Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Add Fish Oil Supplements to your Diet


There are plenty of good reasons for taking fish oil supplements.  One reason is to increase the amount of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in your diet. 

Why is this significant? 

The typical American diet is very high in unhealthy omega-6 fatty acids and needs more omega-3 fatty acids … and omega-3 fatty acids are commonly found naturally in fish.

The ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids should be 1:1 but is currently approaching a 20:1 ratio due to the composition of the typical American diet.  

When diets are high in omega-6 fats it tends to push your body toward an inflammatory state.  This type of inflammation has been linked to various disease conditions such as cardiovascular disease and even certain cancers. 

Balance the Omega-3 and Omega-6 Ratio

The omega-3 fatty acids such as those found in fish help create a less inflammatory internal environment within your body. This leads to the possibility of having less chance of developing many health depleting conditions and disease processes.  Supplementing with omega-3 fatty acid nutritional supplements in conjunction with an anti-inflammatory diet helps restore balance between the omega-3 and omega-6 ratio. 

Remember, an ideal ratio would be a 1:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3. 

Another reason to increase your intake of fish or fish oil is that it is high in EPA and DHA, which have been proven to increase levels of HDL, or good cholesterol, and arterial compliance, which is essential in decreasing mild hypertension and in preventing certain cardiac arrhythmias.  An adequate amount of omega-3 PUFAs is 2.7–7.5 grams per meal and appears to meet the nutritional recommendation of the American Heart Association.  




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