Tuesday, July 14, 2009

What Fish Oil Dosage Should You Take?

An adequate fish oil dosage depends on the omega3 concentration. If 50% of the oils are omega3s, most sources suggest 1000mg per day for kids and 2000mg per day for adults. If you have never taken this type of supplement, start out with the lower dose and see how it affects you.

The oils have something of a laxative effect in some people. Your grandparents probably took cod liver oil to relieve constipation. No one should take cod liver oil, today, because the Atlantic cod is loaded with impurities and liver oils contain too much vitamin A. Vitamin A can be toxic at high doses.

The primary benefit of supplementation has to do with the lack of fatty-fish in the average person's diet. We are advised not to eat too much of a single species over the course of a month, because of mercury and PCB contamination. But, if we don't eat some fish every day, we don't get any DHA.

A good fish oil dosage makes up for that shortcoming in the diet. DHA is an omega3 fatty acid that is abundant in the brain and the retina of the eye. Studies indicate that DHA supplementation is beneficial for depression and ADHD. It is hoped that DHA supplementation may reduce the risk of a degenerative eye disease called age-related macular degeneration.

There are many other benefits to supplementation, as well. In one recent study, researchers concluded that 1000mg per day for three months increases the skin's firmness.

If you are sure to choose a high quality supplement that provides at least 500mg of omega3s per day, a 1000mg fish oil dosage might make you look younger and feel younger, too.

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Fish Oil Benefits - How You Can Live Healthy

The primary fish oil benefits are to the brain and heart, although there is some benefit to every cell of the body, because it may reduce the risk of cancer. Unlike other types of fat, fish oil has antioxidant activity. Antioxidants fight free radicals and free radicals play a role in cancer. So does inflammation. That's another issue addressed by omega3 fatty acids.

The many fish oil benefits are due to it the omega3 fatty acids found in fatty fishes. Most of the fats in our diet are saturated. Omega3s are polyunsaturated fatty acids or PUFAs. PUFAs promote the production of anti-inflammatory eicosanoids, while other types of fat promote the production of inflammatory cytokines. That's how omega3s fight inflammation.

The benefit to the heart is a reduced risk of atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. The supplements also lower cholesterol levels. High cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease and other age-related diseases.

Of course, not all supplements are the same. Some have more anti-inflammatory activity than others. A recent study showed that oils from the hoki fish have particularly high anti-inflammatory activity, more than twice that of tuna and other oils.

Some supplements may be contaminated with mercury and PCBs. The best choice is to shop online and be sure that the manufacturer's website posts the certificate of analysis, which will list mercury and PCB content. It should say "none detected".

Companies are not required to provide a certificate of analysis, but the better ones do. If you cannot verify purity, don't buy it. A contaminated supplement is bad for your health.

Other fish oil benefits include improved skin, hair, nails and mood. It's one of the best things that you can do for your health, as long as it's pure.

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Freddie Logan is a health enthusiast and has a passion for natural ways to improve your health. Please visit his site today and start your journey to better wellness and health.

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Adding Fish Oil Supplements to Your Diet Will Work Wonders

The benefits of fish oil supplements are so many that I wonder if I have enough room in this article to enumerate them. The major benefits are, your heart, these supplements help to improve your cardiovascular system. Taking a supplement regularly helps to prevent sudden cardiac arrest in otherwise healthy young men.

Your brain benefits greatly too. The DHA found in fish oil supplements is used constantly to rebuild your brain cells. If this DHA ever gets low you are bound to suffer bouts of depression and other emotional disorders. DHA helps to keep you in good mental health.

Omega 3 fish oil is a natural anti-inflammatory. This helps to relieve the pain and swelling associated with arthritis and other problems that need an anti-inflammatory.

The US National Institute of Health recently published a recommended daily intake of Omega 3 fatty acids. They recommend a daily dose of 650 mg of DHA and EPA and a daily dose of 2.2grams per day of ALA.

You can obtain Omega 3 ALA from plant sources such as flaxseed oil and leafy greens like purslane, plus you need to include nuts in this diet. However ALA must be converted over to DHA to benefit us and this conversion does not always take place efficiently if you are elderly or in poor health.

The best way to obtain your daily allowance of Omega 3s is to take fish oil supplements. The DHA and EPA fatty acids are the most potent of the fatty acids. You need to ensure that when you buy these supplements that the DHA is the dominant fatty acid as EPA is often put out as the sole fatty acid. Some companies do this because EPA is cheaper to produce.

Try and buy fish oil that is sourced from the deep, cold pristine waters of the Southern Ocean off the coast of New Zealand, or from Alaska or Norway. Those have the cleanest waters in the world. And the fish are high in Omega 3 DHA and EPA fatty acids.

Another thing you must make sure of is that the oil has been purified by a process called molecular distillation to remove the contaminants such as lead, mercury and the PCBs etc, this process removes the impurities by weight. This will give you what is sometimes referred to as pharmaceutical grade fish oil. The purest oil you can buy.

To summarize this, you need to buy fish oil supplements that have been through a process called molecular distillation. And you need to ensure the oil is high in DHA and EPA fatty acids.

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