Fish oil is probably the best-selling nutritional supplement in the whole world. If we are to talk about the United States of America alone, the annual sales of fish oil exceed a billion US dollars. We are sure that you might have heard the buzz about fish oil at least some point in your life. The list of benefits that fish oil provides us with is probably endless, but today we are here to count on just a few. Is fish oil a great supplement to add to your bucket list? If yes, then will it be the best fit for you? How should you consume fish oil supplements for optimum health? Before we get into answering all these questions for you, let’s quickly go through famous research which established fish oil’s supremacy in the world.
In a study conducted on the Eskimos of Greenland, researchers observed that owing to the lack of vegetation, and also to the vast availability of marine animals in the area, these Eskimos generally consumed a large amount of fish as a part of their staple diet. Fish as we know are rich in protein and fat, and also pretty high in cholesterol. Conventionally, whenever one consumes that amount of cholesterol, it gets deposited in the large blood vessels of the heart, leading to the narrowing of their lumen (or diameters in simpler terms). This condition is known as atherosclerosis. Naturally, researchers expected the Eskimos to be highly susceptible to heart conditions related to and sprouting from higher cholesterol levels in their diet. However, to everyone’s surprise, Eskimos were not only protected from a plethora of heart diseases but also showed delayed ageing when examined on various parameters. Additionally, the blood and serum level of free fatty acids was also relatively less in this population.
Conclusively, these benefits have been attributed to the level of essential fatty acids that the Eskimos received from consuming fish.
Why is fish oil hailed to be a magical ingredient?
- Reduce telomere shortening- in simple language, telomeres are the terminal parts of your DNA. With each cell division, the length of telomeres decreases, to a point where the DNA is no longer capable of division, thus leading to cell death and ageing. If telomere shortening is reduced, your cells remain alive for a longer period of time, thus maintaining a healthy state.
- Reduce triglyceride levels and thus reduce the level of cholesterol in the body by enhancing its excretion and reducing its deposition.
- Reduce blood pressure in cases of mild hypertension- increased blood pressure is also known as the silent killer in medical terms. If uncontrolled, mind hypertension can worsen into severe hypertension, which has disastrous outcomes. Fish oil can potentially benefit cases of mild hypertension, reducing the stress on your heart.
- Reduce the chances of a heart attack by reducing cholesterol levels and decreasing blood pressure to a normal level.
- Have shown some benefits in cases of stroke, depression, cancer, and diabetes.
- Have some antioxidant role in the body.
Considering the benefits of fish oil to our bodies, we need to start consuming fish oil on a regular basis. Consuming fish oil is beneficial to our hair and skin health. Furthermore, it reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke, and it improves joint flexibility.