Fish Oil ranks as one of the most important and most popular supplements consumed in the United States. The supplement, which is consumed by over 18.8 million on a regular basis offers a plethora of advantages beneficial to the general well-being of the body.

So important is fish oil and the accompanying Omega-3 fatty acids that research from Harvard University revealed that a deficiency of this compound is part of the top 10 causes of death in the US and responsible for the death of about 84,000 people annually.

Fish oil is largely sourced from the tissues of oily fishes. In some cases, like that of the Cod fish, the oil is sourced from the liver and is particularly rich in Vitamins A and D. These fish oils are concentrated sources of Omega-3 fatty acids which have grown to be one of the largest sectors in the supplement industry together. Still curious? Here are a few other reasons why you should join the millions of Americans who have made this supplement a staple in their diet.

Enhanced fat metabolism

Fish oils, as demonstrated by a research from the Kyoto university has been discovered to possess the ability to transform fat-storing cells into fat-burning ones. The study revealed how fish oil stimulated receptors in digestion, prompted fat-storing cells to metabolize fat and activated the sympathetic nervous system.

Skin health

The health benefits of fat and oil for skin health are already well documented. Fish oil conveys a wide array of health benefits including skin nourishment with fat-soluble vitamins A,D,E and K as well as with fats to achieve a softer and more elastic texture. Some scientific evidence also links fish oil to the prevention of premature aging of the skin.
Fish oil has also been demonstrated to heal popular skin conditions like acne as revealed by a study carried out by California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in 2012.

Boosting memory

Fish oil plays a significant role in enhancing mental and cognitive abilities. The oil improves mental health and strengthens the brain by boosting its performance for memory. A Plos One journal of 2012 reports a 23 percent up in working memory by placing groups of 18-25 year olds on fish oil pills every day for 180 days. The Nutrition journal in 2012 also published a paper that suggested that a 5-week daily intake of omega-3 fatty acids could potentially improve cognitive function at older ages.

Improves Eye health

The National Eye Institute in a 2009 study revealed that subjects who has consumed the highest amount of omega-3 fatty acids in their diet were 30% less prone to eye problems like macular degeneration over 12 years compared to their counterparts who consume significantly lesser amounts of omega-3 fatty acid. The docosahexaenoic acid, DHA found in fish oil is of immense benefit to visual development of infants and newborns.

Fights cancer

Scientific studies have confirmed the benefits and ability of fish oil in preventing and killing various types of cancers. Fish oil is a natural cancer treatment method for colon, breast and prostate cancer. Another study from 2013 explained that omega-3 fatty acids possess anti-proliferative effects that give them the ability to inhibit the growth of cancerous cells in animals and humans. Fish oil also has indirect anti-inflammatory effects on the immune system, thereby making it a panacea to inhibiting tumor growth.

Boosting the immune system

In 2013, a research from the Michigan State University and East Carolina University explained the heightened activity of a white blood cell called B cell due to the increased feeding of test subjects with omega-3 fatty acid. The DHA was found to be the major cause of this increased activity and as such, consuming higher levels of fish oils can do your immune system significant benefits.

Omega-3s for Atherosclerosis

There is substantial amount of evidence that implicates the ability of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) in protecting against atherosclerosis. These fatty acids prevent the development of blood clots and plaques, making it a healthy and suitable natural means of managing the condition.   

Protects against heart disease

Another key benefit of Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils is the anti-inflammatory effects with special regards to heart diseases. Not only do omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils reduce the chances of dying from a heart disease, they also offer protective element against heart diseases while also preventing the buildup of fatty materials in the arteries.

Cod liver oil and Vitamin D

Fish oils, especially cod liver oils supply a high amount of vitamin D. This Vitamin D is important for calcium and phosphorus regulation to maintain bone health.

Deficiency of Vitamin D has been associated with Osteoporosis and Osteomalacia while a link between Vitamin D and improved cognitive performance has been identified for better brain functions in old age.  

Improved athletic performance

Consumption of cod liver oils have the ability to increase the transportation of fatty acid molecules to push more fatty acids into the mitochondria for ATP production. The higher intake of omega-3 fatty acids will therefore benefit athletes by activating genes that could cause the expression of high levels of these fatty-acid transport proteins to bring about greater production of ATP. As intense athletic training usually causes muscle protein damage, wear and tear, cod liver fatty acids have also been shown to increase the rate of muscle protein synthesis and reduce recovery time.

Conclusion

There are extensive (over 7000) studies on omega-3 fatty acids enumerating and explaining the benefits of these substances to the body. These facts explain why virtually everyone should be using fish oils. Have you taken yours today?

