{"id":394,"date":"2017-05-31T09:49:05","date_gmt":"2017-05-31T09:49:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=394"},"modified":"2021-03-10T17:18:14","modified_gmt":"2021-03-10T17:18:14","slug":"15-health-benefits-fish-oil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/15-health-benefits-fish-oil\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Health Benefits of Fish Oil"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"There are certain foods and nutrients that crop up all the time in health guides and lists of things that are good for us. These are the ultimate panaceas, the ingredients that seem to do everything from boosting our mood, to combating illnesses to even making us smarter.<\/p>\n

And one such food that certainly falls into this category is fish. Fish is packed with goodness and serves as a fantastically lean protein source that is highly bioavailable and offers all sorts of other benefits besides.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the biggest advantage of fish though is that it provides us with a source of fish oil. And fish oil is incredibly good for us. In this post, we\u2019ll look at 15 compelling reasons to get more fish oil in your diet!<\/p>\n

1. \u00a0It\u2019s Good for Your Brain<\/h3>\n

Fish oil can actually make you smarter. It does this via something called cell-membrane permeability, which in plain English means that your cells becomes more porous and thereby more effective at letting important chemicals and signals pass through. This in turn means that when your brain sends signals, the electric current and the neurotransmitters (things like dopamine and serotonin) are able to cross the barrier from one neuron<\/a> to another more readily.<\/p>\n

The short end of the stick is that omega 3 fatty acids help your brain to act more quickly and boost measures of intelligence such as memory and IQ!<\/p>\n

\"\"2. \u00a0It Reduces Inflammation<\/h3>\n

Fish oil is also well known for being able to reduce inflammation. It does this by reducing the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3<\/a>, which can otherwise increase inflammation. Omega 6 is good for us and an important part of our diet but when we consume it in excess, it causes inflammation and thereby can exacerbate issues like joint pain and brain fog.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, our modern diets massively favor omega 6 as we tend not to eat much fish and because omega 6 is used as a common preservative.<\/p>\n

The good news is that omega 3 replaces the omega 6 in our system and thereby fixes the ratio, reducing the likelihood of inflammation.<\/p>\n

\"\"3. \u00a0It Combats Brain Fog<\/h3>\n

Did you know that inflammation doesn\u2019t only affect your joints? Inflammation is also known to affect the brain due to inflammatory cytokines acting like neurotransmitters.<\/p>\n

This is one reason that you feel slow and low on motivation when you\u2019re poorly and it is also a common reason that many other people experience brain fog.<\/p>\n

One of the best solutions is to consume fish oil<\/a> high in EPA, which has been shown to reduce IL-6 and IL-1B \u2013 inflammatory cytokines associated with neurodegenerative and autoimmune disease.<\/p>\n

\"\"4. \u00a0It Protects Against Age-Related Cognitive Decline<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s likely for similar reasons that omega 3 fatty acid has been shown to be protective against Alzheimer\u2019s, dementia<\/a> and other forms of age-related cognitive decline.<\/p>\n

In other words, consuming oily fish may help your brain to stay younger and more nimble as you reach older age and thereby help you to enjoy a much fuller life as you age. NPD1, found in DHA, is known to have anti-Alzheimer\u2019s properties and reduces the inflammation that Alzheimer\u2019s can cause specifically.<\/p>\n

\"\"5. \u00a0It Prevents Arthritis and Autoimmune Diseases<\/h3>\n

As you might imagine from something that reduces inflammation, fish oil is also great for combating arthritis<\/a>. This works through another mechanism too: the inclusions of \u2018resolvins\u2019.<\/p>\n

These are found in both EPA and DHA fish oils and are actually named after their ability to \u2018resolve\u2019 inflammation. That should serve as a rather large clue that you can stand to benefit a lot from them.<\/p>\n

\"\"6. \u00a0Better Athletic Performance<\/h3>\n

It is easy to forget the importance of the brain<\/a> in athletics.<\/p>\n

However, the brain-boosting properties of omega 3 also make it highly effective at improving reaction times and that in turn can help to improve performance in a vast range of different sports and other athletic pursuits: whether it\u2019s dodgeball, squash or something else entirely!<\/p>\n

\"\"7. \u00a0Reduced Resting Heart Rate<\/h3>\n

In one study, Alga DHA was taken for six months by healthy older adults. As well as the expected memory boost, the participants also experienced a reduction in heart rate. This is good for all kinds of reasons. Not only does it reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease but it also helps to reduce stress and to encourage healing, digestion and more.<\/p>\n

Essentially, the body switches between two states: sympathetic and parasympathetic. These are our \u2018fight or flight\u2019 and \u2018rest and digest\u2019 states. Largely, these are dictated and characterized by changes in heartrate.<\/p>\n

If your heartrate is slower, you produce more relaxing hormones and neurotransmitters and you stay much calmer and much less likely to experience stress or anxiety<\/a>. You are even likely to heal faster and to build more muscle as this happens when the body is in its recovery state.<\/p>\n

