular, heart disease is less prevalent than in countries like the United States.
The underlying mechanism for this benefit, however, has been unclear, Goodfellow and colleagues note in their report.
Other research has suggested that fish-oil supplements bestow their heart benefits by chemically altering the composition of fats in cell membranes, which in turn may improve blood vessel dilation. It is possible, Goodfellow and his colleagues speculate, that the supplements aid vessel dilation by changing the membrane "fluidity" of cells in artery walls