The Benefits Of Omega 3 Supplements

It's extremely difficult to say when something is proven or not. Some scientists will say it is, and some will say it isn't. There will almost always be experts on both sides of the argument. So if you read someone saying that there are no benefits from fish oil supplements then that's ok, everyone has their point of view. It's the same with mainstream medicine.

I know a doctor who still maintains that there is not sufficient evidence that high cholesterol is a health problem. See what I mean?

However it is fair to say that there is now general agreement that there are worthwhile health benefits from Omega 3 supplements. That fish oil is good for your health, and that you ought, if you have an average diet, be taking fish oil supplements. Or eating a lot of fish, and I'll get to that.

Is Omega 3 supplementation "alternative"? Is it something that mainstream medicine frowns on? No. Here's one reason why, (there's more).

No lesser authority than the American Heart Association recommends minimum levels of Omega 3 fatty acids in your diet. If it was still unproven, if it was just "alternative", if it was medically frowned upon do you think that the AHA would recommend more Omega 3 fats in your diet?

I hope you see what I mean.

Lets summarize the benefits of Omega 3 capsules. As I said, not all are "proven". Some, probably all, are still being studied, and some are "more" proven than others. Nevertheless, it seems entirely clear that there are good health reasons to make sure you get enough Omega 3 fatty acids in your diet.

1. Heart/cardio vascular benefits of Omega 3 fats.

As I mentioned the AHA recommends that those of us on an average diet (that's probably you) get more Omega 3 fats in our diet. That's because there are extremely powerful heart and cardio vascular benefits of Omega 3 supplementation. Here they are.

A reduction in LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and an elevation in HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol).
A decrease in the risk of stroke.
A decrease in triglycerides.
A reduction in blood pressure.

Any one of these benefits is useful, add them all together and you can see why the AHA has recommended getting enough Omega 3 fats in our diet.

2. Brain related benefits of Omega 3 fats

The brain is made up of around 50% fat and the majority of that fat Omega 3 fats and in particular DHA, the most important of the Omega 3 fats. Research has shown that increasing the level of Omega 3 fatty acids in the diet can improve brain function.

There are extensive studies on the benefits of Omega 3 to the brain. Results have shown that there are numerous brain related benefits of fish oil supplements. These include:

An increase in learning ability

An improvement in memory, or a reduction in loss of memory with age

Improvements in problem solving skills, focus and mood.

Possibly an improvement in brain development for the developing brain

Why would you get these benefits from taking Omega 3 fish oils? There's several explanations. Firstly, the brain is rich in Omega 3 and the cells in the brain are surrounded by fats and these fats are Omega 3 fats like DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). As the amount of these fats is increased the ability of the cells to transmit messages is improved because these membranes around the cells are more pliable, so "messages" can be transmitted through faster. So the brain works faster, and thus better.

Secondly, Omega-3 fatty acids that you get from fish oil supplements improve blood viscosity, so the blood is thinner and so it flows better, one of the reasons why the risk of strokes is lowered. Because the blood flows better it can transport more oxygen to the brain, helping the brain work better.

Again, these brain benefits from getting an adequate supply of Omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) are sufficient on their own to justify the taking of fatty acid supplements from fish oil. Combine these brain benefits with the cardio vascular benefits of fatty acid supplementation and you've got powerful reasons why you should be supplementing your diet with fatty acid supplements, or eating a LOT of fish.

But there's more.

Though still needing more study, results have shown positive benefits for those seeking to control their weight from taking fish oil capsules. A study in Australia showed that people combining fish oils supplementation with a moderate exercise program lost more weight than those who did the same exercise but didn't take the fish oil capsules.

The reason why isn't fully understood but it's thought that the polyunsaturated Omega 3 fats helped activate the enzymes that helped burn fat.

4. Improvements in Arthritis

One of the studied benefits of Omega 3 supplementation is an improvement in Arthritis, particularly from the anti inflammatory properties of Omega 3 fats. Their anti inflammatory properties are significantly better than aspirin.

And Aspirin has been used for a while to treat Arthritis. Aspirin use can, over time, have negative effects on the stomach, whilst there are a range of other positive benefits of Omega 3 supplementation.