The best fish oil supplement

When looking to buy a fish oil supplement, you will want to find the right product that supplies equal or more than 150 mg. of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids per 1000 mg. serving. A good supplement is sustainably sourced, pure, potent and fresh.

NOW® Cod Liver Oil abounds in Omega-3 Fatty Acids, EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) and DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid). It is also an excellent source of Vitamins A and D-3. Cod Liver Oil has a long history of traditional use for the support of overall health and well-being. I personally use NOW® products because of the fact they’re high quality and inexpensive!

The natural Cod Liver Oil used in this soft gel is manufactured under strict quality control standards. It is tested to be free of potentially harmful levels of contaminants (i.e. mercury, heavy metals, PCB’s, dioxins, and other contaminants).

This extra strength product is available in 2 varieties including the NOW Cod Liver Oil (1,000 mg per softgel) and the NOW Cod Liver Oil 650 mg softgel product.

References

1. Barros, M., Marin, D., Bolin, A., de Cássia Santos Macedo, R., Campoio, T., & Fineto, C. et al. (2012). Combined astaxanthin and fish oil supplementation improves glutathione-based redox balance in rat plasma and neutrophils. Chemico-Biological Interactions, 197(1), 58-67. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cbi.2012.03.005
2. Bucher, H., Hengstler, P., Schindler, C., & Meier, G. (2002). N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in coronary heart disease: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. The American Journal Of Medicine, 112(4), 298-304. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0002-9343(01)01114-7
3. Clavel et al. “Effect of endurance training and/or fish oil supplemented diet on cytoplasmic fatty acid binding protein in rat skeletal muscles and heart.” Eur J Appl Physiol 87: 193-201 (2002).’
4. Discovering the link between nutrition and skin aging. Silke K. Schagen, Vasiliki A. Zampeli, Evgenia Makrantonaki, Christos C. Zouboulis Dermatoendocrinol. 2012 Jul 1; 4(3): 298–307. doi: 10.4161/derm.22876
5. Effects of fish oil supplementation on inflammatory acne, Khayef G, Young J, et al, Lipids Health Dis, 2012 Dec 3; 11(1): 165. (Address: Golandem Khayef, Dept of Human Nutrition and Food Science, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA, USA. E-mail: gkhayef@csupomona.edu ).
6. Fish oil helps transform fat cells from storage to burning. (2018). EurekAlert!. Retrieved 13 February 2018, from https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-12/ku-foh121615.php
7. Gary Heiting, O. (2018). Eye Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acids. All About Vision. Retrieved 13 February 2018, from http://www.allaboutvision.com/nutrition/fatty_acid_1.htm
8. Latimer, C., Brewer, L., Searcy, J., Chen, K., Popovic, J., & Kraner, S. et al. (2014). Vitamin D prevents cognitive decline and enhances hippocampal synaptic function in aging rats. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences, 111(41), E4359-E4366. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1404477111
9. Mechanisms of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Prostate Cancer Prevention
10. Narendran, R., Frankle, W., Mason, N., Muldoon, M., & Moghaddam, B. (2012). Improved Working Memory but No Effect on Striatal Vesicular Monoamine Transporter Type 2 after Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation. Plos ONE, 7(10), e46832. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0046832
11. Nilsson, A., Radeborg, K., Salo, I., & Björck, I. (2012). Effects of supplementation with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on cognitive performance and cardiometabolic risk markers in healthy 51 to 72 years old subjects: a randomized controlled cross-over study. Nutrition Journal, 11(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1475-2891-11-99
12. Omega-3 fatty acids. (2018). University of Maryland Medical Center. Retrieved 13 February 2018, from https://www.umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/omega3-fatty-acids
13. PLoS Med. 2009 Apr; 6(4): e1000058. Published online 2009 Apr 28. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000058
14. Rodacki et al. “Fish oil supplementation enhances the effects of strength training in elderly women.” Am J Clin Nutr 95: 428-436 (2012).
15. The Preventable Causes of Death in the United States: Comparative Risk Assessment of Dietary, Lifestyle, and Metabolic Risk Factors. Goodarz Danaei, Eric L. Ding, Dariush Mozaffarian, Ben Taylor, Jürgen Rehm, Christopher J. L. Murray, Majid Ezzati
16. Zhennan Gu, Janel Suburu, Haiqin Chen, Yong Q. Chen Biomed Res Int. 2013; 2013: 824563. Published online 2013 May 23. doi: 10.1155/2013/824563