Let’s face it. Fatty fish oil is a good source of omega-3s, including EPA and DHA, but you’ll need to read the label to be sure about how much of each you are getting in a capsule. The labeling can be confusing.
Manufacturers may not be attempting to mislead. But, when you see a label that says “1000 mg” per capsule, you might think that all one thousand are omega3s. That’s not the case.
Only a portion of the natural triglycerides or fats are omega-3s. The rest may be omega-6s or 9s. Some brands even contain some saturated fat.
If we want to do what’s best for our health, we should reduce the amount of saturated fats in our diets. It’s a good idea to cut out trans-fatty acids, all together and it’s relatively easy to do. Just read the ingredients label and look for partially hydrogenated oils. If you see that as an ingredient, don’t eat the food.
Omega-9s are not essential in the human diet. They are monounsaturated fats and although that’s better than saturated fats, there are some potential negative health effects. High levels in the blood cells are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.
The other fats, the omega-3s and 6s in fatty fish oil are essential to human health. They must be present in order for the body to function efficiently and they cannot be produced by the body.
In cases of strict vegetarian diets and severe fatty-acid deficiency, the body will convert some omega-3s to others and even convert some omega-9s to more useful fats. But, the conversion process is normally very limited. It requires the elongation of shorter chained fats.
The biggest concern, these days, is that the modern diet contains a much higher percentage of omega-6s, with few omega-3s. It is theorized that the diet of early man was balanced, providing equivalent amounts of 6s and 3s. That’s one of the reasons that fatty fish oil is recommended as a dietary supplement, because it may help to balance one’s intake of polyunsaturated fats.
When people began making the switch from cooking with animal fat to cooking with vegetable oils, health experts expected that their health would improve. They expected that the overall incidence of heart disease would decreases, as people were told to lower their total fat intake and use vegetable fat, for cooking rather than animal fat.
Many of those same experts are now recommending fatty fish oil, because most vegetable oils contain far more omega-6s than 3s. Corn oil, for example, contains 30-40 times more 6s than 3s.
The omegas are converted into hormones within the body. That’s one of the reasons they are essential. But, the omega-6s are converted into inflammatory molecules, while the omega-3s are converted into less inflammatory ones and stimulate the production of anti-inflammatory compounds.
Just remember, chronic inflammation is a big problem for human health and it happens without us even knowing. In short, the reason to take fatty fish oil is to help prevent chronic inflammation and the diseases (including heart disease) that are caused by it. Just remember to read the label, before you buy.
Laurel Cohen is a strong advocate of natural health in all its forms: skin care, supplementation, and farm fresh foods. She enjoys introducing people to the best natural products she can find and uses herself daily. Visit her site to learn about the omega 3 fish oils Laurel uses daily for optimal health. Article Source:
no comment untill now