How to Choose the Best Fish Oil Soft Gels‏

How do you choose the best fish oil soft gels? Here are ten tips that will help you find the very best fish oil product.

1. Buy fish oil from online vendors, or if you buy it from a brick and mortar store, make sure they stock in a refrigerated case. Like any other kind of oil, fish oil can go bad if it's stored in heat and humidity. Rancid fish oil causes fishy burps and sometimes diarrhea. Online vendors turn over their stocks quickly, usually acting as link from the manufacturer direct to you, so their products don't have a chance to go bad.

2. Avoid products that list "marine liquids" as an ingredient. Another term for this is "fish juice." These protein-rich compounds go bad much faster than the omega-3 essential fatty acids you are looking for.

3. Make sure any product you buy has at least 500 mg of DHA plus EPA in every capsule. It's the DHA and EPA you're really looking for. If a 1,000 mg capsule contains at least 500 mg of the desired omega-3's, there's not enough room left for marine liquids, even if a manufacturer fails to list them.

4. Buy enteric coated fish oil capsules. An enteric coating keeps a capsule from opening in the stomach. Instead, it releases its contents in the small intestine, where they are actually absorbed. Especially when you take your fish oil between meals, the enteric coating makes sure that you get more of the essential fatty acids you need from the product by keeping them from being broken down by the acid in the stomach.

5. Don't buy a product just because it is listed as "lead-free" or "free of PCB's." In a recent study of the 40 most popular brands of fish oil in the USA, only one product had detectable levels of these contaminants, and it was a product for pets. You don't need to pay extra for basic, good product.

6. Don't pay extra for "pharmaceutical grade" fish oil products. There isn't any official standard that makes one product pharmaceutical grade and excludes another. The one omega-3 product that is only sold with a prescription, Lovaza, is actually less absorbable and provides fewer omega-3's that over-the-counter products that cost 50 times less.

7. No product is "tested in FDA-approved laboratories." The FDA does inspect and approve factories, but different agencies approve the laboratories that test fish oil, usually a state or province.

8. "Molecularly distilled" usually means the fish were chopped up and boiled in hexane to capture the oil, the hexane then allowed to evaporate and leave the fish oil behind. A trace of hexane inevitably gets into "molecularly distilled" omega-3's.

9. The cost of getting your daily dose of 1,000 mg of DHA and EPA together can cost anywhere from US $0.10 to US $1.50 if you buy fish oil, and up to US $10.00 a day if you buy a "pregnancy formula" made with microalgae--which will never contain the EPA needed to fight inflammation (only fish oil and krill oil contain EPA). Krill oil usually costs about 5 times as much as the nutritional equivalent in fish oil--and krill oil is not, as sometimes advertised, a vegan product. Tiny shrimp-like krill are animals, too.

10. Cod liver oil is a terrific source of vitamin A and vitamin D along with omega-3's, and all your need is one teaspoon a day. However, most people react with "yuck" when they take a daily swig of this potent oil. Fish oil, on the other hand, is tasteless and stays fresh in the bottle without spreading odor through your refrigerator. Fish oil is simply the most effective and least expensive way to get your daily omega-3's.

I, personally, take a twice-daily dose of what I consider to be the best fish oil soft gels on the market today.   Visit my web site, now, to learn more about this superior-quality supplement that I wholeheartedly, recommend.

What Are Omega Three Fatty Acids?‏

By now you have probably heard that omega three fatty acids are essential for good health. But what's special about a fatty acid being omega-3? And what does it mean for a chemical to be an omega three, anyway?

The -3 designation of the essential fatty acids in fish oil is nothing but a shorthand way chemists use for saying that the molecule can be activated at the the third carbon from one end. When our bodies slice and dice essential fats to make hormones, the itty bitty  -3 molecules get turned into hormones that regulate inflammation.  Additionally, the slightly larger -6 molecules get turned into hormones that cause inflammation, and the largest -7 and -9 molecules get turned into skin protectants and stored fat, respectively.

The important thing to remember is that the omega threes are what every cell in your body needs to keep inflammatory processes in check, and the omega-6's are what every cell in your body needs to generate the inflammation that activates the immune system or cleans up damage in neighboring tissues.

