DOWN THE HATCH
Scaling the truth about adult fish oil supplements.
The laundry list of health benefits tied to fish oil supplements is long and impressive. These products increase your daily intake of omega-3 fatty acids, which decreases your risk of inflammatory conditions such as heart disease, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. They also play an important role in maintaining and improving brain chemistry, and help prevent and treat illnesses like depression and anxiety. The acids lower blood pressure, increase metabolism and decrease the level of blood triglycerides. In infants and children, they have a critical role in brain and eye development.
There are two classes of essential fatty acids: omega-6 and omega-3. Omega-6, used to make processed and fast foods, is primarily found in vegetable oils (soy, corn, safflower, sunflower and any partially hydrogenated oils). Omega-3 comes from flax, extra virgin olive oil, walnuts and fatty fish (salmon, tuna, sardines or mackerel). The omega-6s are the pro-inflammatory fats, promoting inflammation in parts of the body as opposed to its counterpart, the anti-inflammatory omega-3s. Therefore, any condition caused by, or related to inflammation, namely arthritis and heart disease, would be improved by increasing omega-3 intake.
Since the body requires both of these fats, it is the balance that is critical. It’s thought that the ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is 3-to-1. The average American currently ingests 20- or 30-to-1, which is directly related to the rate of obesity, diabetes, cardiac disease, depression, anxiety and cancer in the U.S. population. To gain perspective, all causes of death increase in cultures with higher ratios of 6-to-3. Grocery store and restaurant offerings can make it difficult to get the amounts recommended through food alone, therefore, a daily supplement is encouraged. Enter fish oil.
In order to accurately determine how much fish oil is needed daily, you must understand the contents of the supplements. The product is not composed entirely of the aforementioned omega-3 fats that our bodies need. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) are the two label buzz words. Doctors recommend most adults take 2,000-3,000mg each of DHA and EPA in the form of a fish oil supplement. Read the fine print to find the appropriate dosage.
Flax and flax supplements.
Flax is now commonplace in health food stores and organic sections of the grocery store. But what is it? Simply put, flax is the plant that provides flaxseeds. It is most often found as flaxseed oil, whole or ground flaxseed or as flax added to cereals and granola bars. It’s an important source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). ALA is an omega-3 fatty acid that is converted into EPA, a beneficial fat. Unfortunately, the body is only able to convert about 10 percent of ALA into EPA. Therefore, supplementing with flax or flaxseed is inefficient compared to using fish oil. Flaxseed does contain lignans important in female health and are a valuable source of fiber, so don‘t entirely rule them out.
Vegan?
As an alternative to fish oil or flax, vegans should find omega-3 supplements made from algae. There are no fish products used in the production of these supplements, and they are a great source of DHA and EPA.
I burp fish. Is there another option?
“Fish burp” is not uncommon (or pleasant). Most people who suffer from an upset stomach or gas are taking a lower quality supplement. First, try higher quality fish oil. If that does not solve the problem, put the capsules in the freezer. Swallowing the fish oil in frozen form, which allows the fish oil to get further down the digestive system before being digested, almost always resolves these side effects.
Other Trusted Sources:
American Heart Association
Mayo Clinic
UC Berkeley
