Fish Oil supplement - Health benefit of fish oil supplements
Fish oils
are fascinating nutrients. Almost every aspect of our health, physical and
mental, is related to the types of fatty acids that make up our cells and
tissues. And it appears that most of us are not ingesting the right kind of
fatty acids, the ones found in fish and fish oils. For research information on
fish oils, see Ray Sahelian, M.D. Fish
oils can improve
eyesight. To purchase
Fish Oil Fisol. You can also buy
Fish-Oil-Wild.
Fish Oil supplement benefits for the body
Fish and fish oils may be beneficial in a variety of medical conditions
(see the studies at bottom of page):
Fish oils reduce the risk for
heart disease
Fish oils reduce the risk of heart
arrhythmias
May reduce symptoms of arthritis and several
autoimmune conditions.
Eating fish and perhaps taking fish oil supplements may also help
reduce the risk for macular degeneration.
Fish oils are found in sperm, and these oils may support healthy sexual
organ function.
Fish oils plus exercise could reduce body fat. Click weight loss for ideas on how to lose weight.
You may also consider reading about
krill oil or to buy
Krill-Oil.
Fish Oil supplement benefits for the mind
Dr. Malcolm Peet of the Swallownest Court Hospital in Sheffield, England
and his colleague found that depressed patients who received a daily dose of 1 gram of an
omega-3 fatty acid for 12 weeks experienced a decrease in their symptoms, such as sadness,
anxiety and sleeping problems. Fish oils are beneficial for vision.
Fish oil reduce
heart rhythm problems
Dietary fish oil reduces the incidence of triggered arrhythmias in
pig ventricular myocytes.
Heart Rhythm. 2007 Nov;4(11):1452-60. Experimental Cardiology
Group (ECG), Center for Heart Failure Research, Academic Medical Center,
University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
The purpose of this study was to test whether dietary fish oil in pigs inhibits
Ca2+ overload-induced triggered activity. Pigs were fed a diet of fish oil or
sunflower oil for 8 weeks. Ventricular myocytes were isolated by enzymatic
dissociation and used for patch clamp studies and intracellular Ca2+ recordings.
Triggered activity was induced by rapid pacing in the presence of norepinephrine.
Dietary fish oil reduced the incidence of triggered action potentials and
delayed afterdepolarizations compared to control, concomitant with a reduction
in spontaneous calcium release. Dietary fish oil prevented calcium overload and
reduced action potential prolongation in response to norepinephrine. Dietary
fish oil reduces the incidence of triggered activity and prevents calcium
overload and AP prolongation in response to norepinephrine. Fish oil may prevent
arrhythmias in patients with heart failure.
Fish oil
supplement and
exercise
Australian researchers found that a combination of exercise and fish oil
supplements was effective at reducing body fat and improving cholesterol levels
and blood vessel function. Study participants who took fish oil, alone or with
exercise, saw their levels of "good" HDL cholesterol go up, while their
triglycerides (an unhealthy form of blood fat) took a dip. Meanwhile, both
exercise and fish oil seemed to cut body fat. Peter R. C. Howe and colleagues at
the University of South Australia in Adelaide randomly assigned 75 overweight
adults to one of four groups: one that took 6 grams of fish oil per day; one
that consumed fish oil and walked for 45 minutes three days per week; one that
consumed pills containing sunflower oil; and a fourth that combined sunflower
oil and walking. After 12 weeks, the researchers found, volunteers who were
taking fish oil showed greater improvements in their blood fats and blood vessel
function than those who took sunflower oil. What's more, exercise and fish oil
each helped reduce body fat. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, May 2007.
Metabolism of
Fish Oil
Fish oils are made in the body from a fatty acid
called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). ALA is an omega-3 fatty acid found predominantly in flaxseed oil (also
known as linseed) and hemp seed oil. Green leafy vegetables, soybeans, walnuts, and canola
oil have small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial because
they provide fluidity to cell membranes and improve communication between brain cells.
Omega-3s also reduce the clotting ability of platelets, thus potentially decreasing the
incidence of heart attacks and strokes. Two very important omega-3 fatty acids are eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and
docosahaexanoic acid (DHA)
which together are found in fish oils. These fatty acids are found in seafood,
especially mackerel, salmon, striped bass, rainbow trout, halibut, tuna, and sardines.
How are Fish Oils supplements available?
Supplements of fish oils that contain EPA and DHA are sold over the counter. DHA is also
sold by itself. In the body, DHA is found mostly in the brain, retina, and in sperm.
At this time I don't see a need to take DHA by itself. It's much cheaper and
perhaps better to take both EPA and DHA together.
Fish Oils supplements reduce Heart Rhythm Problems
Daily supplementation with omega-3 fatty acid ( fish oils )
prevents a potentially-deadly decline in heart rate variability associated
with exposure to indoor air pollution. Heart
rate variability
measures the variability in the intervals between heartbeats, with lower
variability being associated with higher risks of heart disease and death. A
normal heart does not always have the same time intervals between beats, but
every so often (in cycles) the interval between cardiac beats changes; i.e. a
little shorter, or longer. How frequent these variations occur are a measure of
the effect of the nervous regulation of the heart. A sick heart losses this fine
tuning.
Comments: There are many causes for heart rhythm
abnormalities, and one of them is taking too high doses of certain herbs
that have a stimulating effect. I recommend you keep your dosages of
supplements to the minimum that works for you, and also to take occasional
breaks, for instance one or two days off each week to allow your system to
come back to normal from potential overstimulation. See
arrhythmia
for details.