Both the "3" and "6" forms of essential fatty acids are essential for human health. Sometimes the omega-3's are referred to as "good" and the omega-6's are referred to as "bad," but that is only because our diets contain so much more omega-6 fat than omega-3 fat, about 20 times as much, actually. 

The oils used to fry foods and to make packaged foods are almost pure omega-6, inflammatory fat. Every time we eat a Hostess Twinkie or we chomp down on a bag of chips, we flood our systems with the fats that fuel inflammatory processes that keep us constantly just a little sick, and eventually make us very sick.

Even when we consume healthy plant oils like flaxseed oil, there is still so much omega-6 fat in the product that the net effect is keeping our bodies inflamed. Only highly concentrated sources of the inflammation-fighting omega-3 fatty aids like fish oil can reverse the effects of bad diets loaded with fried foods, fast foods, and snack foods that come in cellophane wrappers.

You don't really absolutely have to supplement your diet with fish oil. It would also work never to eat another potato chip or candy bar or fried chicken dinner ever again. Cutting out trips to Burger King, Long John Silver's, and McDonald's for the rest of your life would be necessary, too. But if you can't always eat the way you should, taking fish oil helps make up for the inflammation generated by your dietary indiscretions and helps reverse the diseases caused by chronic inflammation.

You should also be sure to choose a high quality supplement that has been processed to maintain optimum purity and freshness. If you'd like my well-researched recommendation for the fish oil with omega three fatty acids I take everyday, please visit my web site. 

What's The Best Child Dose of Omega Three Fatty Acids?

Let's face it! Omega-3 essential fatty acids can make an amazing difference in a child's growth and development. This is particularly true of a brain-building nutrient known as docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA for short. That's why it's important to determine the best child dose of omega three.

This healthy fat is the basic building block of the protective linings of cells in the retinas of the eyes and the brain. It makes up about 40 percent of all the polyunsaturated fat in a healthy brain and 60 percent of the polyunsaturated fat in the retinas. It forms a protective lining around eye and brain cells and, along with a nutrient known as phosphatidylserine, keeps cells from undergoing a process called apoptosis, which removes them as if they were injured.

This nutrient also helps nerve tissue absorb the vital amino acids glycine, choline, and taurine. It helps the eyes concentrate the blue pigment rhodopsin, which enables both fine vision and night vision.

Getting enough DHA makes a huge difference for a child starting even before birth. In one famous experiment, Dutch scientists measured the amount of this chemical in umbilical cord blood at birth for 300 children, and then followed their progress to age eight. Of course, the only way that umbilical cord blood contain this essential nutritional substance was that the mother consumed it (or her body made it from a kind of plant fat called ALA) while she was pregnant.

The children whose blood contained the most docosahexaenoic acid had better eye-hand coordination. They had more fluent speech. They learned how to play with a ball at an earlier age and they learned how to tie their shoes at an earlier age. They were less likely to have been diagnosed with ADHD. 

A pregnant woman's body can make docosahexaenoic acids from the alpha-linolenic acid in flaxseed oil and some other healthy plant oils, although at least 80% of the plant oil is lost in the process. The more estrogen in a woman's bloodstream, the more efficient this conversion process. It's just a lot better to get the docosahexaenoate from microalgae (which contain this n-3 fatty acid but not the anti-inflammatory substance called EPA) or from fish. 

Women who are pregnant are getting their healthy fatty acids for two and need up to 5,000 mg per day. It's a lot less expensive to use a high-quality fish oil rather than a high-quality microalgae, although either one will provide the needed nutrients, and fish oil will both build growing brains and fight inflammatory conditions.

Even after a child is born, however, omega-3's continue to do their work. Babies who get at least 350 mg of omega-3 per day in their formula begin to talk a few weeks earlier. Toddlers and kindergarten age children who get their omega-3 essentials are less likely to act out, lose focus, fuss, and fidget.

