Omega-3 Reduces Body Weight and Increases Fat Loss by Raising Metabolism
A new study from the Journal of Nutrition on mice has shown a benefit of omega-3 for weight loss!
Two groups of mice were fed a high fat diet, and one group was given 8% fish oil while the other group did not receive the fish oil. The results? The fish oil fed mice gained significantly less weight and metabolized more fat! Specifically, they showed an increase in production of enzymes that metabolized fat.
The researchers wrote:
“These findings suggest that an up-regulation of intestinal lipid metabolism is associated with the anti-obesity effect of [fish oil].”
This isn’t the first time that omega-3 fatty acids have been found to be effective for weight loss, as another study found that fish oil and exercise led to fat loss.
Send This to a FriendCan Omega-3 Relieve Asthma?
Asthma sufferers take note! As readers of this blog might know, Omega-3 has been found to reduce exercise-induced restriction of airways and relieve allergies. Now, researchers are investigating the ability of omega-3 supplements to relieve asthma:
John Brannan wants to determine if there may be another benefit: combatting asthma.
He’s leading a new study at the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Research at St. Joseph’s Hospital that hopes to confirm a promising University of Indiana study that found high doses of omega-3 fatty acids had a “profound effect” in reducing exercise-induced asthma.
24 participants will be examined for two factors, narrowing of respiratory airways and inflammation, following treatment with fish oil or placebo.
John goes on to mention an interesting study in the 1980s in Nova Scotia that “postulated that the low prevalence of asthma, cardiovascular disease and rheumatoid arthritis among the Inuit was due to their high fish diet.”
Send This to a FriendFish Oil During Pregnancy Prevents Allergies, Asthma and Eczema
New research shows that pregnant women who take omega-3 supplements during their pregnancy, as well as during their child’s infancy and nursing, have children with far fewer allergy problems:
A recent study … examined infants of expectant mothers from families with high risk of allergy and asthma who were given a fish oil supplement from the 25th week of pregnancy until the third month of breastfeeding.
At one year old, the children whose mothers took the supplement had “considerably fewer allergic reactions“. Significantly, they had less than half as many reactions to eggs, which is an early indicator of eczema and asthma.
One of the researchers in the study commented that fish oil worked by relieving inflammation in the mother, and this had an effect on the child’s immune system also.
Source: Fish Oils During Pregnancy Could Prevent Allergies
Omega-3 Improves Lupus Symptoms
A recent study presented at the American College of Rhemutaology found significant improvements in symptoms System Lupus Erythematosus (SLE):
“This is the first study in lupus patients measuring improvements in blood vessel function,” said presenter and investigator Stephen Wright, MD, “After 6 months we saw evidence confirming the beneficial effects of omega-3 fish oils for improving symptoms of lupus and, also, evidence of a cardioprotective effect in these patients,”
After 6 months of fish oil supplements, there was a statistically-significant improvement in lupus symptoms.
Source: Omega-3 Fish Oil Improves Lupus Symptoms, Shows Possible Cardiovascular Benefits
Send This to a FriendOmega-3 Fatty Acids Prevents Type 1 Diabetes in Children
Multiple studies have been published recently showing the power of omega-3 fatty acids to prevent Type 1 Diabetes in children. For example, one study out of Norway found that children with Type 1 Diabetes were far less likely to have received omega-3 supplements as infants than children that did not have Diabetes.
To examine the effects of Omega-3 supplementation on Diabetes in children, researchers at the University of Colorado began a HUGE study entitled, Diabetes Autoimmunity Study in the Young (DAISY):
The study was conducted in Denver, from January 1994 through November 2006 and included 1,770 children at increased risk for type 1 diabetes, defined as either possession of HLA genotype for a high diabetes risk or having a sibling or parent with type 1 diabetes. The mean age at follow-up was 6.2 years.
