Maximize the Health Benefits of Omega 3 by Choosing the Best Fish Oil Supplement

Who says it’s impossible to enjoy the numerous omega 3 benefits and delay the aging of your mind and body even as you advance in age? You certainly can, by taking natural fish oil supplements on a daily basis, you can stay young and healthy, and enjoy many other health benefits of omega 3.

Why Is It Important To Take Fish Oil Supplements?

• Fish oil is among the most popular natural health products used these days, and for good reason. First of all, they provide us with omega-3 fatty acids; research shows that about 90% of the people in American are deficient in these essential fatty acids.
• Most of the foods we eat these days contain more omega-6s than omega-3s.
• The beef, chicken and pork that we regularly eat contain more of omega-6 fats because livestock are now being fed with grains instead of grass.
• We also use a lot of vegetable oils like canola oil, which also contain more omega 6 than 3.

The Danger of Omega-6/3 Imbalance

Too much omega-6 fatty acids in your body leads to inflammation, which is one of the major causes of several diseases including heart disease, arthritis, eczema, asthma, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis, colitis, dermatitis, various allergies and even cancer.  It is also commonly associated with cellular aging, wrinkles, and sagging skin.

So, in order to be truly healthy, we need to have a balance between our omega-6s and omega-3s. That’s where fish oil comes in.

At this point, you might be wondering – why not just eat more fish? That should give the balance that we need and enable us to enjoy omega 3 benefits, right?

Unfortunately, this is not an ideal solution because although fish is rich in omega 3, most of the oceans are contaminated with toxins and heavy metals due to industrial and other environmental pollution. Hence eating too much fish may lead to the ingestion of these harmful toxins.

Therefore, the best solution to this dietary problem is to take daily doses of pure fish oil supplements.

What Are The Advantages Of Using Fish Oil Supplements?

One of the main health benefits that you can enjoy when you take fish oil supplements regularly is lower risk of inflammation.

Since the DHA omega-3 fatty acids in these supplements are converted by the body into anti-inflammatory properties, taking them on a regular basis means that you can prevent virtually all the health issues listed above.

Furthermore, the types essential fatty acids contained in fish oils cannot be found elsewhere. Sure, there are other types of omega-3s like the ALA, which is present in flaxseed and other plant based foods. But what stands fish oil out is that it has two types of omega-3s that are not found in other foods – DHA and EPA.

These two omega-3s especially DHA fatty acids are vital for healthy brain development and excellent mental function. Did you know that 30% of the human brain is made up of DHA fats? In fact, people who have severe deficiency of these fatty acids are more likely to suffer from mental, learning and behavioral problems such as ADHD, anxiety, Alzheimer’s and clinical depression.

Can Fish Oil Be Used As A Remedy For Diseases?

The most common use of fish oil today is as a dietary supplement but there are also numerous therapeutic omega 3 benefits. As a matter of fact, fish oil is now frequently prescribed by doctors to patients who have extremely high levels of triglycerides (excessive amount of fats in the blood).

According to the American Heart Association, a daily dose of 2000 to 4000mg of DHA and EPA can reduce triglyceride levels to within the normal range. Also, individuals who have previously suffered from a heart attack or have been diagnosed with heart disease are advised to take 1000mg of fish oil every day to boost cardiovascular health.

Omega 3 Benefits

Heart Health – This vital fatty acid boosts cardiovascular health. It may help to prevent heart attack and curb cardiovascular diseases by doing the following things:

• Reduces triglycerides
• Lowers bad cholesterol (LDL) and increases the good one (HDL)
• Acts as blood coagulant
• Lowers high blood pressure
• Relaxes blood vessels and enhances blood circulation
• Prevents the formation of plaques in the arteries.

Brain Health – Regular consumption of fish oil capsules helps to enhance brain functions; it is also proven to prevent as well as alleviate brain related disorders such as Alzheimer’s, ADD, ADHA, depression Schizophrenia, mood swings and chronic anxiety. Omega 3 also boosts:

• Neurotransmission
• Cognition
• Concentration
•  Learning

Skin Benefits – The anti-inflammatory effects of fish oil helps to alleviate skin problems such as eczema, psoriasis and acne. Omega-3 also has anti-aging effects on the skin; hence, it helps to delay the visible signs of aging such as wrinkles and sagging.