Up to 1,000 mg of omega-3 essential fatty acids per day is appropriate for children aged 1 to 8. You don't have to train your child to swallow capsules, however. The easy way to get the right dose is to measure it in fish-oil enriched gummy bears. It's natural to react with "eww" when you see mention of fish oil and gummy bears, but modern distillation processes take the fishiness out of the fish oil and let fruit flavors come through. Keep the process of getting needed nutrients fun and flavorful and the right dose will come naturally! 

Make no mistake about it! Determining the best child dose if omega three fatty acid isn't difficult once you have the right information.  If you'd like my well-researched recommendation for the quality supplement I, and my family, take, please visit my web site.

How To Determine What Is The Healthiest Dose of Omega Three Fish Oil

If you’re trying to determine what is the healthiest dose of omega three fish oil, you may not get much help from experts. They seem to disagree when recommending a dose which reaps optimum benefits. Oftentimes, recommendations will be based in favor of the manufacturer that is paying for the “expertise.” But don’t let that discourage you. Anyone who is interested in taking essential three fatty acids can find the dosage that will give them the best results.

But before you determine the right dose, you have to find a product of superior quality. You see, not all these fish oil supplements are created equal. It all comes down to the processing method used to extract the fish oils.

One of the more common processes uses steam to extract the essential fatty acids from chopped up fish. Unfortunately, along with the fatty acids, juices known as “marine liquids” are released. They wind up in the supplement along with the omega-3s. The problem with this liquid is that it has a tendency to spoil as it sits on the shelf at the store or in your medicine cabinet.

Taking these fermented capsules can often result in fishy burps, farts and breath, and sometimes even diarrhea.

Needless to say, there is no such thing as a healthy dose of a fish oil supplement which includes “marine liquids” on the ingredient label.

Fortunately, steaming fish to extract omega-3 fatty acids isn’t the only process used by manufacturers today. There is a new and improved process which some companies are using to avoid generating undesirable byproducts, while producing the purest, most effective fish oil.

Believe it or not, the process begins on the fishing boats themselves, immediately after catch. Rather than transporting the fish to a manufacturing facility, they are chopped, placed into a vat containing carbon dioxide (CO2) and then pressurized to five times above normal sea level pressure. Under this level of pressure, the carbon dioxide works as a natural solvent which extracts the fatty acids from the fish.

Maintaining a temperature of approximately eight-six degrees Fahrenheit insures that the chemical makeup of the fatty acids remains unchanged.

Once the pressure is returned to normal the carbon dioxide reverts to a gaseous state and all that is left is pure omega three fish oil.

The healthiest dose of this type of fish oil product is a minimum of 1000 mg per day. Typically, that translates into two capsules of this high-quality fish oil.

You can adjust the dosage if you are trying to achieve specific health results, such as relieving joint inflammation or muscle pain. In this case, you can take up to 20 capsules a day which is about 15,000 mg.

Furthermore, some people use fish oil to control appetite for weight loss. Taken between meals, a dosage of 5,000 mg per day can help to keep your appetite in check.

Using a supplement of the highest quality in the healthiest dose can help to produce the best results while making sure you don’t have to deal with unpleasant digestive side effects. That’s why it pays to do a little research to make sure you’re getting the best value for your money.

My own personal research has resulted in a high quality supplement which I take on daily basis to control joint inflammation. Click here if you'd like to benefit from my recommendation.

How to Find the Ultimate Omega Fish Oil Product

Let’s face it. There are tons of supplements out there claiming to be the ultimate omega fish oil product. But how can you be sure these claims are true? Well, it’s not difficult to locate what you need if you have some basic guidelines.

First of all, you want to be sure that whatever you are planning to take is not going to make us sick. Suppliers wouldn’t be allowed to promote fish oil supplements that have been shown to cause serious. However, that doesn’t mean some brands won’t cause digestive discomforts.

The truth is, there are a variety of brands that contain marine liquids, also known as “fish juice.” The problem with this stiff is that they are unfiltered and consequently, can spoil while they sit on the shelf of the store or the cabinet where you keep your medicines.

So, if you’re shopping for the ultimate omega fish oil product, be sure you avoid any supplement which contains “marine liquids.”

