Fishing For Performance

Question: What do lagging exercise performance, heart disease, arthritis, cancer, diabetes, and depression have in common? 

Answer:  They can be treated effectively with a group of polyunsaturated fatty acids called omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fats that your body needs to function properly but does not make. Humans must eat them through food, which means eating seafood, such as salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel or shellfish. Among the most potent omega-3 fatty acids are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). 

Seafood is the richest source of EPA and DHA in our food supply. Cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel, and tuna supply the most EPA and DHA because they swim around in chilly waters and thus develop a thick layer of insulating fat to keep warm. But if you’re not a fish eater, don’t worry. You can obtain health-promoting EPA and DHA from dietary supplements, including the just-introduced Parrillo Fish Oil DHA 800 EPA 200. These days, just about every health care practitioner recommends that people supplement with fish oil capsules. Why is this? Take a look at all the healing power you can get from fish oil supplementation. 

Rev Up Exercise Performance

Fish oil and the omega-3 fatty acids it contains can help you boost your exercise performance. In a study of 32 healthy men, researchers found that supplementation with fish oil boosted aerobic power almost as much as the aerobic exercise itself! (1) 

Also, fish oil has the ability to dilate the capillaries. This improves the flow of oxygen and nutrients to muscles during exercise and facilitates the removal of waste products. The more nutrients your muscles can get, the better the conditions for growth and repair. Omega-3 fatty acids play a role in the production of beneficial, anti-inflammatory chemicals called prostaglandins. This means that omega-3 fatty acids can also reduce exercise-induced inflammation. This allows your muscles to repair faster following exercise. 

Blast Fat

Fish oil supplementation helps reduce body fat when combined with regular exercise. Australian researchers examined the effects of fish oil and exercise, alone or in combination, on body composition and cardiovascular health. Approximately 80 overweight men and women were randomly assigned to one of four groups. Subjects blindly took either six grams of fish oil per day, or six grams placebo oil. One group assigned to each oil treatment also exercised in a prescribed fashion three times weekly. This protocol continued for three months.  

Tests performed at six and 12 weeks indicated that fish oil supplementation and exercise alone both improved body composition. When supplementation and regular exercise were combined, the beneficial effects were even greater. It appears, then, that supplementing with fish oil, along with regular exercise can keep you lean. (2) 

Boost Cardiovascular Health

Elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides are risk factors for heart disease. In excess amounts, cholesterol can collect in the inner lining of the arteries and lead to a heart attack. Triglycerides are a type of fat that circulates in your blood. When levels are too high, HDL cholesterol (the good kind) tends to fall, and that’s unhealthy for your arteries. Omega-3s from fish oil have been found to lower total cholesterol and triglycerides. 

Fish oil also helps regulate normal blood clotting. It makes the blood less sticky, thus offering protection against heart attack and stroke caused by blood clots. Consuming fish and fish oil also reduces high blood pressure, the silent killer that stalks about 60 million Americans. It’s not clear how fish oil helps, but scientists believe that the same chemicals that control blood clotting are believed to lower blood pressure by helping the arteries stay flexible, causing a reduction in blood pressure. 

Evidence is also mounting that a single dietary change – consuming more omega-3 fats – may help reduce fatal arrhythmias. Specifically, omega-3s help regulate the orderly flow of calcium, sodium, and other charged particles into heart cells to ensure normal contractions. 

So strong is the case for fish oil for heart health that the American Heart Association recommends the following: (1) People without documented coronary heart disease (CHD) eat a variety of fish, preferably oily fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring and trout), at least twice a week.  (2) People with documented CHD are advised to consume about one gram of EPA and DHA per day, preferably from oily fish, although EPA+DHA supplements could be considered in consultation with their physicians.  And (3) People who have elevated triglycerides may need two to four grams of EPA and DHA per day provided as capsules under a physician’s care. 

Protect Your Joint Health

Medical experts have known for a long time that fish oil is effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, a joint disease in which the body’s own immune system attacks its tissues. More than 3 million people have this form of arthritis. Most are women. Fish oil helps alleviate the symptoms, which include pain, swelling, and stiffness. 

Now scientists have learned that fish oil can be beneficial for a more prevalent form of arthritis called osteoarthritis. This is a wear-and-tear disease in which cartilage gradually deteriorates. Proof of the beneficial effect of fish oil comes from the Eskimos, who have the lowest rates of osteoarthritis in the world. They eat a lot of fish oil, which has an amazing protective effect on the joints. But in Eskimos who become “westernized,” the rate of osteoarthritis triples.  

The joint protective benefit of fish oil, of course, is important to exercisers, athletes, and bodybuilders, who often suffer from joint pain or trauma. Supplementing with fish oil helps keep you “in the game” longer. 

Fight Cancer

The cancer-fighting potential of omega-3 fatty acids has been studied for nearly 20 years, mostly in lab animals. Still, the findings have been exciting, particularly in the ability of these fats to suppress tumor growth – and even prevent tumors from returning. As research into the anti-tumor activity of omega-3s continues, it will be fascinating to see how it all shakes out. Until more information is available, it does seem a wise idea to eat more fish and supplement with fish oil. 

Defeat Diabetes

The value of fish and fish oil in treating diabetes, a blood sugar metabolism disorder, is in countering the life-threatening complications of the disease. One of these is heart disease. The death toll among diabetics with heart disease is about two to four times as high as those adults without diabetes. As mentioned earlier, fish oil supplementation reduces cholesterol and triglycerides – both important benefits for people with diabetes. Medical experts now recommend that if you have diabetes, there’s room for fish oil supplements in treating cholesterol and triglycerides that are on the high side, particularly if standard therapies have failed. 

Down with Depression

Depression, a mental illness that affects one of every four Americans, is a very common mental disorder. In fact, it has been dubbed the “common cold” of psychiatric problems, but it is one of the most treatable, provided the sufferer seeks help. 

One form of treatment now getting a lot of attention in medical circles is supplementation with fish oil. By studying the differences between people who get depressed and those who don’t – a type of research called psychiatric epidemiology – scientists first discovered the fascinating link between fish oil and food. Studies have found that countries with the highest rate of fish consumption – most notably New Zealand and Japan – have very low rates of depression. Because of this knowledge, and many more studies into this link, doctors and mental health experts are now suggesting that we take in more fish oil for escaping depression. DHA is particularly effective for beating depression. (3) 

How to Supplement

Each two capsules of Parrillo Fish Oil DHA 800 EPA 200 contains 1100 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids; this includes 800 milligrams of DHA and 200 milligrams of EPA. We suggest supplementing with 2 capsules daily, taken with meals. 

References

1. Bucci, L. 1993. Nutrients as ergogenic aids for sports and exercise. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press.

2. Hill, A.M., et al. 2007. Combining fish-oil supplements with regular aerobic exercise improves body composition and cardiovascular disease risk factors. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 85:1267-1274.

3.  Webb, D. 2000. Can fish oil chase away both heart attacks and the blues? Prevention, March, pp. 69-70.