\"\"8. \u00a0Better Mood<\/h3>\n

Anything that has the ability to boost your brain function and lower your stress might be expected to have anti-depression effects. As it turns out, there is evidence to suggest that taking fish oil can help to boost the effects of anti-depressants (possibly by enhancing uptake via cell membrane<\/a> permeability).<\/p>\n

Not only that, but a daily dosage of one gram of EPA fish oil has been shown to have a positive effect on its own in treating depression. Recent theories suggest that there might be a link between inflammation in depression and in fact that inflammation may be the main cause of depression. This certainly seems to lend weight to that theory!<\/p>\n

\"\"9. \u00a0Reduced Likelihood of Stroke<\/h3>\n

Fish oil has been shown to improve cholesterol and this in turn leads to a reduced risk of stroke. In one study, elderly participants were given a supplement of fish oil and were found to be at significantly lower chance of experiencing strokes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This might also have something to do with the lower resting heartrate and the reduction in inflammation and stress \u2013 all potential risk factors for strokes.<\/p>\n

\"\"10. \u00a0Cholesterol<\/h3>\n

As mentioned, fish oil can reduce triglycerides and thereby increase HDL. It does this by reducing triglycerides and thereby improving the ratio of HDL to LDL cholesterol. Cholesterol<\/a> in itself is not bad for you.<\/p>\n

In fact, cholesterol is responsible for creating testosterone and so actually has significant health benefits. However, low density lipoprotein \u2013 LDL \u2013 is bad for you.<\/p>\n

This is the kind you need to combat if you want to prevent the likelihood of strokes and heart problems and that\u2019s exactly what fish oil does. You can expect to see reduction levels of around 15-30% when supplementing daily.<\/p>\n

\"\"11. \u00a0Heart Health<\/h3>\n

It should come as no surprise to see that omega 3 can help to improve your heart health and prevent the risk of cardiovascular disease<\/a>. After all, it lowers the heart rate, reduces inflammation and combats LDL cholesterol.<\/p>\n

But normalizing the omega 3 to omega 6 value may also play a risk here. Studies show that when steps are taken to normalize the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6, there is a 70% reduced chance of dying from cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n

As the number one cause of death in the US, this is a huge benefit and not one that should be overlooked!<\/p>\n

\"\"12. \u00a0Reduced Risk of Diabetes<\/h3>\n

As though all these benefits were not enough, consuming more fish oil has also been shown to be an effective way to combat the risk of diabetes.<\/p>\n

Again, normalizing the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 (making it 1:1) will result in a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes. While the research is in its early stages, some evidence also points to the possibility that supplementing with fish oil might increase insulin<\/a> sensitivity.<\/p>\n

\"\"13. \u00a0Weight Loss<\/h3>\n

With improved insulin sensitivity comes enhanced weight loss. In short, this makes the body better at using energy rather than storing it as fat. EPA and DHA can actually activate receptors that increase the metabolic rate as well and thus supplementing with DHA has been shown in studies to be correlated with weight loss in humans.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more is that the anti-inflammatory effects of omega 3 might also be effective in aiding weight loss. The reason is that it might be one of the causes of metabolic syndrome!<\/p>\n

Finally, fish oil increases our secretion of something called adiponectin<\/a>, which has the job of breaking down fats in the body for use. Whatever the method, studies show that increasing fish oil by high doses can reduce abdominal fat gain \u2013 the most serious type!<\/p>\n

\"\"14. \u00a0Greater Energy<\/h3>\n

By increasing insulin sensitivity, the body becomes better at utilizing the energy that it gets from the diet. At the same time, the adiponectin means that you\u2019ll be better able to utilize energy that is stored as fat.<\/p>\n

On top of this, you get the benefit of boosting the communication between cells and neurons and stronger signals. And by removing any inflammation that might be causing aching joints or brain fog, you will also give yourself more of a spring in your step.<\/p>\n

Imagine waking up in the morning with more energy to get outside and start doing productive things: that\u2019s the dream for many of us and omega 3<\/a> fatty acid might just make it possible.<\/p>\n

\"\"15. \u00a0Better Healing<\/h3>\n

Finally, fish oil has been shown to boost healing and supplementation may help you to heal more quickly from wounds. It\u2019s also been demonstrated that supplementation can actually help the body to better retain body mass following surgery<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Not only does this mean that you might stand a better chance of recovering quickly and fully from an accident, it also means that your muscles will recover more quickly from a workout or an intense bout of exercise. This is good news because it is this very recovery process that leads to muscles becoming thicker and stronger! Evidence suggests this is indeed the case and it seems that it will indeed aid with muscle growth.<\/p>\n

For all these reasons, it\u2019s a good idea to start getting more omega 3 in your diet. You\u2019ll be smarter, happier, longer living, more full of energy, less achy and more muscular. It\u2019s pretty much everything you could want from a morning supplement!<\/p>\n\r\n

<\/div>