The next thing you want to look for in an omega three fish oil product will be potency. You need adequate amounts of DHA and EPA to get the desired benefits for brain and cardiac health, as well as, keeping inflammation in check.

Some brands offer 300% of the desired EPA and DHA. You can expect them to cost more, but even at twice the price, you’re getting a good deal.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the prices of more commonly-used brands sold in the U.S.

You will find the price range of a bottle of omega-3 essential fatty acids derived from fish to be about $7.00 for 150 capsules of Spring Valley Fish Oil, available at Walmart, to approximately $245.00 for a 30-day supply of the prescription version known as Lovaza.

The recommended minimum daily dose is 1000 mg. The price breakdown comparison range of this dosage is $0.20 for the Carlson brand to about $32 for the prescription, Lovaza.

Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega Soft Gels will cost you $49.95 per bottle. While this sounds more expensive than the $7 brand you get at Walmart, it is actually less expensive when you take the fatty acid content into account.

The next factor to consider when looking for the ultimate omega fish oil product is freshness.

It’s difficult to know how long a product has been sitting on the shelf of your favorite drug or health food store. You also can’t be sure if these products have been protected from heat and light. That’s why it you may want to consider ordering your fish oil capsules directly from the manufacturer. This is an excellent way to ensure freshness.

Contamination from toxins is the next factor to be aware of. Many omega three fish oil products are made from anchovies and farmed salmon. You may find these sources to contain high levels of PCBs. Other potentially-problematic sources of fish oil are herring, sardines and albacore tuna which have a tendency to absorb mercury.

Fish sources, such as hoki, which are harvested from the cold waters of the South Pacific, are known to have especially low levels of contaminants.

The last factor to consider is whether or not the product is “natural” as opposed to artificial. Artificial fish oil products are made in an attempt to prevent attacks from bacteria during storage. While the fish oil starts out “natural” it is then turned into artificial esters through a process of boiling in alcohol.

There are two problems associated with artificial esters: 1) they are difficult to digest and, 2) as much as 45% of the healthful DHA an EPA essential fatty acids are lost during the boiling process. When in doubt, “natural” is always better.

So there you have it! Some simple guidelines to follow when looking for an ultimate omega fish oil supplement. If you’d like a short cut, I’m happy to give you my well-researched recommendation for the quality brand I take my self.

Omega Three Gel Caps for Health and Fitness

Most people believe that omega three gel caps of fish oil are perfect for getting the essential fatty acids the human body needs to keep inflammation in control, and they are absolutely right. However, most people don't know that omega-3 gel caps of the highest quality fish oil can also help them build muscle and lose weight.

One of the coaches of the Canadian Olympic hockey team is former University of Texas physiologist named John Berardi. Dr. Berardi tells his athletes to take fish oil capsules practically like tiny snacks, between every meal and after workouts.

Fish oil helps build muscle by stopping inflammation at just the right time. Athletes work out hard to build muscle. The fibers in the muscle that give it power are broken down when they are stretch to their limit. The muscle itself uses the energy it has stored in the form of glycogen as it performs maximum output.

Building stronger muscle requires replacing the fibers that have been broken down by resistance exercise, but the fibers can't be breaking down and building up at the same time. Omega-3 essential fatty acids from fish oil put the breaks on inflammation so the muscle can rebuild itself with stronger fibers. They also help the muscle absorb the right amount of water to make "pump you up" material glycogen from glucose, but not so much water that the muscle is inflamed.

Fish oil also fights fat.

The human body is hard-wired to seek fat. Once we finish growing and reach physical adulthood, we don't need quite as much protein or quite as much of certain amino acids. We do need at least a little fat as an energy supply and to cushion muscles. At least a little fat is necessary to fill in the curves and contours of an attractive body.

There are lots of different ways to get enough fat to satisfy your appetite for fat. One could eat a stick of butter. Or down a double order of fries. Or maybe just pop a couple of capsules of fish oil.

A double order of fries might have 1,000 calories. A double dose of fish oil has about 20.

