Fish Oil Health Benefits

Fish oil health benefits are getting a lot of attention, and many people are making fish oil a regular part of their diet.

Fish oil comes from the tissue of fish, especially fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring and sardines. Fish oil contains the omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). DHA and EPA are essential fatty acids (EFAs) that are essential to human health, but many people are deficient in them. DHA and EPA cannot be manufactured by the body and must come from food or supplements. Fish oil is one of the few dietary sources that contains DHA and EPA, and no other dietary source has close to the amount of DHA and EPA that fish oil does.

Although you can get the health benefits of fish oil by eating fish, there's the increasing risk of fish being contaminated by mercury, PCBs and other environmental toxins. You also can't be sure that the fish you're eating contains enough DHA and/or EPA to ensure maximum health benefits. This is why fish oil supplements have become so popular. Higher quality fish oil supplements are contaminant free and contain high concentrations of DHA and EPA.

It's important to note that many fish oil supplements are advertised as being "pharmaceutical grade" in order to show high quality, but there's actually no such thing as pharmaceutical grade fish oil. It's a term that was initially used by one particular fish oil marketer and is now being used by other marketers. The U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) has not yet set standards for the quality, purity, strength and consistency of fish oil.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) has developed a voluntary set of standards for fish oil, and a number of fish oil manufacturers are now following these standards. There's also a private commercial organization called International Fish Oil Standards (IFOS) that tests and rates fish oil for a fee. Some fish oil manufacturers feel that they can call their fish oil pharmaceutical grade if they meet CRN and/or IFOS specifications.

There are several actual fish oil health benefits, and there are just as many potential benefits. Additional studies and research are needed in order to confirm the potential benefits, but they are very promising.

Actual Fish Oil Health Benefits:

Reduces the risk of heart disease, heart attack and abnormal heart rhythms.
Improves blood vessel functioning.
Reduces blood triglycerides.
Increases HDL ("good") cholesterol.
Reduces blood pressure.
Relieves pain and inflammation in joints and other areas of the body.
Increases fat loss, decreases fat retention, and encourages the use of stored fat as fuel.

Potential Fish Oil Health Benefits:

May help treat ADHD.
May help treat depression.
May reduce the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
May reduce the risk of developing breast, colon or prostate cancer.
May prevent age-related macular degeneration (an eye disorder).
May reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis (plaque build-up in artery walls).
May relieve inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis).

These actual and potential fish oil health benefits are powerful, and fish oil might be a good addition to your nutrition program.

Recommended Resource

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