Fish Oil + Exercise = Fat Loss

A brand new study from our mates in Australia tested the effects of fish oil and exercise on body fat composition.

Overweight to obese adults at heightened risk of coronary disease participated in a 12-week intervention trial that examined the effect of omega-3 fish oil taken daily in combination with moderate aerobic exercise three times a week. These people were compared with three groups taking fish oil, sunflower oil or a combination of sunflower oil and exercise.

As well as being overweight, participants were diagnosed as having metabolic syndrome, a cluster of symptoms associated with obesity that include hypertension, high blood triglycerides and insulin resistance or heightened insulin levels, a precursor to diabetes.

Sounds like quite a sickly bunch they’re testing on — Surely no significant no significant progress can be made with them in only three short months, right?

Using Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA), which gives an image of the body and shows the different densities of tissue, researchers were able to distinguish between fat, muscle and bone. The results showed that the total proportion of fat in the body, particularly in the abdominal region, was reduced significantly in the FOX (fish oil & exercise) group, but not by fish oil or exercise alone.

Wow. This is the first recent study I’ve found that actually demonstrates that fish oil does indeed produce fat loss. What’s more?

While blood pressure tended to decrease with fish oil alone, the tendency was once again greatest in the FOX group. FOX also had a beneficial effect on heart rate variability, triglyceride levels and artery function.

Amazing results in only 3 months! Dr. Howe also states that “omega-3 protects blood vessel walls by increasing their elasticity and improving endothelial dilation, enabling increased delivery of nutrients to exercising muscles.” This makes me wonder what the effect of fish oil is on building muscle mass when combined with strength training.

If you’re trying to lose weight, don’t just exercise, take fish oil too!

Source: http://www.fishoilblog.com/benefits/fish-oil-exercise-fat-loss.php

Can Fish Oil Help Depression?

In a recent study from the American Journal of Nutrition, taking 1500 mg of fish oil (specifically, 500 mg of EPA three times/day) slightly helped peri-menopausal women with their depression. Now, it didn’t rock anyone’s world, but fish oil is so helpful for so many concerns that women may find improvement with distressed feelings while taking it for overall health balance. When taking a fish oil, make sure that it doesn’t have a lot of filler oil, such as soybean oil. You want a reputable brand that tests its fish oil for toxins, mercury, pesticides and herbicides. If you bite into the capsule and it tastes/smells overwhelmingly fishy, you have a problem bottle. Yes, it is fish oil, but the reputable companies have their oil so screened and cleaned that it’s not repugnant. Don’t leave your fish oil in the heat. Because it’s oil, heat can cause the oil to become rancid, making it taste and smell bad. Also, don’t buy your fish oil from a discount store or overstock store. Yes, it’s cheaper, but you may be swallowing rancid, dirty oil. Who knows how long that bottle has been sitting on shelves? When reading the label, make sure you’re swallowing 300 mg to 500 mg of EPA per capsule. Don’t buy 1000 mg capsules of ‘fish oil’ with only 120 mg of the good stuff inside. What makes up the other 860 mg? Lastly, eat the fish that make up fish oil! Go for wild-caught salmon or anchovies on a regular basis.

Fish Oil

THE SIDE EFFECTS

Omega-3 and Omega-6 fish oils have been promoted not only for dyslexia and ADHD but also heart disease,high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, bipolar disorder and cancer. In some cases there is good evidence to support fish oils as a treatment and in others the evidence is unclear. But what are the health risks of taking fish oils? Lots of producers of fish-oil capsules promote large dosages of supplements so are there any side effects from fish oils?

The US National Institute of Health classifies low intake of omega-3 fatty acids from fish as “Generally Regarded as Safe”. However they do highlight certain fish oil side effects that may trouble some people. The omega-3 in the fish oil may increase the risk of bleeding when taken in large doses. The bleeding can take the form of strokes, nosebleeds and blood in the urine. As the fish oils seem to decrease platelet aggregation, bleeding times may be longer.

A major worry with fish oils and the fish they are created from is poisoning from heavy metal and other pollutants. Mercury, dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are found in some species of fish. However, mostly this fish oil side effect is associated with eating fish directly as the oil, even in contaminated fish, carries little of the pollutants.
Stomach upset are a common side effect of fish oil supplements. Diarrhea may also occur, with potentially severe diarrhea at very high doses. There are also reports of increased burping, acid reflux/heartburn/indigestion, abdominal bloating, and abdominal pain. Fishy aftertaste is a common effect. Gastrointestinal side effects can be minimized if fish oils are taken with meals and if doses are started low and gradually increased.

People with low blood pressure or those taking blood-pressure reducing medicines should take care. One of the reported side effects of fish oil is a reduction of blood pressure. The impact on blood pressure appears to be dose dependent.

Vitamin E plays a part in metabolizing omega acids so large doses of fish oil place high demands on the body’s vitamin E supply. To avoid this fish oil side effect, vitamin E is added to many commercial fish oil products. As a result, regular use of vitamin E-enriched products may lead to elevated levels of this fat-soluble vitamin. Fish liver oil contains the fat-soluble vitamins A and D, and therefore fish liver oil products (such as cod liver oil) may increase the risk of vitamin A or D toxicity.

One side effect of fish oils and their fatty acids is an increase low-density lipoprotein levels (”bad cholesterol”) by 5-10%. This is dependent on the dose used. The oils have also been noted to have an effect on blood glucose levels in people with Type 2 / Adult Onset Diabetes but this is short-term and no long-term effects have been reported.

Overall omega-3 and 6 rich fish oils have few side effects and can be considered safe the vast majority of the population.

Source: Omega-3 fatty acids, fish oil, alpha-linolenic acid from the NIH.
See also: The Omega-3 Diet, ALA to DHA: The Fish Oil Alphabet and The Incredible Brain: A Miner Recovered.