Omega three gel is the supplement most people who are serious about exercise overlook. It helps pump up muscles the same way creatine does. It helps prevent soreness and inflammation after workouts. And it helps serious exercises overcome the appetite that can set diet plans awry.

I, personally, take 3 to 5 omega three gel caps every day to extend the benefits of my daily exercise routine and boost the effectiveness of my weight loss efforts.

The Interaction Between Omega 3 Fish Oil and Digestion

There is a common side effective produced by the interaction between omega 3 fish oil and digestion that many people are familiar with: flatulence and fishy burps. But what these people may not know is that these unpleasant digestive side effects can be eliminated if the supplement they are taking is free of commonly-occurring impurities. These impurities are generally classified as "marine liquids."

These liquids are created when the fish are steamed as a way to extract their oil. As everyone knows, oil and water don't mix and if the manufacturer is too hurried to separate and eliminate the unwanted liquid, you end up with a "fish juice" that tends to ferment once its placed inside a capsule.

It's not just the fermentation that causes problems. These sealed liquids also become rancid. Some of the cheapest brands of fish oil will have a noticeable odor...something similar to dog food.

If you are taking a normal dose you won't need to worry about becoming sick with vomiting and diarrhea as a result of the contamination. However, it's likely you'll experience fish burps and farts.

Now, not all brands of fish oil will be tainted by "marine liquids." It will depend on how the fish oil has been processed.

One of the more powerful methods for preventing the contaminating mixture of marine liquids and fish oil is to soak ground-up fish in a bath of solvent called hexanol. Then the contents of the solvent bath are put through an evaporative process which leaves behind generally-pure omega three essential fatty acids.

While there is usually no danger of contamination from the toxic solvent, there is a much better process for extracting unwanted marine liquids.

A method known as CO2 extraction is now being implemented by several fish oil supplement producers.

One company, Xtend-life of New Zealand, subjects their catches of cold-water fish to pressurized carbon dioxide. Under extreme pressure, CO2 becomes a liquid which is capable of dissolving the essential fatty acids known as EPA an DHA. At the same time, mercury and other heavy metals, along with water, are left behind.

So what happens to the CO2? Well, The carbon dioxide is extracted into a holding chamber and the pressure returned to normal. Once again under normal pressure the liquid CO2 returns to a gaseous state, leaving behind the purified fish oil.

Not only does this process result in the highest quality fish oil, but the carbon dioxide can be retained and utilized again at a later date.

This is a highly-sophisticated process that not many producers have mastered for their production. Fortunately, for those that do, they are able to provide their customers with a burpless product with a high concentration of beneficial nutrients. In the end, you get more value for your dollar and don't have to deal with the results of a bad interaction between omega 3 fish oil and digestion.

Ultimately, if you want the best outcomes, you have to select the right product.

How to Recognize the Safest Fish Oil Supplement

With the important of taking a quality omega 3 product, many people want to know what is the safest fish oil supplement. The truth is there are ways to distinguish between a poor and excellent product. And you may be surprised to learn that price is not always a determining factor.

The following guidelines are intended to give you a solid basis for choosing the fish oil supplement which will give you the most benefits.

1. Reduced amounts of omega 3 essential fatty acids tend to be present in less expensive brands.

Because it’s always wise to read product labels, you are apt to find that some of the cheapest brands of fish oil derived from cold water fish have about 1/3 of the EPA and DHA typically found in the more expensive brands. So, if you’re thinking you’ll just purchase twice the amount, you’re really not doing yourself any favor.

2. Even if the label reads "molecularly distilled" you can’t be sure of quality.

It’s important to be aware that not all distillation processes are the same. Some fish oil providers use a process which involves crushing the fish and then immersing the mash in a chemical solvent bath of fish fat and hexane. The mixture is then drained and put through an evaporation process which leaves behind the oils rich in omega threes.

Now, the manufacturers who employ this process take great pains to ensure there are little to no traces of solvent remaining in the fish oil. However, rather than taking that chance, there is a much better process which uses carbon dioxide in a pressure chamber.

During the pressurization process the carbon dioxide works to dissolve the fat. When this is complete, the pressure is reduced leaving behind pure fish oil.

