What Are The Benefits Of Fish Oil? 3 Benefits Are Really Just The Beginning.

By Peter Bertonich

Even if you are not particularly interested in a healthy diet you have probably still heard about the benefits of fish oil. Omega 3 fatty acids, or what are otherwise called essential fatty acids, are extremely important to your health for a number of reasons and these are found primarily in fish oil. 3 benefits of improving your intake of Omega3 fats follow, but 3 is just the start.

Omega 3 fatty acids, and in particular DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) are considered the 2 most important omega 3 fatty acids. It's not restricted to just 2, another omega 3 fatty acid called ALA is a plant-based Omega 3 fat however DHA and EPA are considered by far the most important.

The average American diet is very low in Omega3 sources. We eat far too much processed foods, sugar, salt and red meat and too little fish. In the past there was a reasonable amount of DHA to be found in red meat but modern feeding methods including grain feeding have reduced the levels of DHA to extremely low levels in red meat. To get more DHA and EPA in our diets we need to either start taking DHA supplements or eat more fish or both.

Here are my 3 benefits of taking increased levels of Omega3 fats into your diet.

Improvements in brain health.

Gradually science has understanding how important DHA is to our brain health. It is very important for the brain development of the fetus and also the infant that there be adequate levels of DHA available. And it's not just the very young, DHA supplementation has been shown to improve memory and concentration in older people as well as to improve their cognitive ability.

2. Heart and cardiovascular health.

There are a range of reasons now accepted, for example by the American Heart Association, that adequate supplies of omega 3 improve our heart and cardio vascular health and reduce our risk of death. Our risk of death from heart attack can be reduced by increasing our intake of Omega3 fats. For this reason the AHA tell us that we should have a minimum intake of fish each week or supplement with fish oil supplements.

3. Improvements in age related conditions.

I have mentioned already the improvements in memory and concentration experienced by the age however there are more benefits to older people from taking in higher levels of Omega3 fats. 3 more benefits include a reduction in the risk of prostate cancer, a reduction in the risk of blindness due to macular degeneration and reduced pain and distress from the symptoms of arthritis.

A conservative organisation like the American Heart Association would not be recommending minimum levels of Omega 3 fatty acid intake unless there was clear evidence demonstrating the benefits of fish oil. And as studies have shown that Canadian and US citizens have lower levels of DHA and EPA than almost anyone else in the world there is no doubt we should be increasing our intake of Omega3 fats.

I hope that showing you a little more about the sorts of benefits you could experience from increasing your intake of fish oil. 3 benefits is really just the beginning, there's lots more.

Mercury contaminates our fish and as fish is expensive many of us rarely it. The very best fish oil supplements are entirely free of contaminants, are safe to take daily and are cost effective compared to eating fish.

But not all fish oil supplements are good supplements.Visit my website to find out how to compare Omega 3 supplements to find the best supplements that represent the best value. - 29956

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