Is Fish Oil Really Good For You?

f you were to ask someone over a century ago whether or not fish oil was good for you it is very likely they would say yes. But if you were to ask them why that is the case you would probably be met with a blank stare or they would have thought you were crazy for asking.

As we fast forward to today not only can we answer the question asking whether fish oil is really good for you but we can for the most part explain it is true.

Why is fish oil containing DHA and EPA really good for you?

It all boils down to two very interesting compounds. They are DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). These are what are known as omega 3 fatty acids and you can find the quantity of each of these healthful compounds on the label, just below the nutritional information, of most fish oil supplements.

In a recent paper released by the University of Maryland Health and Science Department a number of recent studies were evaluated and then compiled to try to determine the health benefits of fish oil supplements against a number of well known conditions and diseases. The conditions looked at were heart disease, depression, attention deficit, high blood pressure, arthritis, and macular degeneration along with about 15 others including Alzheimer's.

What became clear was that with each of these very dangerous and life altering conditions the omega 3 fatty acids DHA/EPA taken in dosages of between 700 and 950 milligrams a day had some positive impact. With most of the conditions the benefits were seen both in those who had the disease or condition, as well as those who were using fish oil supplements in an attempt to prevent them from occurring. In a handful of conditions such as macular degeneration the benefits were only preventative in nature.

What is happening in the body to produce such wide ranging benefits?

The message of medicine is slowly changing for one that prescribe a laundry list of medications which initially help with certain conditions only trigger others because of the massive amount of internal inflammation produced. The message is slowly changing to one that believes in limiting internal inflammation in the body when possible.

In the future by eliminating internal inflammation there is a very real chance we just might be able to stamp out many of the most common diseases and halt the aging process in its tracks once and for all.

And believe it or not dietary fish and fish oil supplements high in DHA/EPA are right at the epicenter of this highly charged discussion.

Fish oil ranks at the top of the list of supplements for content of omega 3 fatty acids

The reason fish oil is at the top of everyone's list is that it contains the highest percentage per quantity of DHA and EPA. If this wasn't the case other supplements derived from other sources such as krill would be equally valuable.

Additionally there is another type of omega 3 fatty acid known is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). This omega 3 fatty acids is not as good for you because it must be converted by the body to DHA and EPA. The conversion ratio is something in the order of only 10 to 1, therefore you would need to eat 10 times more of the foods containing ALA to receive the same benefit. Foods high in ALA include flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, canola oil, soybeans, soybean oil, and pumpkin seed oil.

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