Even though this is not a true molecular distillation process, it still produces a fish oil of superior quality.

3. If you see "marine liquids" on the label you can count on fishy burps.

A common problem associated with fish oil supplements is flatulence and fish burps. This condition isn’t caused by the oil but by the fishy liquids that are left behind during processing. Although the amount of these liquids is usually minute, they have a tendency to rot or ferment in the supplement capsule. These rotted substances interact with your digestive system which then produces the aforementioned gas.

Even though these spoiled liquids probably won’t result in vomiting or diarrhea, they are still bad enough to make things unpleasant. So you can see why it’s important to make sure the fish oil supplement does not contain “marine liquids.”

4. You must be sure to avoid certain ocean-borne contaminants at all costs.

There is a harsh reality we must face when it comes to our oceans. Over the recent past they have become contaminated with industrial contaminants. While this contamination is present in all our oceans, there is a higher concentration found in the coastal waters of the northern and southern hemispheres. So if the water is contaminated it stands to reason that any marine life living in these waters will also be contaminated.

Some of the more common toxins found in fish and other marine life pulled from these waters include PCBs, polyvinyl chlorides, chlordane, dioxin, mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic.

This is why it’s important to try to buy fish oil products which have been made from fish caught in the cold waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans. It is also best to look for products made by companies that maintain and go beyond standards set by their governments. This means rigorous testing for all the above-mentioned toxins, as well as, salmonella and E.coli.

5. Supplements made from krill have their own unique drawbacks.

If you weren’t aware, krill are tiny shrimp-like creatures found in the extreme-most northern and southern latitudes, living alongside the floating ice packs. As they feed, they sink down the sides of the ice, excrete their waste and then rise again to the surface. As such, any krill-based supplement you take should be made from those krill gathered in nets at the surface.

The drawbacks associated with omega-3 supplements made from krill result from the likelihood of contamination. A lot of these microscopic marine creatures carry potentially-toxic levels of fluoride in their tiny shells. Furthermore, krill-based supplements are often more expensive than fish-based products despite the fact they contain a lot less EPA and DHA.

So there you have it! It isn't difficult to figure out what is the safest fish oil supplement when you have a foundation of basic information. You can also take advantage of a short cut courtesy of my well-researched recommendation.

What Everyone Should Know About a Prenatal Fish Oil Blend

If you’re expecting a baby the chances are you haven’t given much thought to a nutrient called docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA. But this substance can be critical during pregnancy to keep inflammation in the mother at bay, as well as, help support critical brain development in the baby. And the best source of this healthful nutrient can be found in a special prenatal fish oil blend.

The truth is everyone can benefit from the omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids present in a quality fish oil supplement…not just pregnant mothers and developing infants. The DHA and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) contained in this dietary supplement is derived from the algae consumed by the fish.

Now, there is another way to get both these essential fatty acids that involves the body converting a third nutrient called alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA . Many people accomplish this by taking a flax seed oil supplement. Unfortunately, a sizeable percentage of the nutritional value of ALA is lost as the body makes the conversion. That is why it makes better sense, especially during pregnancy, to get these fatty acids from an animal source rather than a plant source.

So why is this such a big deal during pregnancy?

Well, scientists from the Netherlands conducted an extensive study on 300 umbilical cord blood samples to quantify levels of marine-derived DHA. Then the babies who supplied the samples were followed over the next eight years as they developed. There were specific findings relative to those babies who received the highest levels of this healthy fat while they were growing in their mother’s womb. These findings included:

· Better ability to stay on task and remain focused. Less likely to exhibit behaviors associated with ADHD and ADD

· Well-developed eye-hand coordination enabling them to tie their shoe laces or catch a ball

· Better overall verbal skills confirmed through higher scores on verbal comprehension tests

· Displayed a resistance to a common childhood eye condition known as amblyopia

But you may be surprised to learn that benefits derived from this essential addition to a prenatal diet can be evidenced long before a child turns eight. Abbot Laboratories funded studies which revealed that toddlers who received a formula containing docosahexaenoic acid in addition to another nutrient known as arachidonic acid were more likely to speak their first words by the age of 14 months.

