Fish Oil Benefits: Omega-3 Acids Improve Health

The consensus is in; fish oil benefits are clearly known by scientists, doctors, and nutritionists alike. Western diets consume a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 that is too high for optimal health.

Optimal Levels of Omega-3

According to Joseph Hibbeln, MD, who is well known and respected for his linking omega-3 intake to depression, 3,700 mg is the amount of the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids that American’s should consume per day to balance their current high intake of omega-6s. This number equates to approximately six high potency fish oil tablets per day or two servings of high omega-3 potency fish per day such as farmed Atlantic salmon, Atlantic herring or sardine.

Obviously it’s go to be tough to put down two servings of fish per day and nobody likes popping handfuls of pills (despite the obvious fish oil benefits) so this number could probably come down quite a bit if we lowered our intake of omega-6 at the same time. Think of it as a replacement rather than a diet. Instead of eating beef every couple days which can contain high levels of omega-6, substitute your meat every other day with a serving of one of the aforementioned fish. Olive oils have better ratios of omega-3s to omega-6s than corn oils so make sure you always substitute corn oils out of your cooking.

Alternate Source of Omega-3

You can also look to other sources of omega-3s to include in or add to your routine diet such as flaxseed, omega-3 enriched eggs, walnuts, blue berries, spinach, and purslane (if you can find it). In fact purslane contains more omega-3 than any other vegetable though it is hard to find in American stores.

No matter how you do it, through fish oil supplementation, diet, or a combination of them both you should really put an emphasis on doing something. Dr. Hibbeln and the American Heart Association are in agreement, though they differ on omega-3 requirement levels, that consuming more omega-3s benefits the heart and brain significantly. The AMA even stipulates that those with coronary heart disease should get at least 1,000 mg of omega-3 fatty acids every day.

Fish Oil Benefits Include Longevity

This of course should come as no surprise however to casual observers of dietary patterns of the long lived and the leading causes of death in America. Many of the longest lived populations of the world are coastal communities that eat more fish and free range animals that our western diet. Japan is the easiest comparison; they have far fewer heart related diseases than westerners and much of this can be contributed to their diet which is rich is fish and seafood with very little beef. Fish and omega-3 fatty acids regardless of source are instrumental to longevity and overall health. The fish oil benefits are clear so why don’t you make it a point to try to even your diet out just a bit?