Why Fish Oil is Considered Healthy

How Omega 3 Fatty Acid, DHA and EPA are Important in the Diet

Aug 26, 2009

Eating tuna and salmon and taking Omega 3 supplements may can help with arthritis, heart disease, inflammation, cholesterol, depression, ADD and other health issues.

The benefits of including fish and fish oil supplements to a diet have been well-known for years by health and nutrition advocates. But now, using Omega-3 Fatty Acid every day is even recommended by doctors.

Why Taking Omega 3 and Fish Oil is Important

Omega-3 fatty acids are a very important part of the diet. According to the Mayo Clinic, Omega-3s are a type of unsaturated fatty acid that helps with reducing inflammation, improve learning ability in children, lower blood pressure, reduce blood clotting, enhance immune function, slows the buildup of atherosclerotic plaques ("hardening of the arteries"), improve arthritis and depression symptoms and help with heart disease and even weight loss.

Omega-3 fatty acid is comprised of the compounds EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and has to come from fish, plants or in supplemental form because it cannot be made in the body.

Cell membranes are mostly made up of fatty acids. One of the functions of the body's cell membranes is to balance the amount of nutrients that get in and remove waste products out of the cell. Omega-3s help with this function.

Omega 3 Fatty Acid in the Diet

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends Omega-3 fatty acids in the diet and suggests adding fish especially fatty fish like mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon twice a week. Eating this kind of fish instead of fatty meat adds protein but not the high saturated fat that is in beef, pork and other high fat meat.

How to Take Omega 3 Fatty Acid and Fish Oil

Most doctors, including international health and nutrition authority Dr. Andrew Weil, suggest taking 1 to 2 grams (1000 to 2000 milligrams) of high quality fish oil a day for optimum health. For serious illnesses, such as Crohn's disease or arthritis, as much as 5 grams a day may be taken, but individual needs should be addressed with a health care practitioner. The recommended ratio of EPA to DHA 3 or 4 EPA to 1 DHA, according to Dr. Weil.

Supplements can be used in addition to eating fish and other Omega-3 food sources as it is difficult to reach the recommended daily amount of EPA and DHA simply with diet.

Fish oil is available in capsules and in liquid form. The capsules are most popular because they do not have as much taste as the liquid. Some people feel the liquid is a better delivery system but Dr. Weil indicates that it is not really known which is better.

Capsules may be kept in the freezer to help avoid fishy aftertaste. Taking capsules in their frozen state does not change their effectiveness. Storing them in the freezer helps prolong shelf-life as well.

Omega 3 can be found in walnuts, flax seed and in other foods now being marketed with the addition of DHA and EPA, including eggs and even peanut butter.

Source: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/ Dr. Andrew Weil, Why I Still Take My Daily Fish Oil

The copyright of the article Why Fish Oil is Considered Healthy in Nutrition is owned by Elizabeth Richards. Permission to republish Why Fish Oil is Considered Healthy in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.