7 BIG reasons to consume fish oil (and eat more fish)

Fish oils really are one of the most important daily supplements you can take, however the quality and purity as well and dosages vary massively from brand to brand.

I test my own omega 3/6 ratio regularly – it’s only really optimal when I combine a high fish intake with fish oil supplementation. With my clients I use 1-3g of EPA most days – more when they are inflamed and needing faster recovery.

Personally one of the key benefits for me has been the reduction in anxiety.

Omega 3 works on serotonin so you feel better when you have more in the body. You can also sleep better and so on.

Generally these help with everything from thinking clearly to improved mood state and i've listed my 7 BIG reasons to consume fish oil below.

In addition, there’s a collection of the references I’ve used for the various aspects omega 3 can help you with listed below.

#1 BODY COMPOSITION

Fish Oil probably helps optimize body composition when taken over time.

The effect is likely due to increased metabolic rate, decreased cortisol production and moderating the inflammatory response to training.

The effect likely to be greater the older you are due to higher levels of cortisol and inflammation.

#2 MOOD STATE

Fish oils seem to help lower-grade depression and anxiety-based traits.

Indeed, the omega 3/6 ratio appears to have implications beyond moderating normal inflammatory response.

#3 BRAIN HEALTH AND INTELLIGENCE

DHA dietary supplementation enhances the effects of exercise on synaptic plasticity and cognition. That’s a fancy way of saying they can make your brain work better.

#4 BRAIN PROTECTION AGAINST KNOCKS

If you do contact sports you’ll know about concussion. DHA helps the brain rebuild after concussion. Creatine is also an effective natural helper for brain trauma and injury.

#5 ANTI-AGING

When you eat less omega 6 and eat lots of omega 3, the aging processes may be reduced. Fish oils also help keep your telomeres longer helping prevent that aging pathway somewhat.

#6 THE OMEGA 3/6 RATIO

One of the ways omega 3 fat work is in balance with omega 6 fats, this is called the omega 3/6 ratio. You can test your blood for this.

Several studies suggest this ratio once improved can lower all diseases associated with inflammation – well that’s pretty much all degenerative disease. This effect is generally reserved for eating fish rather than supplementing probably due to the massive variation in fish oil quality and concentration in supplements.

To improve this ratio it’s generally best to eat plenty more omega 3’s – you can still have the 6’s just not too many. Giving children more omega 3 helps their working memory and planning task ability. Given that the average oily fish portion is less than one third of a portion per week, working on palatable fish dishes and using fish oils as a supplement is a great idea for kids.

#7 OBESITY

Finally, lots of omega 3 is associated with both prevention and management of obesity

And not enough fish = increased risk for obesity.

Fish Oils from Aminoman

I make an excellent fish oil. It’s high strength with 755mg EPA and 255mg DHA per capsule. You can read the back of some other fish oils and see that the strength and depth just isn’t there. My fish oil is ultra clean and has added vitamin E to help prevent the oil from oxidising. I do use a liquid fish oil for my kids and myself as well – I normally choose a Nordic brand as these are generally amongst the cleanest oils you can find.

I also recommend and eat a lot of fish. Mixing up smaller fish, as they have less mercury with wild salmon, sardines, white fish all types really. Outside of aminos that's the main animal source of protein.

I love the fish in foil recipes (free download of my entire recipe book can be found here) also a night of ‘all the fish’ is fun, including prawn cocktail, then various cooked fish dishes along with tons of veggies as a main.

REFERENCES

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0144828

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2958879/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4480667/

http://www.psy-journal.com/article/S0165-1781(15)00384-4/abstract

http://www.plefa.com/article/S0952-3278(15)30059-4/abstract

http://lipidworld.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1476-511X-9-105

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3208643/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3951948/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22902522

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22122868

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2906099/