Fatty fish like salmon, tuna and mackerel have fats that can produce fish oil. Fish oil contains Omega-3 fatty acids, which are recommended by health-care professionals to be included in an individual’s diet.

Omega-3 acids are mainly docosahexaenoic acid or DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid or EPA.

Omega- fatty acids are essential in cell building. It is important to get them from our diet since the body cannot produce this kind of acid. Research showed that Omega- 3 plays a significant role in brain and fetal development during pregnancy and infancy.

Fish oil are believed and proven to provide numerous health benefits. Aside from this, there are also a lot of benefits of fish oil supplements.

Benefits of fish oil

• Improve brain development and memory

There are studies showing that DHA actually plays a major role in brain functions. Low levels of DHA can increase the risk of having Alzheimer’s disease. Intake of fish oil during pregnancy is also recommended.

According to a research conducted by the University of Western Australia showed that pregnant women who ingest fish oil supplement actually give birth to babies with better hand and eye coordination, better in speech and better cognitive development at the age of two and a half.

Fish oil is not only good for the heart and for our overall health; this is also good for our brain.

Fish oil comes from fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines and anchovies.

It contains Omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid or DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid or EPA. These kinds of Omega-3 fatty acids cannot be produced by the body, so it is important to take in food that contains these kinds of nutrients.

Fish oil for brain development

Fish oil is said to improve brain development and memory.  DHA plays a major role in the structure and development of the brain.  It is also important in developing vision.  Pregnant women’s diet should constitute fish oil, since DHA is important for the baby to develop their brain.

According to the research by the University of Western Australia, expectant mothers who include DHA in their diet are said to give birth to babies with better eye and hand coordination and less risk of giving birth prematurely. Their children are also better speakers and could understand more at the age of two and a half.

Choosing the right fish oil supplement may not always be easy.

One of the things to consider is that one should know about what makes fish oil supplements valuable to health, which is its omega 3 fatty acid content.

There are various sources of such essential fatty acids. It can be easy to question if there is indeed a difference between getting this nutrient from different sources.

3 known types of omega 3 fatty acids

One of the things that people should know is that there are three known types of omega 3 fatty acids, the essential nutrient found in fish oil supplements. The three types of omega 3 fatty acids include EPA, DHA and ALA.

ALA, or alpha-linolenic acid is a short chain omega 3 fatty acid that is usually found in plant sources, such as flax seed, walnuts, canola and soybean oil.

DHA or docosahexaenoic acid and EHA or eicosapentaenoic acid are considered as long chain omega 3 fatty acids. The latter two are those found in fish oil supplements.

Fish oil has many benefits to our overall health, whether it is for the heart or brain.

Research showed that fish oil can reduce the risk of heart attacks, cancers, mental and psychological disorders and other sicknesses.

The market is full of fish oil products, but how do we make sure that what we get are actually the ones that can benefit our health.

Not all fish contains Omega-3 oil or the essential fatty acids. Fishes that have the highest number of fatty acids are salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines, and anchovies.

Things to consider when buying fish oil

There are things that you would have to consider when buying fish oil. Actually, health professionals would say that eating too much fish that contains fish oil and Omega-3 can cause mercury contamination.

This can happen if you do not exactly know where the fish are caught. If the fish is caught in polluted waters, we can ingest mercury and other heavy metals.

To avoid toxins entering out body, we have to make sure that the fish oil that we are taking is molecularly distilled and pharmaceutical grade supplements. These kinds of fish oil are removed of all toxins. You would have to check at the label to make sure that they come from clean waters and properly refined.

There has been a lot of buzz about fish oil and its benefits.

Researches and studies have proved the numerous health benefits that fish oil can give.

But every coin has two sides.  So, is it possible for something beneficial like fish oil, to have bad effects, as well?  Yes, it is possible.

If you have fish oil capsules or liquid at home, then you would have to make sure that it would not be exposed to heat, light and oxygen.  When exposed for too long, the fish oil would get oxidized and would get bad.

Once the fish oil gets bad, it would lose its nutritional value.  Aside from that, bad fish oil and fatty acids are said to contribute to the development of cancer and other diseases.

Minor side effects of fish oil

Minor side effects of fish oil would include a fishy aftertaste, diarrhea, and fishy burps.  Some would report nose bleeding as a side effect of fish oil intake.  Aside from this, you would have to be conscious with vitamin A, E and D. Accumulated or large doses of these vitamins can eventually lead to poisoning.

It seems that a lot of research and studies are showing how effective fish oil is in helping improve our heart conditions. Studies in Denmark showed that fish oil could reduce heart attacks by 50 %.

