OMEGA 3 - FISH OIL ______________________________________________________ Natural fatty acids like omega-3 oils are one of the most important nutrients that our body needs. Unfortunately, we can’t produce omega-3′s so we have to get them from the foods we eat (and then supplements, if you can’t keep your levels up.) There are many plant and animal sources of essential omegas and it’s important to note than in plant sources our body needs to convert them into long chain fatty acids — this means you may need to eat more plant sources of omega 3′s if you don’t eat the animal ones. Regardless of how you get them, getting them is a must. These days every doctor, nutritionist, dietitian, fitness trainer, strength coach and fitness expert on the planet is recommending fish oil supplements. The thing is, when a supplement becomes this popular, questions and confusion usually follow. For example: - What is it? - Are the benefits real and scientifically proven? - Is it really safe? Are there any side effects at all? - How much fish oil should I take per day? - How much total omega-3 or EPA & DHA should I take per day? - When and how should I take them? - What brand is the best? Well, let’s end all of that confusion right now… WHAT IS FISH OIL? It’s pretty much the only supplement that I (and most experts) recommend to everyone… no matter what your goals are (losing fat, building muscle, etc.). Hell, it doesn’t even matter if you workout, pay attention to your diet, or care about improving the way your body looks or performs in the first place. You should still be taking it. Here’s why… In the most basic sense, fish oil is just the oil found in fatty types of fish (like salmon). Fish/fish oil contains the omega-3 fatty acids, specifically EPA and DHA, which are the essential fatty acids that the typical diet is nearly ALWAYS greatly lacking. You know how there are so called “good fats” and “bad fats?” Well, the EPA and DHA found in omega-3 are the great fats. Fish oil supplements just so happen to be the most abundant and convenient source of it. WHAT DOES IT DO? WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF FISH OIL? Alright, let’s first start with the benefits that help us build muscle, lose fat and basically improve the way our bodies look. In the general sense, the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil supplements play a direct or indirect role in pretty much every single one of the processes taking place inside your body when you’re trying to build muscle, lose fat, maintain muscle, recover from workouts, etc.. People lose more fat when they combine proper diet and exercise WITH a fish oil supplement, as opposed to people who just eat right and exercise correctly WITHOUT fish oil. Those same omega-3 fatty acids (EPA & DHA) have also been shown to promote fat oxidation, improve insulin sensitivity, and improve calorie partitioning. Overall Health and Function: In terms of the overall health and function of the human body, fish oil’s list of benefits is even bigger. Much, MUCH bigger. - Reduce the risk of heart attack. -Reduce the risk of stroke. -Lower blood triglyceride levels. -Lower blood pressure. -Decrease inflammation. -Reduce joint stiffness. -Lower cholesterol levels. And more….. IS IT SAFE? ARE THERE ANY SIDE EFFECTS? Fish oil supplements are pretty much as safe as it gets. Again, you have to realize that it’s just the oil that’s found in fish. It’s not some crazy fat burner type product or anything like that. Yes, its benefits are impressive, but it’s almost more of a food than it is a supplement. I mean, do you ask what the side effects are before eating some fish? I didn’t think so. So, for the average healthy person, it’s virtually 100% safe as long as you’re not exceeding the optimal daily dosage (which i have explained below). I will also mention that if you are pregnant, allergic to fish or iodine, or already have any kind of known health issues (or are taking any medications for them), you should obviously check with your doctor first just to be sure. The funny thing is, even in those cases, your doctor could actually be the one recommending the fish oil in the first place. For example, most pregnant women are already taking fish oil as recommended by their doctor (it’s extremely beneficial for the brain development of the baby), and many people with (or at risk for) heart disease also have doctor’s orders to take it. HOW MUCH FISH OIL SHOULD I TAKE PER DAY? HOW MANY CAPSULES? Well, in order to answer that, you’d first need to know what the optimal fish oil dosage is per day to actually get all of the benefits you just heard about. Once you know that, you’d just need to figure out how many capsules of your specific brand you’d need to take to reach that optimal dosage. So, based on all of the research and recommendations I’ve seen, here’s what appears to be best… Optimal Daily Fish Oil Dosage: between 1-3 grams of combined EPA and DHA per day. Note that we’re NOT talking about grams of “total fat” here. We’re talking about the combined grams of “EPA” and “DHA.” (This will make more sense when you look at the back of a bottle.) The omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA are the “ingredients” in fish oil supplements that provide all the benefits. For this reason, the optimal fish oil dosage should be based specifically on them, not the total amount of fat, fish oil or omega-3 contained per serving. An Example Of How Many Capsules Per Day Here’s an example of what I mean using Fish Oil by "MusclePharm", which is the brand I personally use (and will highly recommend in a minute). This specific brand contains 400mg of EPA and 300mg of DHA per serving. One serving of this brand is 1 capsule. So combined, 400mg + 300mg = 700 m of combined EPA and DHA. That means: 1 capsules of this specific brand gives you 700mg of EPA/DHA. This is the minimum I’d recommend per day for fish oil to actually be effective. 2 capsules of this specific brand gives you 1.4grams of EPA/DHA. This is the minimum I’d recommend per day for fish oil to actually be effective. 3 capsules of this specific brand gives you 2.1 grams of EPA/DHA. This is right in the middle of the optimal recommended daily dosage. (This is also the amount that I personally take each day.) 4 capsules of this specific brand gives you about 2.8 grams of EPA/DHA. This is as close to that 3 gram maximum as you can get with this brand without exceeding it. Like I said, I personally take 3 capsules of this specific brand every day, and that gives me 2.1 grams of combined EPA and DHA per day. This is probably pretty close to perfect for most people. But again, as long as you are within the optimal range of 1-3 grams of combined EPA/DHA per day, you’re good. (And obviously, if your doctor recommended more or less, you should listen to them. Duh.) Also keep in mind that the above amounts only apply to this specific brand. Other fish oil brands contain different amounts of EPA and DHA per serving (usually less), so a different number of capsules will most likely need to be taken (usually more). This is a big reason why I consider this brand the best. I only need 3 capsules per day to reach the optimal intake. Most other brands require 6-12 capsules per day. WHAT BRAND IS THE BEST? Well, choosing the best fish oil supplement comes down to a few common factors Quality, Convenience and Price. Taking all 3 of those factors into account, here’s what I personally use and fully recommend: Fish Oil By "Muscle Pharm" or Fish Oil By "ON" I spent a lot of time doing a lot of research on fish oil over the years. I’ve seen various expert/doctor recommendations and I’ve seen the results of 2 independent lab tests that tested dozens of fish oil brands for purity, quality and actually containing accurate amounts of total omega-3, EPA, and DHA. Based on all lab test and the fact that it contains significantly more EPA and DHA per capsule than most other brands, I can honestly say Fish Oil By "Muscle Pharm" or Fish Oil By "ON" are the best. For Vegetarian people, They can take FlaxSeed Oil By ON Food sources of omega 3 fatty acids include… - Plant Sources: Walnuts Flax Seeds Chia Seeds - Non-Plant Sources: Fish Eggs Regards, Guru Mann Transformation Expert Muscle Building & Fat Loss Expert Certified Advanced Fitness Trainer Certified Nutrition Specialist ISSA-CSCS & CSN NASM-CPT & FNS ASFA-APT & CNC Biomechanics/Kinesiology - Human Kinetics
Posted on: Wed, 07 Aug 2013 03:00:00 +0000