Omega

Retinitis pigmentosa is one of several eye conditions that appears to benefit from nutritional substances. In a study published Monday, researchers found that people with the condition experienced a slowing of the disease process if they took vitamin A supplements and ate a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids. Retinitis pigmentosa causes night blindness by adolescence and eventually tunnel vision and total blindness by about age 60. Vitamin A has been a standard therapy for the condition since 1993 when studies showed it slowed disease progression.

An omega-3 fatty acid plentiful in fish oil boosts the ability of healthy young adults, whose brains are already at their peak levels of speed and performance, to hold several items in memory for a short time, a study has found. The study is the first to suggest that fish oil might enhance cognitive performance in healthy people by boosting their working memory. The latest research adds to evidence of fish oil's beneficial neuropsychiatric effects: Supplementation with the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)

An omega-3 fatty acid plentiful in fish oil boosts the ability of healthy young adults, whose brains are already at their peak levels of speed and performance, to hold several items in memory for a short time, a study has found. The study is the first to suggest that fish oil might enhance cognitive performance in healthy people by boosting their working memory. The latest research adds to evidence of fish oil's beneficial neuropsychiatric effects: Supplementation with the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)

Is there something fishy going on with omega-3 fatty acids? For years, major health and medical organizations have recommended fish oil supplements rich in omega-3s to reduce the threat of heart disease. In Europe, where support is particularly enthusiastic, a doctor's failure to recommend the supplements is viewed by some as bordering on malpractice. But several recent studies have raised questions about the benefits of fish oil, sparking no small amount of confusion. A report published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Assn.

With about 2,000 slightly sunburned vacationers from Budapest looking on, Janos Kobor, lead singer of Omega, pranced onto the stage through a cloud of artificial smoke that swirled and billowed in the red and purple lights. He snapped the microphone cord, shook his mane of blond hair and growled the signature lines from the latest Omega album. "The gates of darkness seldom open," he hissed, "on the dark side of the earth."

In the animated kiddie movie "Alpha and Omega," sometimes the wolves look like wolves and sometimes they look and move like humans; some bear an uncanny resemblance to Dora the Explorer. That in itself should tip you off to the target audience for this unexceptional 3-D offering, which is also available in 2-D for those looking to avoid paying a ticket surcharge for low-budget animation. But the movie's visual flatness would work best at home on the small screen, where young girls (and maybe their big sisters)

Beijing Olympics: An item in Friday's Cause Celebre column in the Calendar section reported that George Clooney had asked Swiss watchmaker Omega, a company for which he serves as a spokesman, to reconsider its sponsorship of the Summer Olympics in Beijing. The star has instead urged Omega to consider speaking out about China's foreign policy, according to a Clooney representative.

Regarding "What Comes First, the Egg or the Algae DHA Omega-3?" Sept. 8: We had been searching the supermarkets for healthier eggs (in vain) when I happened to mention to a neighbor that a handful of flax meal in her chicken feed would probably give her Omega 3 eggs and that I would be delighted to pay her 25 cents per egg for any she could spare. The resulting eggs were wonderful, with bright orange yolks. Not all enriched food is a bad thing. I take Omega 3 supplements in the form of fish oil and flaxseed oil capsules, but I'd like to have it present in a lot more of my food to balance the excess of Omega 6 provided by the food processors.

Re: "The Widows' Adventures," reviewed by Barbara Kingsolver (Book Review, Oct. 1): I can suspend disbelief as well as the next reader. I accept that a blind woman can drive across the United States, but surely not in a Pontiac Omega. ELSE NUSBAUM LOS ANGELES

Seaweed can shrink your waistline. Grow your hair. Bring down your blood pressure along with your blood sugar. Build up the strength of your bones and your brain. Make your joints stop aching and your bowels get moving. Give cancer short shrift, and give cellulite and wrinkles the old heave-ho. That is, if you believe the hype - only some of which is backed up by reliable evidence. The data are strongest that seaweed can reduce inflammation, premenstrual syndrome symptoms and even the growth of tumors (in animals)

From kitschy gift to kitchen darling, chia is having another 15 minutes of fame. And this time, it's not slathered on clay "pets. " Chia seeds have become popular for their omega-3 fatty acids and fiber content. With their neutral taste, they can be consumed in many ways - now they're even showing up in processed foods such as chips and spreads. Eaten by the Maya and Aztec people, chia seeds have long been reputed to be nutritional powerhouses. "They were basics when we grew up," says Ramiro Arvizu, a chef at La Casita Mexicana in Bell.

