What are fish oil omega-3 essential fatty acids, and why have they been so widely researched, with over 10,000 clinical trials studying their unique properties?
Fish oil comes from the tissues of oily fish that live in deep cold water, like mackerel, salmon, and tuna – and is especially known for being one of the best available sources for omega-3.
Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid, meaning that it is necessary for your health, but your body can’t make it – you can only get omega-3 fatty acids through the food that you eat, or from fish oil omega-3 dietary supplements.
Fish oil omega-3 benefits research originated with observations made by Danish physicians, noting that regardless that Eskimos ate a diet that was very high in fat content, they still had very low rates of heart disease or arthritis. This would not be expected – eating that much fat should have led to chronic inflammation throughout the body, resulting in those and many other health problems over time.
Instead, the research showed that it was very high amounts of fish oil omega-3 fatty acids that were being consumed. These essential fats contain DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and help to reduce inflammation – making them highly beneficial. It is the omega-6 fatty acids that cause inflammation, and although they are also essential, there must be a proper balance these.
The Western diet is deficient in omega-3 essential fatty acids. Instead of having an omega-6:omega-3 ratio in the area of 2:1, it is far more typical for it to be 15:1. This needs to be corrected to promote healthy living, and can be done by consuming less food cooked in vegetable oil, while consuming more fish oil omega-3.
Fish Oil Omega-3 Benefits
As a result of the research, it has been shown that (1) too much inflation is one of the critical factors related to heart disease, as well as numerous other health issues (2) fish oil omega-3 is an essential fatty acid that reduces inflammation, and as a result can provide important health benefits.
The scientific evidence shows that the strongest fish oil omega-3 benefits are for heart disease and heart related problems – the American Heart Association recommends eating fatty fish at least twice a week.
DHA and EPA, the fish oil omega-3 fatty acids, have been shown to help reduce heart disease risk factors – especially lowering the levels of triglycerides, or fats in the blood, and increasing the level of HDL, or good cholesterol. Other heart related issues that studies have shown to help include:
- Lowering risk of death from heart attack
- Lowering high cholesterol
- Lowering high blood pressure in people with hypertension
- Prevention of hardening of the arteries
- Reduction of risk of stroke
More Fish Oil Omega-3 Benefits
Besides lowering triglycerides, and preventing heart attacks, The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database [this is a service of the US National Library of Medicine] , has stated that fish oil omega-3 fatty acids are possibly effective for numerous other health issues, including:
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Menstrual pain
- ADHD in children
- Weak bones
- Kidney problems
- Depression
- Recurrent miscarriage
Fish Oil Omega-3 Supplements
Consider some numbers: (1) you get around 1 gram of essential fatty acids from 3.5 ounces of fish (2) the American Heart Association recommends eating fatty fish at least twice a week (3) the FDA has recommended that no more than 3 grams of DHA and EPA combined be consumed each day.
So, if you eat 2 pieces of fish that are 5 ounces each per week, then you are getting around 2.85 grams of fish oil omega-3 –vs- the FDA allowance of 3 grams per day. With this deficit and the remarkable health benefits for numerous health areas and conditions that fish oil has shown to provide – there is definitely a case for taking fish oil omega-3 supplements.
However, there are some issues with omega-3 supplementation to consider, these are related to (1) possible interactions (2) quantity that is consumed (3) fish oil source and purity.
To begin with, if you are pregnant or possibly are allergic to fish, definitely check with your doctor before taking any fish oil supplement. And if you are taking other medicines, be sure to check for interactions. For instance, if you are taking blood pressure medicine, then the fish oil may increase the effect and lower your blood pressure too much. Or, if you are taking medicines that slow clotting like Coumadin, which seems to have interaction problems with everything, the fish oil may cause bleeding.
As is the case with so many things, people have a tendency to think that if a little bit is good, then a lot is better – and that is one of your risks, because too much could hurt you. Remember – the Federal Drug Administration has recommended that no more than 3 grams of fish oil omega-3 fatty acids be consumed each day.
Your fish oil source and purity is probably the biggest issue with supplementation – consider the following:
- Purity: Free from contaminants, with very strict testing for heavy metals, PCBs, and dioxins
- Freshness: Low oxidation levels that keep any free radicals to a minimum
- Natural: Ensures best body absorption as compared to a synthetic oil
- DHA Content: Varies among supplements with higher levels having the best anti-inflammatory properties
Fish Oil Omega-3 DHA Anti-Inflammatory Supplement Recommendation
My favorite fish oil omega-3 anti-inflammatory supplements come from Xtend-Life Natural Health Products. They follow a very rigid set of guidelines and standards in order to provide not only the best fish oil available, but also a supplement that is extremely effective in maximizing health benefits.
As discussed, inflammation is one of the primary causes for heart disease, along with leading to many other health conditions – this is why you want to take a fish oil supplement. Xtend-Life Omega-3 DHA Fish Oil DHA Supplements have been shown to have 2.5 times the anti-inflammatory properties of ‘normal’ fish oil, and double that of fish oil that is highly concentrated.