So as you can see, the right kind of fish oil supplement can make a significant difference in the health and development of children before and after birth. Taking the right supplement over the course of your pregnancy can produce benefits for your child all through their early developmental years.

If you'd like to learn more about how a quality prenatal fish oil blend can boost the health of your developing baby now and in the future, please visit my web site.

What Are the Benefits from Fish Oil?

Fish oil is the source of the "good fats" that help our bodies keep inflammation in check. It is one of the few natural nutritional supplements which even the United States FDA admits there are rock-solid science-based benefits. And the benefits from fish oil can not just fight inflammation and help maintain your cardiovascular health, they can also help you lose weight, fight infections, and keep your mind sharp.

The benefits from fish oil are so obvious that Big Pharma has tried to capture them in a patented medication called Lovaza. But Lovaza actually is not even the most bioavailable form of fish oil, and you don't need a prescription to use this amazing addition to your daily diet to support good health. Let's start with some of the uses of fish oil that you probably haven't heard about.

Fish Oil Can Help You Lose Weight

Dr. Kate Claycomb is a researcher at the USDA-ARS Grand Forks Human Nutrition Center in North Dakota in the United States. For a number of years she has been studying the interaction of fish oil with two hormones, insulin and adiponectin. Both of these hormones play an important role in how our bodies maintain our weight.

Most of us are familiar with insulin as the hormone that activates cells to receive glucose sugar from the bloodstream. It is actually about 300 times more efficient at activating cells to store fat. In a condition called insulin resistance, bloodstream glucose levels rise so high that cells shut down their sugar receptor sites to avoid being flooded with glucose. They do not shut down their receptor sites for fatty acids. The pancreas senses high blood sugar levels and responds by making even more insulin. Cells in the liver and muscles and fat mass sense high insulin levels and become even more resistant to sugar. In the meantime, however, the extra insulin makes fat magnets out of belly fat, priming them to store every available calorie. You don't actually gain weight unless you overeat, but most of us do.

Adiponectin is a hormone that causes cells to burn fat rather than sugar. It keeps the liver from releasing stored glucose into the bloodstream through a process called gluconeogensis. This interrupts the process of insulin resistance in addition to causing the body to burn more calories. Thinner people have more adiponectin in circulation. Fatter people have less.

Just in late 2011, Dr. Claycomb announced findings of years of research that confirmed that fish oil increases the amount of adiponectin in the bloodstream and interrupts the process of insulin resistance. Both actions reverse weight gain and support weight loss. One of the key findings of Dr. Claycomb's research was that these actions are supported by the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) fats in fish oil. These are the fats that are found in fish oil that are not found in flaxseed oil or microalgae.

Fish Oil Can Help You Gain Muscle

Dr. John Berardi is Canadian fitness trainer and also a professor of physiology. He has coached Olympic swimmers in Texas and the Olympic hockey team in Canada. For over a decade he has advised all of his athletes to take 1 or 2 capsules of fish oil after workouts to enhance muscle growth.

The process of building muscle actually requires a certain amount of inflammation, but only for a short time. The muscles have to be exercised so that fibers break down and are replaced by stronger, thicker fibers over a period of about 48 hours. It is important not to interfere with the process of breaking down these fibers ("pain") while you are still in the weight room. But it is equally important to quench the process of inflammation after a workout so the muscle can take in water, glucose, and amino acids and begin to rebuild itself.

Fish oil stops inflammation during the recovery phase. It reduces muscle pain after workouts, and because it fights insulin resistance, it also helps muscles "pump up" as they are properly fed. For a short time after a workout, the muscles are about 50 times more sensitive to insulin, which helps them absorb both glucose, which combines with water to make the glycogen that "pumps" the muscle, and the amino acids to rebuild the fibers that power the muscle. Athletes who take fish oil put on muscle more easily.

Again, it is the EPA in fish oil that makes a difference building muscle. The fatty acids in flaxseed oil and microalgae do not work the same way.