Researchers found a very significantly decreased risk in islet autoimmunity (a risk-indicator of Type-1 Diabetes) in children that received Omega-3 fatty acids:
The researchers found that 58 children developed islet autoimmunity during follow-up. Adjusting for HLA genotype, family history of type 1 diabetes, caloric intake, and omega-6 fatty acid intake, omega-3 fatty acid intake was associated with a 55% reduced risk of islet autoimmunity.
In the second part of the study, researchers examined another factor related to islet autoimmunity, the omega-3 content of erythrocyte membranes:
The researchers found that the omega-3 fatty acid content of erythrocyte membranes was associated with a 37% decreased risk of islet autoimmunity.
If you have Diabetes in your family history, you may want to consider giving your children pharmaceutical-grade fish oil!
Source: Omega-3 Fatty Acids Protective for Children at Risk for Type 1 Diabetes
Send This to a FriendLack of Omega-3 in Pregnant Mothers Increases Baby’s Risk of Impaired Verbal, Social and Motor Skill Development
When pregnant mothers take omega-3 supplements, it has shown to increase the mental abilities of their babies. The researchers first warned of the problems associated with insufficient intake of Omega-3 fatty acids:
Poor outcomes associated with insufficient intakes of omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy include intrauterine growth retardation, delayed or suboptimum depth perception, adverse neurodevelopmental measures, residual deficits in fine motor skills, speed of information processing in infants, and irreversible deficits in serotonin and dopamine release, according to Dr. Hibbeln and colleagues
Furthermore, in a study of nearly 12,000 pregnant women in England, those that consumed the least amount of Omega-3s during pregnancy were associated with an increased risk of being in the lowest ranks for Verbal IQ, when the child was 8 years old! At 7 years old, there was an increased risk of social impairment. At ages up to 3.5 years, scores were also lower for fine-motor skills, communication, and social development.
The higher the omega-3 intake of the pregnant mother, the less likely the child would score poorly in any of these areas, according to the researchers.
Source: Eating Fish During Pregnancy Provides ‘Brain Food’ For Child
World’s Fattest Man Loses 350 Lbs. with Omega-3
Manuel Uribe, once the World’s Fattest Man, has lost 350 lbs using diet and omega-3 supplements! How fat was he?
Manuel Uribe hit his, and the world’s, highest weight when he tipped the scales at a massive 596.90 kilos – that of five baby elephants put together.
Manuel closely followed the Zone Diet and took “a fish oil supplement that reportedly speeds up weight loss by activating fat-burning enzymes.”
This confirms a recent study that found fish oil and exercise burned more fat than exercise alone!
Source: Fish oil helps man drop 158 Kilos!
Send This to a FriendFish Oil Used to Treat Heart Attacks in Europe, But Not US?
Currently the most e-mailed article on the New York Times Website is one about fish oil being used in Europe after heart attacks, but not in the United States.
Every patient in the cardiac care unit at the San Filippo Neri Hospital who survives a heart attack goes home with a prescription for purified fish oil, or omega-3 fatty acids.
“It is clearly recommended in international guidelines,” said Dr. Massimo Santini, the hospital’s chief of cardiology, who added that it would be considered tantamount to malpractice in Italy to omit the drug.
Omitting omega-3 is considered malpractice? Not surprising. In Denmark, every nursing mother is required to start taking fish oil supplements within 7 days of childbirth!
As the article correctly points out, “in a large number of studies, prescription fish oil has been shown to improve survival after heart attacks and to reduce fatal heart rhythms.” However, in the United States, fish oil supplements aren’t typically recommended for people that have had heart attacks “are routinely offered more expensive and invasive treatments, like pills to lower cholesterol or implantable defibrillators.”
How likely are US physicians to prescribe fish oil following a heart attack?
A study published last month in The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine found that only 17 percent of family doctors were likely to prescribe fish oil to their patients, including patients who had suffered a heart attack. There was a great need, the authors concluded, to “improve awareness of this important advice.”
Maybe your doctor has some ’splainin to do!
Source: New York Times: In Europe It’s Fish Oil After Heart Attacks, But Not U.S.