Arthritis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the joints, so if fish oil capsules reduce inflammation there are clear reasons why they would reduce the symptoms of Arthritis.

One range of Omega 3 supplements has been shown to have anti inflammatory properties up to 2 1/2 times greater than other capsules, obviously an advantage for Arthritis sufferers.

Omega 3 fats have been shown to benefit both Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis.

5. Skin improvements

The skin has it's own supply of naturally produced oils and it can lose those oils over time. Sun and wind exposure, exposure to pollution and other factors can strip natural oils from the skin. One of the most important things you can do for your skin care routine is to use the best natural skin care products that help replace these lost oils with natural organic oils from various nuts and seeds.

However it is also known now that taking Omega 3 supplements also significantly helps the skin replace these oils itself, and so combining high quality Omega3 supplementation with high quality skin care products is the best way to ensure healthy good looking skin.

And there are various specific skin conditions also known to be helped with Omega 3 supplementation. These include eczema and dryness, skin flaking and itching, and psoriasis.

6. Visual improvements including a reduction in the risks of Macular Degeneration

Taking Omega 3 has been shown to reduce the risk of Macular Degeneration. One study showed a 39% reduction in the risk of Macular Degeneration, an extremely significant reduction.

This is an extremely serious problem for the aging and is the leading cause of blindness in our older people. Macular degeneration is a slow degeneration of the retina to the point where the person goes blind. I know all about it, someone close to me has gone blind from it.

7. A reduction in the risk of Alzheimers and dementia

As well as a reduction in the risk of Macular Degeneration for the aging, there are other benefits of Omega 3 supplementation for those getting older. Studies show a reduction in the risk of Alzheimers and dementia, both very significant problems for older people.

8. A reduction in the risks from Diabetes

Diabetes is characterized by an increase in the risks of heart disease. Because those with type 2 diabetes can have elevated levels of triglycerides in the blood and lowered levels of good (HDL) cholesterol, they have an increased risk of heart disease problems, including death by heart attack. In fact their risk of death by heart attack can be up to 6 times that of the general population.

The heart benefits of Omega 3 polyunsaturated fats mean that the specific heart health risks associated with diabetes are reduced, obviously a good thing for diabetes sufferers.

And more. There's more conditions that are said to benefit from Omega 3 supplementation, but hopefully the above are enough to convince you that both you and I should be taking the best Omega 3 supplements. I am, how about you?

Fish oil is high in polyunsaturated Omega 3 fats, but in particular the two primary Omega-3 fats, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). Whilst we continually read that fat is bad for us this isn't necessarily true. Some fats are good for us, including the polyunsaturated Omega3 fats.

DHA is the primary Omega 3 fat that is of benefit to your body. EPA is also important as is ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) as it can convert to DHA in the body in small amounts. But it's DHA which is the biggie. And fish oil is the best known source of DHA.

Flax seeds and some nuts and oils also contain Omega 3 fats, but fish oil is the best source.

Now of course if fish, particularly certain fish, contains high levels of DHA and EPA. So fish oil is the obvious choice for use in our Omega-3 supplements.

The best fish oil supplements can contain way more DHA than the worst. If you're interested in finding out more about how to choose your fish oil supplements then read my lens about choosing the best Omega 3 supplements.

So if fish has high levels of Omega 3 polyunsaturated fats why can't we just eat more fish? Well we can, in fact many of the studies that have been done on the various benefits of Omega 3 supplementation were done on people who naturally eat a lot of fish. Like the Japanese, and the Eskimos.

But there's a problem. Fish is generally contaminated with some nasty toxins, and the FDA recommends limiting our intake of top of the food chain fish because of the risk of accumulating toxins in our system.

Everybody, but particularly some people, like pregnant women, ought to limit the amount of fish they consume because of the risk of ingestion of toxins. These are nasty toxins that we humans have put in the oceans, and the fish accumulate in their bodies. So when we eat the fish we eat the toxins.

Like mercury, PCBS and other heavy metals and more.

This is also a problem for some fish oil supplements, as the fish oil coming from the fish can harbor these toxins too. To find out more read my lens about choosing the best Omega 3 supplements.

I have a website where I write extensively on the benefits of Omega 3 supplements, including advice about choosing your Omega 3 capsules. Why not give it a read?