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Omega3 (Specifically DHA) Fish Oil has so many other benefits its ridiculous. If you are not getting enough (chances are you aren't) you should really add them

by robchez 16y ago

Omega3 (Specifically DHA) Fish Oil has so many other benefits its ridiculous. If you are not getting enough (chances are you aren't) you should really add them to your regime.

timcederman 16y ago
I was relatively skeptical, but I am surprised at the rather drastic benefits it has shown to my blood pressure and cholesterol.
nodata 16y ago
Can you back this up please? The science says Omega3 is not worth it: http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/play/snake-oil-supplements/ http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/play/snake-oil-supplem...
- Evgeny 16y ago
  Maybe the supplement is not worth it, but the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 has been shown to be important. The proper ratio should be somewhat close to 1:1, but the current western diet is more like 10:1 (10 omega 6, 1 omega 3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12442909 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12442909 Western diets are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, and have excessive amounts of omega-6 fatty acids compared with the diet on which human beings evolved and their genetic patterns were established. Excessive amounts of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and a very high omega-6/omega-3 ratio, as is found in today's Western diets, promote the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, whereas increased levels of omega-3 PUFA (a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio) exert suppressive effects. In the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, a ratio of 4/1 was associated with a 70% decrease in total mortality. A ratio of 2.5/1 reduced rectal cell proliferation in patients with colorectal cancer, whereas a ratio of 4/1 with the same amount of omega-3 PUFA had no effect. The lower omega-6/omega-3 ratio in women with breast cancer was associated with decreased risk. A ratio of 2-3/1 suppressed inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and a ratio of 5/1 had a beneficial effect on patients with asthma, whereas a ratio of 10/1 had adverse consequences. Also, http://www.physorg.com/news198518697.html http://www.physorg.com/news198518697.html
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
- CamperBob 16y ago
  I'm not sure how to interpret the graph. The 'Omega3' bubble is below the 'worth it' line, but the 'Fish Oil' bubble is all the way at the top.
- toaster 16y ago
  On the page you pasted click on the top "Fish Oil" bubble and you'll find that the key study was about "Dietary supplementation with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids ..." From wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid "n−3 fatty acids (popularly referred to as ω−3 fatty acids or omega-3 fatty acids)" so omega-3 is just another name for n-3 fatty acids and on that chart it's just listed as Fish Oil instead.
- robchez 16y ago
  The Omega3 PUFA's found in Fishoil (Specifically DHA) have many benefits. But the key one, as mentioned, is the balancing of the Omega6 : Omega3 ratio found in our diets. The Omega6 PUFA, another essential fatty acid is pro-inflammatory and over consumed these days. This is due to mainly the consumption of the vegetable franken-oils and the consumption of grain fed meats. Where we should actually have a ratio of omega6:omega3 of roughly 2-3:1, most people actually have ratios somewhere in the order of 30:1. Now eating a diet with little vegetable oils and opting for grass fed meat, you are able to bring your Omega6 consumption down drastically, which, with some fresh wild caught salmon every now and then will remove the need for you to supplement. But unfortunately, we cant do that all the time, so every now and then its good to take some fishoil. Anyway some studies: [1] http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/70/3/560S http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/70/3/560S [2] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18370801 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18370801 [3] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17607361 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17607361 [4] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18483335?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=4&log$=relatedarticles&logdbfrom=pubmed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18483335?ordinalpos=1&#38... If you jump on Pubmed or DailyScience and search for omega3, you will find a plethora of studies.
seshagiric 16y ago
Yes. Even the article says they do not want people to stop taking DHA supplements. Our boy is one month old and my wife has been taking DHA supplements for more than half the pregnancy. I was actually looking at DHA supplements for infants when I came across the above article and it being very recent one caught my interest. It is yet to be seen if DHA makes him smart but as of now we are very happy with the little dude :)
rg 16y ago
"... people who consume more omega-3 fatty acids enjoy lower rates of inflammatory gum disease (periodontitis). "... the study linked moderate intake of fish-derived omega-3 DHA to a 20 percent reduced rate of periodontitis. "Periodontitis is a common, chronic inflammatory disease characterized by gum tissue separation from the tooth – the so-called periodontal “pockets” that can lead to bone and tooth loss." Naqvi AZ et al. n-3 Fatty Acids and Periodontitis in US Adults. J Am Diet Assoc. 2010 Nov. Volume 110, Issue 11, Pages 1669-1675. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2010.08.009

by robchez 16y ago

Omega3 (Specifically DHA) Fish Oil has so many other benefits its ridiculous. If you are not getting enough (chances are you aren't) you should really add them to your regime.

timcederman 16y ago

I was relatively skeptical, but I am surprised at the rather drastic benefits it has shown to my blood pressure and cholesterol.

nodata 16y ago

Can you back this up please? The science says Omega3 is not worth it: http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/play/snake-oil-supplements/ http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/play/snake-oil-supplem...

