|
Fish oil is as its name suggests, the oil of fish tissue, predominantly from areas which are high in the two important Omega 3 fatty acids, EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). The largest concentration of these Omega 3 fatty acids are found in the brain, which by its self is made from roughly 60% fat. Whilst fish themselves do not synthesis Omega 3, they produce it from the microalgae they eat which intern helps produce these fatty acids which give structure and health to their brain. Further along the food chain humans would eat this fish and intern their brain tissue would be formed again from these Omega 3 fatty acids, our brain literally moulds itself to the building blocks it is given. Thus, if you eat highly processed saturated fats, your brain will start to form out of these saturated fats and will not function optimally! However by increasing your intake of healthy fats such as fish oils, and phospholipids such as those founds in nuts and eggs, your brain will be constructed of the right building material! It is therefore no coincidence that fish oil intake is association with cognitive benefits such as improved mood in both the clinical and normal population (Stoll et al, 1999) and that a high maternal intake of fish oil augments a higher IQ when the child is 4 years old over that of non fish oil controls (Hellend, Smith, Saarem, Saugstad & Drevon, 2003.) The type of fish oil we consume is also important. Many people when they think of fish oil tend to think of Cod Liver Oil (CLO). Whilst CLO does indeed contain EPA and DHA, the important fatty acids that give fish oil their benefits; they also contain large amounts of vitamins A. To have the beneficial effect from fish oils, large quantities need to be consumed and to do this with CLO could harbour harmful side effects associated with a vitamin A overdose. Fish Oils, especially XL Omega from Excel Labs contains no vitamin A, only EPA and DHA thus high doses can be safely used. In terms of exercise and fitness (and of course body composition) extra dietary intake of fish oils has been shown to increase fat oxidation in humans with a concomitant decrease in fat mass (Couet, Delarue, Ritz, Antoine, & Lamisse, 1997). What is more combined with aerobic exercise, fish oils can not only improve body composition, but also reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors (Hill, Buckley, Murphy & Howe, 2007). Looking more directly at the fat loss benefits of fish oil, studies have shown that fish oils directly increase beta oxidation – the process whereby fatty acids are burnt in the mitochondria for energy (Flachs, Horakova, Brauner, Rosseiml, Pecina et al, 2005 & Guo, Xie, Lei & Hamilton, 2005) thus making it a true “fat burner”. Whilst this may appear paradoxical to some people to include more fat into your diet to decrease the fat you store, the above research highlights that this simply is not the case! Finally in a time of high pollution, bad food, and copious amounts of stress, our health tends to be at the bottom of the pile of important things to care about! Thankfully Omega 3 fish oils also warrant a plethora of benefits for health and wellbeing. Whilst the restraints of this article forces us to only focus on some benefits, it should be noted that this is by no means an exhaustive list and you own personal research will reveal that there are literally hundreds of health conditions that could be improved by fish oils. Firstly studies suggest that fish oils may be good for our joints, indeed one study reveals that it could act as a therapeutic aid for those suffering from arthritis (Darlington, Gail, Stone & Trevor 2001). Other evidence shows that fish oils have implications for cardiovascular health as an aid to reduce blood pressure (Gelejinse, Giltay, Grobbee, Donders & Kok, 2002) and to reduce the chance of stroke (Skerrett & Hennekens, 2003). Perhaps more striking is the research by Norrish et al (1999) that suggests that a high fish oil intake could reduce the chance of prostate cancer. With cancer being the second biggest killer in the UK over cardiovascular disease, this is a fundamentally important area of our wellbeing. To conclude, we have seen that fish oils have a positive effect on almost all human physiological systems from brain to organs and to muscles. Currently our diet is lacking the essential nutrients required to strive and optimization of function cannot be achieved unless we supplement our diets to an intake close to that of what it should be. We recommend at Excel Labs that for optimal health, function and fitness users consume roughly 4-10g of fish oil a day, spaced throughout the day.
References Couet, C., Delarue, J., Ritz, P., Antoine, J., Lamisse, F. (1997). Effect of dietary fish oil on body fat mass and basal fat oxidation in healthy adults. International Journal of Obesity, 21, 637-643.
Darlington, L.G., & Stone, T.W. (2007). Antioxidant and fatty acids in the amelioration of rheumatoid arthritis and related disorders. British Journal of Nutrition, 85, 251-269. Dry J., & Vincent, D. (1991). Effect of a Fish oil diet on asthma: results of a 1-year double bind study. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol, 95, 156-57
Flachs, P., Horakova, O., Brauner, P., Rossmeisl, M., Pecina, P., Franssen-van Hal, N., et al. (2005). Polyunsaturated fatty acids of marine origin upregulate mitochondrial biogenesis and induce beta-oxidation in white fat. Diabetologia, 48, 2365-2375.
Geleijnse, J.M., Giltay, EJ., Grobbee, D.E., Donders, A.R, & Kok, F.J. (2002). Blood pressure response to fish oil supplementation: metaregression analysis of randomized trials. J Hypertens, 20(8), 1493-1499 Guo, W., Xie, W., Lei, T., & Hamilton, J.A. (2005). Eicosapentaenoic acid, but not oleic acid, stimulates beta-oxidation in adipocytes. Lipids, 40, 815-821.
Helland, I.B., Smith, L., Saarem, K., Saugstad, O.D., & Drevon, C.A. (2003). Maternal supplementation with very-long-chain n-3 fatty acids during pregnancy and lactation augments children's IQ at 4 years of age. Pediatrics, 111(1), 39-44
Hill, A.M., Buckley, J.D., Murphy, K.J., Howe, P.R.C. (2007). Combining fish-oil supplements with regular aerobic exercise improves body composition and cardiovascular disease risk factors. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 85(5), 1267-1274. Norrish, A.E., Skeaff, C.M., Arribas, G.L., Sharpe, S.J., & Jackson, R.T. (1999). Prostate cancer risk and consumption of fish oils: a dietary biomarker-based case-control study. Br J Cancer, 81(7), 1238-1242. Skerrett, P.J., & Hennekens, C.H. (2003). Consumption of fish and fish oils and decreased risk of stroke. Prev Cardiol, 6(1), 38-41 Stoll, A.L., Severus, E., Freeman, M.P., Rueter, S., Zboyan, H.A., Diamond, E., ress, K.K., & Marangell, L.B. (1999). Omega 3 fatty acids in bipolar disorder: a preliminary double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Arch Gen Psychiatry, 56(5), 407-412.
|