Health Benefits Of Fish Oil

The health benefits  of fish oil include its ability to aid in treatment of heart diseases, high cholesterol, depression, anxiety, AHDH, low immunity, cancer, diabetes, inflammation, arthritis, IBD, AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, eye disorders, muscular degeneration and ulcers. It also helps in weight loss, pregnancy, fertility and skin care (particularly for conditions such as psoriasis and acne).

Most of the health benefits of fish oil can be attributed to the presence of omega 3 essential fatty acids like Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Other useful essential fatty acids include Alpha-linolenic acid or ALA and Gamma-linolenic acid or GLA.

The health benefits of fish oil include the following:

Healthy Heart:

Fish oil is a good source of omega 3 and therefore, reduces the risk of heart diseases and heart arrhythmias. It also lowers the level of bad cholesterol (LDL), and increases the level of good cholesterol (HDL). Fish oil prevents accumulation of triglycerides and further reduces the levels of excess triglycerides

Weight Loss

Fish oil also aids in losing weight. Fish oil improves the efficacy of exercise in reducing weight.

Improved Immunity

It is believed that regular consumption of  fish oil aids in increasing your immunity thereby enabling you to resist incidence of common diseases such as cold, cough and flu. Omega three fatty acids present in fish oil benefit the immune system by effecting cytokines and eicosanoids present in our body.

AIDS

Regarding fish oil as a treatment of AIDS. However, significant research needs to be conducted on this.

Anti-Inflammatory Properties

Fish is effective in reducing inflammation in blood and tissues. Fish oil is effective in treating gastrointestinal disorders, sprue, short bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which are typical disorders of the intestine.

Arthritis

Fish oil is useful in treating arthritis, rheumatism, Raynaud’s symptoms and similar conditions.

Depression and Anxiety

Due to the presence of Omega 3 fatty acids, fish oil is good for relieving depression, sadness, anxiety, restlessness, mental fatigue, stress, decreased sexual desire, suicidal tendencies and other nervous disorders.

Alzhemier’s Disease

Since fish oil is one of the best sources of essential fatty acids including EPA and DHA it helps in Alzhemier’s disease.

ADHD or ADD

Fish oil has the ability to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) due to the high concentration of fatty acids.

Eye Disorders

It is well known that fish oil is good for its ability to improve vision. It also helps in avoiding age related macular degeneration.

Skin Care

Fish oil helps in improving the condition of poor and dry skin by making it shinny and glowing. It is useful in treating various skin problems such as eczema, psoriasis, itching, redness of skin, skin lesions and rashes. In case of psoriasis, the EPA present in fish oil restricts the growth of pro-inflammatory agents by producing  aeachidonic acid. Fish oil can also be applied topically to get relief from psoriasis. Regular intake of fish oil capsules helps in reducing loss of moisture from the skin. It is also claimed by some people that fish oil helps in preventing sunburns.

Acne

Fish oil is effective for acne as well. EPA is known to inhibit androgen formation. Androgen can affect the  formation of  sebum in hair follicle.

Cancer

Fish oil is useful in delaying weight loss in patients suffering from pancreatic cancer. Fish oil supplements can also be helpful to patients suffering from cancer related hyperlipidemia.

Diabetes

Type II diabetic patients are prone to cardio vascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis and stroke. As mentioned above, fish oil is helpful in treating various heart problems.

Ulcers

The presence of EPA and DHA in fish oil makes it helpful in case of ulcers caused by Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NASIDS)

Pregnancy

Fish oil is very useful for pregnant women as DHA present in it helps in the development of the eyes and brain of the baby. However, it should be noted that fish oil obtained from the liver of thefish, example-cod liver oil, should not be consumed during pregnancy as cod liver oil is rich in retinal and vitamin A.

Fertility

Preliminary research conducted on boar has shown that when male boars are fed with diet containing fish oil, the quality of the sperm is enhanced. After ejaculation, the sperms have increased survival against lipid peroxidative attacks in the female genital tract, thereby increasing the chances of conception.

Hair Care

Fish oil helps maintain a good luster of the hair growing properties as it provides nourishment to the follicles. It aids in faster development of hair and preventing hair loss. A good supply of proteins is also necessary for hair growth. Since most fish varieties are rich in protein, eating fish helps in keeping healthy  hair.

Blood Circulation

It is believed that fish oil has the ability to improve blood circulation along with reducing triglyceride and serum cholesterol levels.

Caution on dosage of fish oil

Excessive dosage of fish oil can have adverse allergies and side effects on the body. Further , fish oil can be a problematic in many conditions and hence it is necessary to consume fish oil supplements cautiously. You should consult a doctor or physician for the exact dosage of fish oil you should take . Moreover, fish oil can be consumed in various forms. These include eating the fish directly by baking, roasting, frying, grilling, broiling, or smoking it or eating fish oil which is available in the form of concentrated dietary supplements such as liquid, tablet, capsule, pill, soft gel, etc. Also, there are various pharmaceutical grades of fish oil. It is not necessary to always consume Pharmaceutical grade fish oil or even fish oil supplements. You should also consult your doctor to check the mode of consuming fish oil.

One must pay attention to the quality of fish oil while purchasing. Fish oil is obtained from almost all sources of fish-freshwater, farm, ocean, deep sea and shallow sea fish. All these fish can be contaminated with toxic compounds such as mercury, arsenic, lead, forms of calcium, furans, dioxins, PCBs, and methyl  mercury, and may affect the human body. Therefore, the fish oil used should be pure. Many companies sell ultra refined fish oil or distilled fish oil, but you should always check if the standards have been followed.

Fish oil and Vitamin D:

Fish oil, especially the one obtained from liver such as the cod liver oil is a rich source of vitamin A and vitamin D. However, excessive dosage of cod liver oil can lead to Vitamin toxicity, accumulation of excessive vitamins in the body, which can cause side effects.

Vitamin E:

Various beliefs surrounding fish oil and vitamin E include:

Fish oil undergoes oxidation and can become rancid, leading to formation of free radicals. Addition of antioxidants such as vitamin E to fish oil can help prevent the formation of these free radicals.

Excessive dosage of fish oil leads to reduction of vitamin E in the human body. This loss of vitamin E should be supplemented with external vitamin E supplements.

The combination  of fish oil and vitamin E can have added benefit in the treatment of many cancers and heart diseases, than if they are used individually.

Preliminary research has been carried out which prove the above beliefs; however, these need to be substantiated with detailed research before drawing strong conclusions on the use of fish oil and vitamin E.

Thanks,

Health, Dec-2012.