Send This to a FriendFish Oil Improves Verbal, Memory & Spelling Skills in Children, Decreases Sick Days
355 children, ages 6 to 9, were given fish oil doses everyday by researchers in South Africa. What did these find as a result of omega-3 supplementation?
Dr Smuts told the Congress of the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids in Cairns, he found the children were able to retain information better and were less inclined to take sick days.
Source: Fish oil linked to kids’ spelling skills
Send This to a FriendFish Oil Prevents Age-Related Blindness (Macular Degeneration)
In two separate studies in the US and Australia, seniors who ate more fish were far less likely to develop age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss for the elderly.
The U.S. study, which also found a link between cigarette smoking and AMD, found “that men with the highest fish consumption (at least two weekly servings) were 45 percent less likely to have AMD than those with the lowest fish consumption (less than one weekly serving).”
The Australian study involved over 2900 people aged 49 or older. This study found that “Participants who reported eating at least one weekly serving of fish were 40 percent less likely to develop early-stage AMD during the study, compared with those who reported eating fish less than once a month or not at all… People who ate fish frequently were also less likely to have late-stage AMD, the study shows. But that pattern was only seen in participants who reported eating fish at least three times weekly.”
Source: Fish Oil May Help Save Your Sight.
Send This to a FriendFish Oil Saves Premature Babies Lives
The following paints a pretty grim picture about a baby that developed health problems due to a premature birth that put its life at risk:
Like most babies with his medical condition, Austin DuPonte of Hudson was not expected to live long.
He was born prematurely and developed intestinal problems so severe that surgeries left him unable to absorb enough nourishment. Babies with bowel troubles can be fed intravenously, but most quickly develop liver problems. Without a costly liver transplant, and sometimes even with one, these children usually don’t make it to their first birthday.
However, after fish oil treatment, the premature babies showed a miraculous improvement:
They swapped the IV feedings, giving the babies fluids with fish oils, known as omega-3’s, instead of the standard plant oils, or omega-6. Within weeks, the patients’ livers began to rebound, and they no longer needed transplants.
The baby’s mother attributes her son’s amazing recovery to fish oil:
Austin DuPonte’s mother Joanne said she believes her son would have died without the altered IV feeding, known as Omegaven. Within two weeks of starting Omegaven, Austin — who “had every single preemie thing you could have go wrong” — started to look better.
Source: How fish oil may have saved babies’ lives
Send This to a FriendDepression and Bipolar Disorder Linked to Omega-3 Deficiency
A new study out of Sydney, Australia has shown a link between depression (and bipolar disorder) and deficiency of Omega-3 fatty acids in the diet. The researchers point out the practical applications of their work:
Lead researcher and institute director Professor Gordon Parker said his work found that Omega-3 fish oil supplements could be used effectively alongside anti-depressants for people suffering depression.
Furthermore, their research had important things to say regarding pregnant mothers:
The study also found that mothers who had lower levels of Omega-3 in their breast milk were more likely to suffer from postnatal depression.
This isn’t the first time that research has identified fish oil as a remedy for postpartum depression.
Send This to a FriendFish Oil Proven More Effective than Ritalin for ADHD
The behavior of children in a recent study vastly improved when they were given 6 capsules of fish oil per day, even more than children being prescribed Ritalin. Restlessness and school performance improved significantly from omega-3 supplementation and concentration improved by 33%! Even after 30 weeks of taking fish oil supplements, the children continued to show increasing improvements, suggesting that taking fish oil even longer would have had even greater benefits.
This is great news because fish oil doesn’t have any of the negative side effects that Ritalin does, including insomnia, suicidal thoughts, personality changes and heart disease. Ritalin has even been cited as the cause of strokes and heart attacks that have killed several children. Hopefully this fish oil news will serve to reverse the ongoing medicated-children epidemic, as there are 330,000 new prescriptions for ADHD drugs every year!
Send This to a FriendFeeding Animals Fish Oil Produces Omega-3 Meat!