Fish oil
supplements or eating fish? Effect on blood omega-3 levels
Eating oil fish two times a week can increase the EPA and DHA content of
red blood cells and blood lipids in a similar manner as taking two fish
oil capsules a day.
Fish Oil supplement questions
Q. All of us in the family take fish oil. I was searching for good fish oil to
buy the other day when i came accross an article by prof. Saldean which concerns
me: it says that the fish oil available (most , if not all) are unstable ,
meaning- there are fish oil that as early as one day after exposure to air
(peroxide value 20), it becomes rancid, should i continue taking fish oil? How
harmful is fish oil when it comes to 'oxidation'? He also added that fish oil
increases level of malondialdehyde which is the marker of free radical in the
blood and tissues such as heart and blood vessels.
A. We cannot speak for other products, but we do have confidence in
Fish Oil Wild product which the staff here take ourselves. It is developed by a
famous doctor Ray Sahelian, M.D. and he says he knows it is good since he
notices the visual enhancement from taking it which only happens when the EPA
and DHA in the oil are intact.
Q. I read with interest the comments from the medical doctor re: in the December 2006 issue of Dr. Sahelian's Supplement Update Newsletter. He states that he took 3 capsules of fish oil daily. How much of an effect the fish oil provided might be influenced by the amount of EPA and DHA contained in the capsules. There are varying amounts of these in different capsules. Also I think that a 6 week time frame is a relatively short period of time to test out whether a supplement will be helpful. Most drug studies are conducted for a longer period of time than this doctor is allowing for the fish oil to take effect. I do believe that I have read that natural methods take longer to be effective versus some of the drug. Reading Dr. Barry Sears information, Omega RX, plus his work with the sole survivor of the Sago Mine Disaster certainly seems to indicate the beneficial effects of fish oil. I am a health care provider and have had a very beneficial effect from the fish oil and zone diet. He may wish to do some further reading about fish oil and start taking a pharmaceutical grade fish oil.
Q. I read that Dr. Ray Sahelian advises not to exceed
three grams of fish oil capsules per day to avoid possible immune system
suppression. If I also eat salmon on a daily basis does that reduce my daily
fish oil by pill limit? Many thanks.
A. Yes, eating fish such as wild salmon reduces the need for fish
oil capsules.
Q. I read that large amounts of fish consumption may
result in side effects due to the potential presence of environmental toxins
such as mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, and other contaminants. Do
fish oils present the same problems with toxins?
A. The risks of exposure to environmental toxins with fish
consumption is reduced through purification processes used to develop
concentrated fish oil supplements.
Q. Is fish oil supplementation helpful in
phenyketonuria?
A. Fish oils may improve motor coordination.
Q. The brand name is Physicians Formula, for the Fish Oil
Wild, but is it a pharmaceutical grade product ? I currently buy a
pharmaceutical grade fish oil product because it doesn’t cause as much belching
for me.
A. The wild fish oil comes from seas around the North Sea which are
unpolluted. Except for certain amino acids such as tryptophan, the term
'pharmaceutical grade' is not used to define supplements such as fish oil, those
using it do so for marketing purposes and it is not accurate, that is not how
fish oils are defined.
Q. I just started taking Fish Oil capsules and I was
wondering if it affects menstrual flow. I believe I remember reading that , but
now I can't locate the information. So far it has been great with my mood, and
concentration, though.
A. It is possible fish oils could influence menstrual flow either
by thinning the blood or by influencing hormone levels. Of course, much depends
on how many softgels are taken.
Q. I have been taking fish oil with GLA (along with red
yeast rice) for high cholesterol and triglycerides for about 2 months and have
enjoyed amazing results! However I am scheduled to have a bone fusion surgery on
my spine in about 9 weeks. My question is....since fish oil supplements thins
the blood, how long before the surgery (weeks? days?) should I stop taking it to
get it out of my system before the surgery?
A. Stopping the fish oils about two weeks before surgery seems to
be a reasonable approach.
Q. I read an article 'Are fish oils capsules as good as
eating fish?' I have been using fish oil softgels for years and personally feel
that every human being regardless of age or health status should get routine
omega-3 fish oils from either supplements or by eating fish. However, I have
frequently seen opinions comparing omega-3 fish oil supplements with fish
consumption to presume equal benefit. Some go further and prefer supplements
over fish because of mercury contamination issues. Comparing eating fish to
Omega-3 fish oil supplements, the benefit might in fact be equal as far as only
omega-3 oils are concerned. But eating (wild) fish has one additional
extraordinary health benefit--many species supply astaxanthin. Books of
traditional Arabic medicine record the statement of the famous Greek physician
(Aristotle/Socrates....sorry I forgot the name) who wrote that he has
successfully treated many (skin) cancer patients by making them eat fish from
the desert. Remembering the role of astaxanthin in UV protection and reducing
proliferation of cancer cells, this seems like an interesting line of research
at the very least. Along with omega-3 fish oils, many wild fish contains natural
astaxanthin (and possibly some other beneficial compounds).
A. Fish have a large number of other substances besides oils and
astaxanthin that have health benefits so one should eat fish even if they are
taking fish oil supplements. But, as far as the benefits of omeg3 fish oils, the
results seem to be similar whether they come from eating fish or taking fish oil
supplements.
Q. Do fish oil supplements improve libido?
A. Fish oil supplements may improve libido in a slight way, but
they may also have an effect on blood flow which could be helpful for
erectile
dysfunction in men whose impotence problems are due to poor circulation.