Omega 3 And Fish Oil Health Benefits

There are many fish oil health benefits that you can recieve by getting an adequate intake of the essential omega 3 fatty acids.

What is fish oil and omega 3? Fish oil comes from the processing of fatty fish, and it contains the Omega 3 essential fatty acids. The Omega 3 fatty acids are made up of Docosahexaenoic acid and Eicosapentaenoic acid, or DHA and EPA.

Why Are These fatty Acids So “Essential”?

Here are a few reasons:

• DHA is the basic building block of the human brain
• DHA has been found to be crucial during pregnancy, nursing, and child development. It is present in breast milk.
• DHA plays an important role in transmitting the electrical signals between nerve cells and throughout the entire body.
• Omega 3's are used to regulate metabolic processes in the body.
• The body needs these fatty acids, but can't make them on its own. We have to get them through our diets. If your diet is lacking in fatty fish and nuts, then a fish oil supplement might be necessary.

Health Benefits

Omega 3 fatty acids are well studied and researched by scientists around the world. Below are some fish oil health benefits that have been reported and tested.

• Brain Function – Fish oil improves memory and recall. Children's brains develop better when they have adequate DHA intake. Even for adults and older, fish oil helps the brain stay clear and focused, helping to avoid such disease such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's
• Mood – People have noticed that they are not as depressed and have better moods overall. It can also help bipolar disorder.
• Heart Health – One of the biggest benefits of fish oil is the ones on the heart. Good cholesterol goes and bad cholesterol goes down. Blood pressure is more normalized. Fish oil breaks up clots in the blood and removes plaque from the artery walls. Fish oil has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease.
• Inflammation – When taking fish oil, people have noticed a large reduction in pain and inflammation.
• Other things benefiting from fish oil are your: skin, joints, vision, and immune system

What To Look For In A Fish Oil Supplement

Try to find fish oils that have more DHA than EPA.

Don't bother with fish oil mixtures that include omega 6's and omega 9's; just stick with omega 3. The rest you can get what you need from your diet. Plus, if you took too much of the omega 6's and omega 9's, the ratio imbalance can cause problems like inflammation.

Use fish oils that have undergone the extra filtration process to become pharmaceutical grade fish oil.

The fish source is also very important as some waters are more polluted than others. The bigger problems with fish oils is the contaminants such mercury that were present in the fish.

Sources Of Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Besides from fish, many different nuts contain Omega 3's like Walnuts, Brazils, and Macadamia nuts. Other plant sources include soybeans, spinach, and olives