The main benefits of Omega 3 Fish Oil are that it:
- Reduces heart attacks and other cardiovascular disease
- Reduces Cancer
- Improves immune function
- Improves Brain health
- Helps rheumatoid Arthritis
These facts are scientifically proven, and it is why scientists freely recommend omega 3 these days. Indeed, the UK Daily Mail newspaper has had two full-page articles praising omega 3 supplementation to the skies, in the past week alone.
Omega 3 supplementation has really hit the big time!
Omega 3 VS Omega 6
It is important to distinguish between omega 3 and omega 6. Basically, omega 3 is good omega 6 - in excess - is bad.
As our diets these days invariably contain a big excess of omega 6, we need to try and reduce our omega 6 and boost our omega 3.
The only effective way to do the latter is with a supplement.
Certainly, we can eat more oily fish. But a portion of oily fish will still only deliver perhaps 300 or 400 mg of the vital omega 3 oils - DHA and EPA. Whereas we are best off with 1500 to 2000 mg per day. This is where supplementation is necessary. Many supplements will contain 300 or 360 mg of EPA and DHA per capsule. So 4 to 6 of these a day will meet our requirements.
The Science Behind Omega 3
In 1963 it was discovered that the n-6 arachidonic acid was converted by the body into pro-inflammatory agents called prostaglandins. By 1979 more of what are now known as eicosanoids were discovered: thromboxanes, prostacyclins and the leukotrienes.
The eicosanoids, which have important biological functions, typically have a short active lifetime in the body, starting with synthesis from fatty acids and ending with metabolism by enzymes.
However, if the rate of synthesis exceeds the rate of metabolism, the excess eicosanoids may have deleterious effects. Researchers found that n-3 is also converted into eicosanoids, but at a much slower rate. Eicosanoids made from n-3 fats are often referred to as anti-inflammatory, but in fact they are just less pro-inflammatory than those made from n-6 fats. If both n-3 and n-6 are present, they will "compete" to be transformed, so the ratio of n-3:n-6 directly affects the type of eicosanoids that are produced.
Omega 3 - Vital For Health
So, in summary, all adults can certainly do with boosting omega 3 intake - that is the intake of DHA and EPA. To do this, we can eat extra oily fish - fish oil capsules. if you are vegetarian, flax seed oil is the best choice. But it is not as effective as official. So if you are a borderline vegetarian it's best to go for the official.
At the same time, reduce intake of omega 6. This is present in nearly all vegetable oils with the exception of olive oil. Olive oil is the oil to use in general because it is almost neutral with regard to the omega 3/omega 6 issue.
The other vegetable oils - corn oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, etc - have very much more omega 6 than omega 3 and so are to be avoided.
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