Why is fish oil so great?

Fish oil has tons of good stuff in it.  I know that not everyone loves eating fish as much as I do, so there is good news that there are plenty of Omega-3 and fish oil supplements on the market, that are mercury free and are odorless.  What worse than tang fish oil in the morning?  Burping it up later!  I am so glad that they fixed that one right quick.  But I am sure you are wondering why it is so good for you…

What’s so great about fish oil?
Fish oil is known to contain docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).  These acids in the fish oils have been shown in numerous studies to lower triglycerides (a dense fat found in the body that can cause plaques in arteries), reduce the risk of death, heart attacks (probably due to less plaque build up in the arteries), cardiac dysrhythmias (when the heart beat abnormally), and decreases risk of stroke in people with known cardiac disease.  With lowered triglyceride levels, the plaques can still form, but at a much slower rate and decreased amounts, so there is less risk of hardened arteries.  So, taking fish oil is great….but beware that high doses can cause and increased risk of bleeding.

How much Omega 3 Fatty Acids should I take?
The recommended amounts of DHA/EPA (in the form of Omega-3’s in Fish Oils) are:
Infants: 5g/day
Children 1-3yrs: .7g/day
                  4-8 yrs: .9g/day
                  9-13 yrs: 1.2g/day
Adults: 14 yrs +  Males: 1.6g/day Females: 1.1g/day
Pregnancy: 1.4g/day
Breastfeeding: 1.3g/day

And in, for example, a 3 oz (single serving size) of salmon, you can get 1.3 grams of Omega 3’s, which is OK because you aren’t eating salmon every single day, right?  Other fish sources high in Omega 3’s (that contain DHA and EPA) are Tuna, Mackerel, Halibut, Herring, and Sardines.

For  those of you who hate fish, go to your closest pharmacy and grab some mercury free/odorless supplements, and for those of you who like to eat fish, chomp away, but do be weary of high mercury intake with certain fish.  So eat up, slurp down, but get your fish oil on!

Yours In Good Health
B

Comments Closed

2 thoughts on “Why is fish oil so great?

  1. Hi there, just became aware of your blog thru Google,so interesting so good , i realy enjoy your blog ,nice site!

  2. This is a better-quality article as they all are. I am waiting to read even more about this topic. I make fun of been wonder wide this an eye to some beat now. Thanks for sharing.

Comments are closed.