A report from the British Nutrition Foundation found that feeding fish oil to animals increased the omega-3 content of their meat. This omega-3 content would, in theory, directly benefit any person that consumed it. This would create a natural way to get the essential omega-3 fatty acids that people need without taking fish oil supplements. There is also an Australian study underway to examine the effects on people that eat pork from pigs fed omega-3 fatty acids.
This seems like a much better option than the pigs that were genetically engineered to produce omega-3s!
Send This to a FriendFish Oil Shows Promise for Type II Diabetes and Bodybuilders!
A recent fish oil study out of Texas A&M found that fish oil improved the ability of muscle cells to take up glucose, or blood sugar, in the presence of insulin. This is good news for those with Type II Diabetes because Type II Diabetes is a condition where cells resist insulin and therefore are unable to take up glucose. Furthermore, fish oil was shown to “improve cell viability, a measure of cellular metabolic activity.”
What effect would this have for strength training and bodybuilding? I obviously can’t say for sure, but it seems to me like getting nutrients to muscles more rapidly would enable those cells to function better, thus enabling you to lift more weight and recover more rapidly. Any thoughts?
Source: Fish Oil Holds Promise for Those with Type II Diabetes
Send This to a FriendUK Schools to Give Children Fish Oil?
The Department for Education and Skills in Britian is awaiting results from the Food Standards Agency regarding the effects of omega-3 fatty acids (the potent substance in fish oil) on the behavior and brain power of children. They are curious because they want to start administering fish oil capsules to children in UK schools!
The plan follows mounting concern that children are not getting enough omega 3 fats in their daily diet because of the rise in use of convenience food. Alan Johnson, the education secretary, has confirmed that the government is looking into providing the capsules as part of the drive to improve nutrition in schools.
“The government is committed to ensuring that children are provided with healthy food and the nutrients they require during the school day, not just to aid their physical health but to ensure they can study hard and behave well,” said Johnson.
If fish oil was administered in schools, we would definitely see a drastic increase in academic performance for British students. You can read on this site about several studies effectively treating children with fish oil.
Source: Plan to give pupils fish oil capsules
Send This to a Friend“Fish Oil is a Miracle from God.”
Melissa, one of our readers, wrote in to tell us how this heaven-sent health supplement was her salvation from ADHD:
I’ve suffered serious depression and ADHD since I was a teenager. Of course, all my life, my diet was junk food, fast food, comfort food… I’ve tried Ritalin, Paxil, Prozac and none have helped. I decided, since reading some research on Omega-3’s to go ahead and try changing my diet to add more tuna, salmon, and once in a while a can of sardines.
Send This to a Friend“Fish Oil Relieved My Daughter’s Allergies”
May 28, 2006 · Category: Children, Toddlers and Teenagers, Respiratory Health & Allergies, Success StoriesWe recently asked our readers for their fish oil success stories and Melissa from Texas wrote in to describe how she successfully treated her daughter’s allergies with fish oil:
I use Carlson’s Fish Oil for my daughter. She takes 1 teaspoon every day, and it contains 800 mg epa & 500 mg dha per teaspoon. I originally started giving it to her for ADHD, and hoping it would help her focus. She also started on Concerta.
Send This to a FriendTeenagers’ Test Scores Soar After Taking Fish Oil
May 19, 2006 · Category: Children, Toddlers and Teenagers, ADD / ADHDAmazing news out of the UK, for hopeful parents: 184 teenagers aged 15-16 at a school for the behaviorally-challenged were given fish oil supplements for 12 weeks prior to taking the GCSE (General Certificate Of Secondary Education). This is the standardized education test given to teenagers in the UK. The results are astounding: » Read the rest of this entry
Send This to a FriendCalling all Parents!: Have you tried fish oil with your children?
May 11, 2006 · Category: Children, Toddlers and Teenagers, ADD / ADHDSend This to a Friend
As enthusiastic promoters of fish oil, we here at Fish Oil Blog try to take every opportunity to promote the spread of fish oil’s amazing health benefits. Recently, one of this site’s readers by the name of Maria wrote in with a question: » Read the rest of this entry
