Is There Any Link Between Fish Oil And Diabetes?
Every year around a million people in the US are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Although not usually fatal type 2 diabetes is a serious disease, and can have a major effect on the life of the sufferer. Is there a link between fish oil and diabetes reduction?
Scientists are worried about the rate of diabetes in our society. There are also enormous costs imposed on sufferers as well as the impact on their families and on the health system. So what can be done to reduce the impact of this explosion on diabetes rates?
There's well known lifestyle factors that help with diabetes like improving levels of exercise and improving diet and losing weight. But my interest is in the impact of Omega 3 and diabetes, so today I'll look at that.
There is now clear evidence of a link between fish oil and diabetes showing that taking fish oil supplements can reduce some of the risks associated with diabetes. Fish oil has Omega 3 fats in it, and the main Omega 3 fats the are of benefit are DHA and EPA.
Type 2 diabetes is a disease that results in an excess of sugar levels in the blood. Insulin in the blood is unable to sufficiently deal with the sugar in the blood, so sugar levels rise.
The result is that the insulin in the blood cannot deal with fats in the blood either, and levels of triglycerides rise, and HDL, (good cholesterol) falls. The figures for the risks to diabetics are frightening. 6 times higher risk of heart attack and up to 8 times higher risk of heart disease.
So is there a link between fish oil and diabetes risk reduction? It seems so. Scientists are now finding that increasing omega 3 fish oil and diabetes relief are linked. That taking fish oil lowers the risks associated with diabetes.
Why is there a fish oil supplements and diabetes link? Because fish oil is a polyunsaturated fatty acid, and studies have shown that polyunsaturated Omega 3 fats reduce the amount of triglycerides in the blood, reduce abnormal heart rhythms, reduce blood pressure by small but significant amounts, and improve blood clotting regulation.
A large study on the fish oil diabetes link found that taking one gram of fish oil a day reduced cardiovascular mortality by 30% and the risk of death by heart attack by 45%. Blood pressure is lowered and circulation problems reduced. As the risks of heart problems are way higher for diabetes sufferers this is excellent news indeed.
It seems crystal clear now that taking more Omega 3 fish oil in the diet does lower some of the risks associated with diabetes.
So how should you get your fish oil? The American Heart Association tells us to eat 2 fish meals a week, but there are also warnings for some people about eating too much fish. Why? Because fish are contaminated with nasty things like PCBs and mercury, and more, and you shouldn't eat too much.
The best way to get the right levels of Omega 3 fats in your diet is by fish oil capsules. The very best ones use fish from the cleanest ocean in the world, the southern ocean, and also use fish that are the highest in DHA, so their Omega 3 supplements are extremely high in DHA. And they don't have any contamination, firstly because the fish are pretty clean to begin with, and secondly because they undergo a process known as molecular distillation that renders them so clean that contaminants are undetectable.
So clearly there is good evidence that if you suffer from type 2 diabetes there are reasons to take Omega 3 fish oil supplements daily. You lower your risks from the diabetes, including lowering your risk of sudden death.
You can find out which Omega 3 capsules are the best on my website.