What Are The Benefits Of Omega 3 Fish Oils?
You're not totally convinced about the benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids yet are you? You've heard all about it, but aren't quite ready to believe it.
Most of us have heard that Omega 3 fats are good for our health, and that we all should be taking fish oil supplements. But are the benefits proven, and what are all the benefits of fish oils anyway? Should you be taking Omega 3 capsules or should you just eat more fish?
All good questions. Firstly lets ask ourselves whether the benefits of fish oil supplements are proven. And is fish oil supplementation somehow "alternative" and not something accepted by mainstream medicine?
There is an easy answer. On it's website the American Heart Association says that there are definitely heart benefits to taking more Omega 3 fats into your diet, and tells us that we should be eating a minimum amount of fish each week. The AHA is no "alternative' organization. It's mainstream medical and if they tell us that Omega 3 fats are good for us that's good enough for me.
So lets look at what more fish oil full of good fats like DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) does for your health. Note that there are varying degrees of "proven" and there will always be experts on both sides of the argument. I still know a doctor who maintains that high cholesterol isn't bad for you.
1. Cardio vascular health.
A decrease in bad cholesterol. An increase in good cholesterol. A reduction in blood pressure. A reduced risk of stroke. Those are the big heart health benefits of Omega 3 fats.
2. Reduction in risks of aging related problems
There's a range of reductions in the health risks of aging including a decrease in the risk of macular degeneration with age, the number one cause of blindness in the over 65s A decrease in the risk of Alzheimers with aging A decrease in the risk of dementia with aging
A reduction in the risks associated with Diabetes Diabetes sufferers have an up to 6 times increased risk of death due to heart attack. As fish oil benefits the heart and reduces the risk of heart attacks this is excellent news for diabetes sufferers.
3. Skin improvements.
There are many natural oils in our skin and these can be stripped out by the natural environment. Sun, wind and so on. The polyunsaturated fats in Omega 3 fish oils can help return good health to our skin by adding good oils back into it and this has to be good for your skin. Combine this with good skin care and your skin will thank you for it.
4. Improvements in Arthritis
Arthritis is inflammation of the joints and so anything that helps reduce that inflammation helps arthritis. In the past Aspirin has been prescribed but it can have negative health side effects. Omega 3 oils have been shown to much better anti inflammatory properties than Aspirin, and they have positive health side effects, not negative ones.
5. An increase in the effectiveness of weight loss programs
Studies have been done on the results of combining a weight reduction exercise program with Omega 3 fatty acid intake. Those who combined more Omega 3s with the exercise lost more weight than those who just did the exercise, the reason suspected is that those good polyunsaturated fats increase the fat burning ability of the enzymes at work.
Have I convinced you of the benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids yet? If not I don't know what else to tell you.
But remember, it's hard to get enough good fats from eating fish alone. You need to eat a lot of fish and the FDA tells us not to eat a lot of fish because of the risk of toxins from the flesh of the fish. And the same risk exists with some fish oil supplements. And fish is the biggest source of DHA and EPA that we know of.
The best way to satisfy the need for Omega 3 fish oils is to take Omega 3 supplements, but beware, some fish oil supplements are better than others. I won't go into which ones here, find out more on my website.
And if you want to find out more about the benefits of Omega 3 fish oils you'll find more on my website too.
So if this has convinced you about the benefits of Omega 3 fish oil in your diet get started taking your fish oil capsules every day.