Fish oil is relatively one of the most used and popular supplements out in the fitness industry, which is commonly used by a lot of bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts to be on the pinnacle of their health.
Thus in this article, we would discuss what is fish oil and how consuming fish oil supplements would improve your health markers by a very positive margin.
What is fish oil ?
Fish oil is the fat or oil that’s extracted from fish tissue, usually comes from oily fish, such as tuna, salmon, Trout, etc or it’s sometimes produced from the livers of other fish as well, as is the case with cod liver oil.
Fish oil is one of the best sources of omega 3 fatty acids, which is an essential fatty acid [EFA] that our bodies can not produce on their own and thus we have to take it from our diet or a food supplement.
Although WHO recommends consuming fatty fish about 2–3 times per week to get the required amount of omega 3 in our body.
However, For a large section of people, it is not possible to consume recommended servings of fish per week, hence supplementing with fish oil is the best way to get the desired amount of omega-3's
One thing that you have to note is that the type of omega 3 fatty acids found in fish is more beneficial(as they are easily absorbed by the body) than the ones found in plant-based sources like walnuts or flax seeds.
The main omega-3s in fish oil are Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), while the omega-3 in plant sources is mainly Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).
Although ALA is an essential fatty acid, EPA and DHA have many more health benefits as they are more bioavailable in the human body.
Now coming to what are the benefits of consuming Fish oil and why you should consume the required amount of omega 3's in your diet.
What are the benefits of Fish oil?
1. It improves your heart health
-Heart health is the first place that anyone should start to take care of their health, as heart diseases are the major causes of premature deaths.
Adding a fish oil supplement or omega 3 in your diet helps to reduce LDL, aka bad cholesterol, and improve HDL(Good cholesterol) while also reducing the triglycerides levels that overall create an optimal environment for your heart to function.
Hence a daily or weekly intake of omega 3 fatty acids either via a fatty fish or fish oil supplement would definitely help to keep one's heart health in check.
2. It improves your eye health
Our eyes are the most important organ that God has given, so important that you are accessing this information and nature via your own eyes and in a time where we are mostly surrounded by technological gadgets, the continuous visibility of white light from the gadgets tends to deteriorate our eyes muscles and thus hammers the eye vision, which is why it is extremely crucial to keep our eyes healthy.
Various studies have proven that eating a good amount of omega 3 fatty acids from fish has proven to keep one eye healthy and reduce the chances of eye degeneration that impacts one vision.
3. Reduce inflammation in the body
Inflammation is basically the response from the body's immune system to fight infection and treat injuries.
Now inflammation is not completely bad as it is required and necessary for our bodies to function optimally but due to the kind of lifestyle we are living, our food habits are not very healthy, the air we are breathing is contaminated, the water is not pure, our sleep schedule and stress is all over the place, that leads to further imbalance or increment of inflammation our bodies.
Thus it is advised to consume a good amount of omega 3 fatty acids, as it is a great anti-inflammatory that helps to reduce inflammation in the body and create the right environment for optimal health.
Since a lot of inflammation in the body may lead to multiple health diseases like obesity, joint pain, etc.
4. Promote Healthy brain
-Our brain is mostly made up of fats, about 60% of our brain is made of fats and most of it is of omega 3 fatty acids, thus eating a diet rich in omega 3 fatty acids has proven to improve one brain health, that includes optimal functioning of the brain, making clear and crisp decisions, overcoming a lot of mental health issues, etc and giving you a strong memory and analytical mind.
Hence consuming a good amount of omega 3 fatty acids helps your brain to develop and function optimally.
Now you know the reason why it is said that if you want a healthy brain, go eat some almonds, as a diet rich in fats promotes brain development and functioning.
And the best fatty acids you can consume are omega 3 fatty acids from fish oil.
5.Improves Your Skin Quality
Our skin is the largest organ present and thus it is the one that suffers the most, you can blame the access pollution in the environment or bad food habits or sun exposure or whatnot, our skin is the largest and the sensitive organ of the body that suffers the most, no wonder why we deal with a lot of skin related problems like acne, hair fall or poor skin quality and oily skin
Therefore it is extremely important to take care of your diet and lifestyle to keep your skin healthy. Adding fish oil to your diet would help in reducing inflammation in the body, increase absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin A, D, E, K, and would give that glow to your skin.
Hence adding fish oil supplements to your diet can be more beneficial than any expensive cream.
Conclusion
Omega 3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids that our body cannot produce on its own, thus to meet their daily requirement we have to consume them via food or an authentic food supplement.
As mentioned, if you can consume fatty fish 2-3 times a week you will get the required dosage of omega 3 but if you cannot consume fish, adding an authentic fish oil supplement is the best way to meet your daily requirements for the fatty acids to get the positive health effects and be away from a lot of diseases.
Also consuming plant-based omega 3 wouldn't be that effective when compared to omega 3 from fish or animal sources.