While the Journal of American Medical Association published a report from Harvard School of Public Health that states that women who consume fish with higher Omega-3 fatty acid lessens their risk of incurring any heart disease.

These evidences show us how good Omega-3 fatty acid is to our body. This would actually improve our life and lengthen our life span.

Omega-3 fatty acids

High contents of Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring and anchovies. They have docosahexaenoic acid or DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid or EPA, which have anti-inflammatory and anti-coagulant effects.

Omega-3 fatty acid belongs to the polyunsaturated fats, along with omega-6 fatty acid. Omega- 6 acid comes mainly from vegetable oil. Omega-6 oils can also provide the body with heart and health benefits, but too much is also bad for the body. Omega-3 fatty acids do not only help in heart issues, but also support brain development.

Fish oil production does not just provide one type of end product. In fact, there are also other grades of fish oil being produced.

The three types of fish oil produced today depend on their level of quality.

1. Cod Liver Oil

Cod liver oil, despite its popularity as a nutritional supplement, is considered as a low quality grade of fish oil. It may only be used in small amounts as an ideal supplement since this form of fish oil may contain certain contaminants. Cod liver oil is also known to contain high levels of vitamin A, which can be toxic to humans in large doses.

One teaspoon of cod liver oil contains 500 mg of long chain omega 3 fatty acids. Cod liver oil contains the highest levels of contaminants, which may include DDT, PCB’s as well as organic mercury. Taking cod liver oil may not be safe in large quantities.

2. Health Food Fish Oil

Better quality grade fish oil is one that is sourced from a particular species of fish, such as salmon. Most of these health food grade fish oil are usually available in soft gel capsules because they still carry with them a very poor taste profile. There is also a cholesterol free version of this type of fish oil grade.

For people who came to know the health benefits of fish oil, the next question they ask is how much quantity does one take?

Well, some would recommend at least 3.5 grams a day while others suggest a mere 2.5 grams of omega-3 fatty acids would be enough to get the whole health benefits of fish oil.

To be on the safe side, it would be better to consult your doctor of nutritionist for the proper dosage of fish oil.

The quantity of fish oil you should take

There are in fact a number of factors to consider. Take age for example. It has been found out that the needs of younger people for essential fatty acids are higher than the older folks.

One of the possible reasons is the fact that young people are more active which makes their needs for essential fatty acids greater than old people who have gone on with their retirements.

However, this should not be misunderstood that older people do not need daily intake of fish oil. The dosage or amount only diminishes but the importance of taking fish oil does not. Nothing can stress this more than the studies that have been conducted in the past which shows that the healthy essential fatty acids in fish oil help reduce and prevent the inflammation of blood vessels which is linked to heart disease.

Silent inflammation has been linked to heart disease, cancer and dementia. It is a condition that occurs when the body’s natural immune response goes awry.

Silent inflammation is an inflammation without pain and it can continue undetected for years, continually assaulting your heart, arteries and even the brain – without you noticing it.

According to Dr. Barry Sears, author of bestselling books The Zone, high carbohydrate diet is the culprit to this kind of health situation. In his book The Anti-inflammation Zone, he had proposed taking supplements of high dose, ultra-refined fish oil as the best armor against silent inflammation.

Fish oil for silent inflammation

The Japanese manage to maintain a state of wellness and away from silent inflammation by consuming copious amounts of fish. However, according to a research, the massive amounts of fish do not ensure them enough intake of omega-3 fatty acids or fish oil.

Fish oil is ultimately the healthiest fat around because it has profound anti-inflammatory properties. It has no long-term side effects and can even make you smarter.

The reason why high-dose fish oil is so effective is because it reduces arachodonic acid (AA) which is the building block of pro-inflammatory eicosanoids. By taking it within 30 days, fish oil will increase your levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

Cardio vascular disease and fish oil are currently two of today’s popular words that bear relation to pain and alternative treatment.

But to the uninitiated, they would aptly ask the question, what are the healing benefits of fish oil and what can it do to help someone with cardio vascular disease?

This question can be answered by the thousands of cardio vascular disease sufferers who have benefited from the healing wonders of fish oil, as well as with those who are currently undergoing treatment using this natural food supplement.

Common benefits of fish oil with cardio vascular disease

Apparently the most common benefits of fish oil with cardio vascular disease is that it alleviates the major symptoms of the disorder, specifically since fish oil is a highly effective method for treating the symptomatic conditions commonly found among cardio vascular sufferers.

The use of fish oil supplements promote healing among its patients, and the process is usually done by ingesting the extract in capsule, pill or even powdered form.

For cardio vascular patients, the process involves daily intake of controlled and administered doses of the fish oil supplement.