Arthritis – Did you know that arthritis is mainly caused by inflammation? Thu fish oil has been found effective at reducing the pains and stiffness associated with arthritis.

Crohn’s Disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) – These are also caused by chronic inflammation; but studies also show that they can be treated with regular consumption of oil from fish.

Pregnant/Nursing Mothers and Unborn Babies – These also benefits from fish oil supplements because omega 3 fats help to prevent post natal depression, preterm and still birth. It also boost the normal development of the fetus especially the brain and eyes.

Cancers – Some studies suggest that omega 3 may also help to prevent and even alleviate certain types of cancers such as breast, ovarian and prostate cancers.

Infertility and PMS – It is also helpful to those with infertility problems and women that suffer from PMS.

The list is quite inexhaustible, but you can see that everyone can actually take advantage of the immense health benefits of omega 3 fish oil.

Are There Any Health Risks Involved?

Because fish oil supplements are natural products, the health risks involved are minimal. Still, there are possible negative side effects that could occur as a result of the consumption of this supplement, so caution must be exercised.

For instance, one of the omega 3 benefits is that it is a blood thinner – this characteristic is actually what makes it an effective prevention tool against heart attack and stroke. However, this may create a problem if you are already taking another blood-thinning medication.

In that case, it would be best to consult with your doctor to find out whether it is safe or not for you to combine fish oil with your other blood thinning medication. Under normal circumstances, a daily dosage of 1000mg -2000mg a day should not cause any harm.

Other potential health risks may come from the consumption of rancid oils. Oil from fish can go bad quite quickly but if they are processed and encapsulated rapidly and efficiently, there should be no problems.

Taking contaminated fish oil products can lead to toxic poisoning and other serious health problems. Only Molecularly Distilled Oils are safe for your consumption.

On the other hand, if the product that you consume has gone rancid, you may suffer from problems like nausea, vomiting and indigestion.

Possibly the worst health risk is when you consume fish oil pills that are contaminated with mercury or other heavy metals like PCBs and arsenic. Some of the symptoms of mercury poisoning are hair loss, shaking hands, coughing up blood, difficulties in breathing, insomnia, nightmares, hallucinations, fatigue, psychosis, depression and memory loss.

It’s actually quite scary learn that most of the fish in the United States are exposed to mercury. Furthermore, studies conducted by the Environmental Working Group have shown that there is also the risk of PCBs contaminations, which are linked to the growth of cancer cells.

Therefore you have to be very careful when choosing which product to buy. If you get your supplements from a reliable manufacturer, you can enjoy all the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids without suffering any ugly side effects.

Criteria For Selecting The Best Fish Oil Supplement For Optimum Omega 3 Benefits

• Type of fish – fatty fish that contain high amounts of DHA and EPA are the best
• It must be molecularly distilled to get rid of harmful toxins
• It must contain fresh oil that has not gone rancid
• It should indicate a breakdown of the amounts of DHA and EPA contained in each capsule
• It should have a Certificate of Analysis (COA) issued by a Government approved third party laboratory.

The COA will show that the product has been adequately tested for the presence of mercury and PCBs and other toxins. It will also indicate the peroxide and anisidine levels of the product, which are indicators of how fresh the oil is.

In addition to displaying the safety levels of the product, the Certificate of Analysis will also reveal the levels of omega-3s contained in each capsule. Obviously, a 1000mg capsule of oil does not contain 1000mg of omega-3s. On the average, there are 300mg of omega-3s in a 1000mg capsule, but you can find high quality brands that contain at least 500mg of omega-3s in a 1000mg capsule.

Yes, there are many health benefits of omega 3 fatty acids, but you can only maximize these benefits by choosing the right fish oil supplement.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not intend to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition. It is always recommended that you seek the advise of your private medical doctor.