Most people will have heard of some of the benefits of fatty fish by now unless they're complete hermits and locked themselves away from society completely. Information on Omega 3 is everywhere. You read about it in magazines and newspapers, it's featured on Ads on the TV and on the Internet, there are posters in health clinics and doctors surgeries and it's plastered across the packaging on many of the foods we buy in the supermarket. However, are people really getting the message?
The simple answer is no! Of course they're not, or we would all be getting enough Omega 3 in our diet by now but we're not. Yes the majority of us are well aware that fresh fatty fish contain high amounts of Omega 3 fatty acids and that by eating more fish we can help protect against heart disease but that's not all there is to know.
Health benefits of Omega 3
The list of health benefits from taking Omega 3 on a daily basis is endless. The fatty acids in Omega 3 are anti-inflammatory and as some form of inflammation is believed to lie at the root of all diseases, increasing our consumption of these fatty acids can help improve health in general.
Here are just some of the amazing effects that Omega 3 can have on your health when taken as a daily supplement.
It can help prevent death from heart attacks in people who have already had a heart attack and it can reduce the risk of developing heart disease in the first place.
It can help alleviate the pain and inflammation associated with arthritis and in some studies has shown that it can reduce the need for taking non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS).
It can help to alleviate the symptoms of anxiety and many different types of depression including clinical depression, post natal depression, bipolar disorder, and even schizophrenia. In fact it is nature's natural anti-depressant and is good for mental health in general
It can help to improve skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis and eczema and encourage healthier looking hair and nails too. Indeed, one of the first signs that you are not getting enough Omega 3 is poor hair, nails and skin.
It can reduce the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and improve performance at school. One Australian study claims that high strength fish oil is better than Ritalin for treating ADHD.
It can help promote weight loss when used in combination with a moderate amount of exercise.
It can help concentration and memory and improve one's ability to learn and process information.
All this is very well but we are advised to eat more fish in order to increase our intake of Omega 3 but not too much fish, as fresh fish contains toxins like mercury and PCBs and just knowing that is enough to put many people off including a lot of fish in their diets.
There is another solution though and that is to supplement our diets with Omega 3 fish oil and this is the preferred method for many for getting enough Omega 3 in their diets.
What's the best kind of fish oil?
What some folk still don't realise is that fish oils are not all the same quality or strength so unless you know what you're looking for you when you buy a fish oil, you might not end up with one that is going to do you much good.
You cannot just walk into a supermarket and pick the first fish oil off the shelf and hope that this is going to be enough to make a difference. It isn't. What you need is pure fish oil that is concentrated to contain high amounts of Eicosapentaenoic acid or EPA as this is the fatty acid that most researchers believe has the most health benefits to offer.