Fish Oil Can Enhance Brain Health

Bipolar disorder is an especially difficult disease to treat. In bipolar disorder, the mood swings from depressed to manic and back again. Antidepressant drugs tend to trigger mania, and antipsychotic drugs tend to trigger depression. Medical science has made major strides in treating the condition, but sometimes drugs just don't work.

About 10 years ago, Harvard University researchers started using fish oil to help control the depressive phase of bipolar disorder. Over 100 clinical studies over the last 10 years confirm that fish oil has a role in managing the condition. It is more useful in treating depression than mania, but this helps people who have bipolar disorder stabilize with fewer meds.

But you don't have to have bipolar disorder to use fish oil to benefit your brain health. The docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in fish oil helps the brain produce brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This protects neurons in the brain from mechanical injury by high blood pressure and from chemical injury by free radicals. It helps neurons continue to make the chemicals that allow signals to pass from neuron to neuron in the brain, helping the brain filter extraneous sensations from important sensory data, and ensuring that information reaches the centers for executive judgment where decisions are made.

DHA is found in microalgae as well as fish oil. In fact, microalgae are a more potent source of DHA than fish oil. However, they also cost about five times as much as fish oil and they don't provide the EPA that prevents inflammation. That is the reason doctors recommend fish oil rather than microalgae for brain health.

Fish Oil for Cardiovascular Health

The best known application of fish oil in natural health is supporting cardiovascular health. Fish oil fights the inflammation that can lead to high blood pressure, heart attacks, and stroke.

A little inflammation is actually a good thing. Inflammation activates the immune system. Inflammation constricts blood vessels to prevent loss of blood when we are injured. Inflammation raises blood pressure when it begins to go too low.

The problem most of us have, however, is that we have too much inflammation rather than too little. The fundamental reason is the standard modern diet. Processed foods contain enormous amounts of omega-6 essential fatty acids, the kinds of fatty acids every cell in the human body can use to make pro-inflammatory hormones, and not enough omega-3 essential fatty acids, the kinds of fatty acids every cell in the human body can use to make anti-inflammatory hormones. Both kinds of fat are essential, but the problem is that most of us get about 20 times as much omega-6 fat as omega-3 fat. Even healthy plant oils (with a few exceptions, such as chia and flaxseed oil) contain more omega-6 fat than omega-3 fat. Using more healthy plant oils actually makes the imbalance worse and worse.

Fish oil provides the omega-3's that fight inflammation and help keep arteries open. Fish oil that is combined with a chemical called ubiquinol (a form of coenzyme-Q10) is even better. The ubiquinol is immediately available to help the cells in your heart and in the linings of your artery use oxygen efficiently. Then the omega-3's in fish oil help your arteries relax so more blood can flow and deliver the oxygen cells need.

The Low-Down on Lovaza

If you live in the United States and you watch television at all, it is hard to avoid advertisements for a prescription fish oil called Lovaza. This drug is a form of fish oil that has been sent through a chemical process called esterification to make it shelf-stable. Many over-the-counter brands of fish oil are sent through a similar process so they will keep. Your body has to break down the esters, however, to release the fish oils in both Lovaza and certain brands of fish oil.

There is absolutely no doubt that Lovaza will do what it is advertised to do, lowering high triglyceride levels. We won't tell you to stop using Lovaza if that's what your doctor orders. But if you aren't using Lovaza yet, please consider using fish oil from companies like Xtend-Life. Natural fish oil does the same thing as Lovaza, and it's about 50 times less expensive.

The Best Way to Get the Benefits of Fish Oil

There are several really good brands of fish oil on the market. Probably the best value, however, is a product made by a company in New Zealand called Xtend-Life.

Xtend-Life makes its fish oil from a sustainably harvested Pacific cold water fish called hoki. The fish are immediately cleaned and refrigerated after catch, and then the oil is extracted without the use of chemicals. Every lot is tested for possible contamination—and if there is any, the product is not used. And because the company cares about every customer getting the very best result, the company makes different combinations of fish oil with other supplements that benefit good health.

Fish oil is fundamental to almost every program of nutritional supplementation. Buy the best fish oil to get the best results.