Word: epa
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Fish oil is the best source of two long-chain essential fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)--the omega-3 fats we hear so much about. Essential in this context means our body cannot synthesize them, so we must get them from food or supplements. Food is usually preferable to supplements, but in this case fish oil, in capsule or liquid form, may be a better source than the fish that produce it because it is purified to be free of mercury and organic toxins. I have long recommended that people consume one to two grams...
Most Americans don't take in enough EPA and DHA to maintain optimum health. There are few dietary sources other than oily fish. Omega-3-fortified eggs, new on the market, contain only small amounts. Walnuts, flaxseed and other vegetarian sources of omega-3 do not provide EPA and DHA but rather a precursor (alpha-linolenic acid) that the body must convert. This conversion is inefficient at best and often inhibited by high intake of the fats common in processed and fast food...
...health-promoting effects of EPA and DHA have little or nothing to do with preventing abnormal cardiac rhythms. Their most important actions are reducing inflammation, reducing the clotting tendency of the blood, improving the profile of fats circulating in the blood, optimizing brain function (DHA is a major constituent of cell membranes in the central nervous system) and inhibiting abnormal cell proliferation, thereby reducing cancer risks. All of this translates into significant disease protection...
...EPA has since asked DuPont and seven other companies that use PFOA to phase out the chemical. Although DuPont disputes the classification as a carcinogen and won't stop making Teflon, the company has pledged that by 2015, it will reduce the amount of PFOA used to make the coating and will guarantee that the chemical won't be released into the environment from DuPont manufacturing plants...
...spite of all this, the agency website says, "At the present time, EPA does not believe there is any reason for consumers to stop using any consumer or industrial related products that contain PFOA." That's under normal use. You should not heat an empty nonstick pan to high temperatures or risk destabilizing the surface by plunging a hot pan into cold water, nor should you use nonstick pans for cooking at very high temperatures in general...