Retinitis pigmentosa is one of several eye conditions that appears to benefit from nutritional substances. In a study published Monday, researchers found that people with the condition experienced a slowing of the disease process if they took vitamin A supplements and ate a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids. Retinitis pigmentosa causes night blindness by adolescence and eventually tunnel vision and total blindness by about age 60. Vitamin A has been a standard therapy for the condition since 1993 when studies showed it slowed disease progression.

Struggling with the black dog of depression? The supplement aisle abounds with options for people seeking a non-medicinal remedy - but figuring out what works and what doesn't can be a challenge for consumers and experts alike. That's because the data are generally poor, says Dr. Charles Raison, associate professor of psychiatry in the College of Medicine at the University of Arizona in Tucson. There are some exceptions. Hundreds of studies have investigated the effects of omega-3 fatty acids and St. John's wort.

In a finding suggesting powerful psychiatric benefits for a component of fish oil, a study published Wednesday has linked military suicides to low levels of docosahexaenoic acid and found that service personnel with higher levels of DHA in their blood were less likely to take their own lives. The study, published this week in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, looked back at the medical records of 800 U.S. servicemen and women who took their own lives between 2002 and 2008, and compared them with the records of 800 service personnel -- matched for age, gender and rank -- who had no history of suicide attempts.  Men whose records showed they had low levels of DHA in their blood were 62% more likely to have been suicide victims than those with the highest levels.

Pregnant women are often urged to eat foods high in omega-3 fatty acids (usually simply referred to as “fish”) for healthier and smarter babies, but now research suggests that the “brain food” may also help women ward off postpartum depression. Or, rather, depression symptoms. Maybe. In a 52-person study, pregnant women who took a fish oil capsule five days a week during their third trimester had fewer symptoms of postpartum depression—such as anxiety—than women who took a placebo of corn oil during their third trimester, researchers at the University of Connecticut have announced.

Walter Seltzer, a Hollywood press agent-turned-producer who started out at MGM in the 1930s and made an enduring mark on the industry in the 1980s as a tenacious fundraiser for the Motion Picture and Television Fund, has died. He was 96. Seltzer died Friday of an age-related illness at the Motion Picture and Television Fund's retirement home in Woodland Hills, said Jennifer Fagen, a spokeswoman for the fund. His successful ad campaign for MGM's "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1935)

So how many omega-3 fatty acids are enough — and how should you get them? That likely depends on your age and your specific health concerns. The United States does not yet have guidelines for DHA or EPA, and consensus among nutrition experts is elusive. But specialty groups, some governmental agencies and individual experts have started to take a stand. For healthy adults without major medical issues, the European Food Safety Agency recommends a daily dose of 250 milligrams of combined EPA and DHA, while the National Heart Foundation of Australia suggests 500 milligrams.

Ancient grains may sound like something you'd find in a museum or at an archaeological site. But these days, they're turning up in the bread aisle. At markets from Whole Foods to Vons, shoppers can choose from a growing number of breads made with so-called ancient grains, including quinoa, amaranth, spelt and Kamut (a patented variety of wheat). Claims about the breads abound: They're said to be packed with whole grains, protein, omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, and they're supposedly safe for people with wheat allergies or gluten intolerance, also known as celiac disease.

A healthy intake of omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish and fish oil supplements, has been shown to protect against retinopathy, a leading cause of blindness, particularly among people with diabetes. Now researchers have clarified how fish oil helps. Previously, researchers from Children's Hospital Boston showed that mice fed a diet rich in omega-3s had less abnormal blood-vessel growth in the retina and less of an inflammatory response compared with mice fed omega-6 fatty acids, a less beneficial fatty acid.

The Social Network Sony, $28.96; Blu-ray, $34.95 A near-perfect match of screenwriter, subject, director and cast, "The Social Network" turns the founding of Facebook by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg into a fast-paced, funny, up-to-the-minute story about how technological revolutions are redrawing class lines. Jesse Eisenberg plays Zuckerberg as a coldly brilliant, socially inept young man who leaves a trail of broken friendships on his way to phenomenal wealth, while Aaron Sorkin's witty script and David Fincher's stylish direction illustrate how "status" has taken on a whole new meaning in the Facebook era. This is Hollywood entertainment of the first order, turning the issues of the day into whizz-bang drama.