Making The Heart Healthier With Fish Oil For Fitness And Health

By Lubowa.M.Planet

The heart is inarguably one of the most important parts of our body and having an unhealthy heart means having to suffer a rather limited lifespan. Naturally, it's in our best interests to keep our hearts happy and healthy and one way of doing that is eating good food. When I was in my deitetics class at university, I got to learn that there are good fats and bad fats. Complete avoidance of intake of oils and fats would actually be detrimental - rather than beneficial - to ones health. Yet, when the words oils and fats are mentioned, health-conscious individuals tend to run for cover.

One of the good fats is the fish oil. Essential fatty acids must always be part of our daily diet - without them, we take one step closer to our deaths. Essential fatty acids are divided into two families: omega-6 EFAs and omega-3 EFAS.

There are only very slight differences to distinguish the two groups of essential fatty acids from each other. But studies have revealed that too much intake of omega-6 EFAs can lead to inflammation, blood clotting and tumor growth. The good news, however, is that the opposite is true for omega-3 EFAs. Omega-6 EFAs can be found in vegetable oils while omega-3 EFAs can be found in fish oils among other foods.

Omega-6 vs. Omega-3

Science reveals that the cause behind increasing cases of heart disease, hypertension or high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, premature aging and certain kinds of cancer is none other than an imbalanced intake of omega-3 and omega-6 EFAs.

As mentioned earlier on, omega-6 EFAs can be found in vegetable oils. This includes but is not limited to corn oil and soy oil, both of which contains high amounts of linoleic acid. Omega-3 EFAs on the other hand can be found also in marine plankton and walnut and flaxseed oils. Fatty fish and fish oils contain eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), fatty acids that have been observed to provide many benefits to the human body. fatty acids that have been observed to provide many benefits to the human body. There are studies that have been done to show the benefit of taking fish oils to keep our hearts healthy.

In the early 1970's, a study on Greenland Eskimos have revealed that one of the major reasons why they rarely suffer from heart diseases is because of their high-fat diet (mainly composed of fish).

In Athens, Greece, a study was made to show if there was a direct relationship between high fish diet and inflammation of blood vessels. The results revealed that those who ate more fish than the others had a lower level of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, factors that are commonly used to measure likelihood of blood vessel inflammation. These benefits remained even when the various risks associated with high fish diet were taken into account. So that is how important it is to eat fish oils.

Other Benefits of Fish Oil

There are a lot more illnesses and situations in which intake of fish oil has proven to be significantly beneficial.

Fish to Become Thin

Fish consumption can be used against hypertension and obesity. Researchers of the UWA (University of Western Australia) have discovered that a weight-loss diet which includes a regular amount of fish consumption can be quite effective in reducing blood pressure and improving glucose tolerance.

Fish Oil to Combat Asthma

People suffering from respiratory problems like asthma tend to be perceived as unfit and unhealthy. They should now be pleased to learn that certain studies have revealed the benefits of fish oil for asthma-burdened-individuals. Statistics show that approximately 20 to 25% of children today suffer one form of asthma or another at a certain point in their lives. And certain evidence reveals a regular diet of food with high linoleic acid content as the reason behind it.

Researchers of UW (University of Wyoming) conducted a study by subjecting a number of children to a high-fish diet while others continued with their regular diet. Results revealed that the participants who ate more fish were less prone to asthma attacks and were able to breathe more easily as well.

Nothing is good when consumed or used excessively but complete avoidance of a particular food type is equally harmful as well.