Omega-3 fatty acids are of vital importance for your health and they are mainly contained in fish. Unfortunately, not all of us are fans of fish, so all of you who fall into this category should probably start using fish oil supplements. As the name suggests, fish oil is directly extracted from oily fish like tuna, mackerel, herring and anchovies, however, sometimes it can also be produced from the livers of some other fish. A great example of this is the case with cod liver oil.
Practice shows that fish oil is made from around 30% of omega-3 acids while the remaining 70% is made up of fats. This oil can also contain vitamins A and D, and the main types of omega-3s in this oil are EPA (eicosapentaenoic) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Omega-3 fatty acids can also be found in some plants and this type of acid is ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) which is different from the one in fish oil. Although ALA is also considered an essential type of acid, still EPA and DHA have greater benefits for your health.
Benefits of Fish Oil Supplements
The use of fish oil supplements can positively impact your overall health, but they can specifically help you with certain things. Only by reviewing them all, you’ll be able to understand and try them on yourself.
May Support Your Heart
With heart disease being one of the leading causes of death all around the world, people are doing everything they could to protect their hearts and stay alive. Lots of studies have been made, and a great number of them show that people who regularly eat fish have much lower rates of heart disease. So it isn’t strange that fish oil may positively affect your heart health as well. Generally speaking, omega-3 supplements can increase the levels of good HDL cholesterol while reducing the levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol. It’s said that omega-3 fatty acids can also lower triglycerides and blood pressure, and may also prevent the plaques that cause arteries to harden.
May Treat Certain Mental Conditions
Did you know that the human brain is made from 60% fat of which almost all are omega-3 fatty acids?! This explains the fact omega-3 acid is essential for proper brain functioning. The use of omega-3 supplements can prevent and may improve the chances of psychotic disorders in some people who are at higher risk. This means that people who suffer from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia may find some sort of peace and reduced symptoms with the use of omega-3 fatty acid supplements.
May Support Greater Eye Health
Just like the brain, it’s said that the human eyes also rely on the use of omega-3 fats and in people with deficit omega-3 fats, there’s a greater chance of eye disease development. With the regular consumption of omega 3-fats, some people may reduce the risk of AMD (age-related macular degeneration) and dry eye disease in particular.
May Support Healthy Skin
The skin also contains a lot of omega-3 fats, so keeping it supple, especially during the summer is essential. If you aren’t that much of a fish eater, then you should certainly improve your omega-3 fat levels through supplements in order to improve the look of your skin. This, on the other hand, might be helpful for psoriasis and dermatitis sufferers who have very dry skin.
May Reduce Liver Fat
Since the liver is an organ that processes most of the fat in your body, it seems that omega-3 fats may improve liver function and inflammation which can reduce the symptoms of NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) and the amount of fat in it.
May Reduce Inflammation
Chronic body inflammation is usually associated with some health conditions like diabetes, obesity, heart disease and depression, and only by reducing it one can reduce and even treat the symptoms of such diseases. And since fish oil has some anti-inflammatory properties in it, it’s said that it may also treat some conditions that involve chronic inflammation.
How to Choose the Right Fish Oil Source
Fish oil can come in natural and processed forms and the processing method itself can affect the form of the fatty acids, some of these forms are better absorbed than others. For instance,
• In whole fish, omega-3 fats are present as free fatty acids, triglycerides and phospholipids.
• In fish oil, they’re present as triglycerides.
• Processed fish oil is refined and its triglycerides are usually converted into ethyl esters which allows food chemists to adjust the concentration of DHA and EPA in the oil.
• Reformed triglycerides are formed when the ethyl esters in processed fish oil are converted back into their previous triglycerides form.
While all of these can provide you with health benefits, it seems that the absorption of omega-3 fats from ethyl esters is not as effective as the others. However, other studies show that they can be equally absorbed as the others, so you won’t make a bad decision by choosing any of them.
