XLWellness

Lose fat, gain wellness.

Benefits of Fish Oil

Detailed Health Benefits of Fish Oil

There have been a lot of studies showing various benefits of fish oil consumption. Many people take supplemental fish oil gel capsules daily for its beneficial properties. Some of these benefits of fish oil include less inflamation and pain, increased cardiovascular health, reduced risk for heart attack and stroke, better brain functions, reduction in depression and other mental illness, lower incidence of obesity, and reduced risk for colon, breast, and prostate cancers. It’s no wonder that with health benefits like these fish oil is one of the most popular daily supplements around.

Fish oil is derived from so called “oily fish” which have an oil substance that runs throughout their chest cavity instead of only in the liver like “white fish.” Examples of these fish are sardines, salmon, trout, and anchovies. The primary nutrients derived from fish oil are vitamin A, vitamin D, and omega 3 fatty acids. Most of the health benefits of fish oil are derived from their excellent omega 3 fatty acid content though.

Omega 3 fatty acids have been studied and found to help with things like cancer, arthritis, immune response, cardiovascular health, and brain health. However, there are also some health risks that go along with fish oil consumption. Some studies have shown an increase in bleeding, hemorrhagic stroke, and a reduction in glycemic control for diabetics. There is also some concern though over consumption of oily fish because they tend to be higher in contaminants from pollution. However, all of these disadvantages to fish oil consumption are debatable and rarely serious but you should be aware of the possibility.

Some additional studies on fish oil specifically have linked it to a reduction in cholesterol, decrease in Parkinson’s disease symptoms, reduction in Alzheimer’s occurrence, less risk of suicide, and even a link which found violent criminals had lower levels of omega 3 fatty acids when arriving at prison. With all of the positive links and health benefits of fish oil the US National Institutes of Health even recommend consuming 1g a day by eating fish. While you should consider the negatives they are minor in comparison to the benefits of fish oil unless you are predisposed to hemorrhagic stroke or on an anticoagulant that is already increasing bleeding as it might compound this effect.