Evgeny 16y ago
Maybe the supplement is not worth it, but the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 has been shown to be important. The proper ratio should be somewhat close to 1:1, but the current western diet is more like 10:1 (10 omega 6, 1 omega 3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12442909 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12442909 Western diets are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, and have excessive amounts of omega-6 fatty acids compared with the diet on which human beings evolved and their genetic patterns were established. Excessive amounts of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and a very high omega-6/omega-3 ratio, as is found in today's Western diets, promote the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, whereas increased levels of omega-3 PUFA (a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio) exert suppressive effects. In the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, a ratio of 4/1 was associated with a 70% decrease in total mortality. A ratio of 2.5/1 reduced rectal cell proliferation in patients with colorectal cancer, whereas a ratio of 4/1 with the same amount of omega-3 PUFA had no effect. The lower omega-6/omega-3 ratio in women with breast cancer was associated with decreased risk. A ratio of 2-3/1 suppressed inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and a ratio of 5/1 had a beneficial effect on patients with asthma, whereas a ratio of 10/1 had adverse consequences. Also, http://www.physorg.com/news198518697.html http://www.physorg.com/news198518697.html
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
CamperBob 16y ago
I'm not sure how to interpret the graph. The 'Omega3' bubble is below the 'worth it' line, but the 'Fish Oil' bubble is all the way at the top.
toaster 16y ago
On the page you pasted click on the top "Fish Oil" bubble and you'll find that the key study was about "Dietary supplementation with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids ..." From wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid "n−3 fatty acids (popularly referred to as ω−3 fatty acids or omega-3 fatty acids)" so omega-3 is just another name for n-3 fatty acids and on that chart it's just listed as Fish Oil instead.
robchez 16y ago
The Omega3 PUFA's found in Fishoil (Specifically DHA) have many benefits. But the key one, as mentioned, is the balancing of the Omega6 : Omega3 ratio found in our diets. The Omega6 PUFA, another essential fatty acid is pro-inflammatory and over consumed these days. This is due to mainly the consumption of the vegetable franken-oils and the consumption of grain fed meats. Where we should actually have a ratio of omega6:omega3 of roughly 2-3:1, most people actually have ratios somewhere in the order of 30:1. Now eating a diet with little vegetable oils and opting for grass fed meat, you are able to bring your Omega6 consumption down drastically, which, with some fresh wild caught salmon every now and then will remove the need for you to supplement. But unfortunately, we cant do that all the time, so every now and then its good to take some fishoil. Anyway some studies: [1] http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/70/3/560S http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/70/3/560S [2] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18370801 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18370801 [3] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17607361 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17607361 [4] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18483335?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=4&log$=relatedarticles&logdbfrom=pubmed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18483335?ordinalpos=1&#38... If you jump on Pubmed or DailyScience and search for omega3, you will find a plethora of studies.

seshagiric 16y ago

Yes. Even the article says they do not want people to stop taking DHA supplements. Our boy is one month old and my wife has been taking DHA supplements for more than half the pregnancy. I was actually looking at DHA supplements for infants when I came across the above article and it being very recent one caught my interest. It is yet to be seen if DHA makes him smart but as of now we are very happy with the little dude :)

rg 16y ago

"... people who consume more omega-3 fatty acids enjoy lower rates of inflammatory gum disease (periodontitis). "... the study linked moderate intake of fish-derived omega-3 DHA to a 20 percent reduced rate of periodontitis. "Periodontitis is a common, chronic inflammatory disease characterized by gum tissue separation from the tooth – the so-called periodontal “pockets” that can lead to bone and tooth loss." Naqvi AZ et al. n-3 Fatty Acids and Periodontitis in US Adults. J Am Diet Assoc. 2010 Nov. Volume 110, Issue 11, Pages 1669-1675. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2010.08.009