Can fish oil lower blood pressure?

High blood pressure, or what is otherwise known as hypertension, effects a significant proportion of our population, particularly, though not confined to, men. Today we want to examine whether there is an omega 3 blood pressure link.

It is now clearly established that the omega 3 essential fatty acids found in fish oil, namely DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), have a range of benefits for our heart. This is sufficiently established that the American Heart Association now recommends that we all should have a minimum intake of fish, or fish oil via omega 3 supplements, every week for good heart health.

Particularly for people with coronary heart disease they recommend a minimum intake of Omega 3 essential fatty acids as there is now significant evidence that a higher intake of Omega3 fats found in fish oil reduces the incidence of coronary heart disease. This includes helping prevent heart disease in people who do not have it.

So we should all have a minimum intake of Omega3 fats found in fish oil. Blood pressure also, it seems, responds to an increase in omega 3 fats.

There have been studies that have asked the question can you lower blood pressure with fish oil. For instance the American Heart Association refers a study conducted on 120 men who were given a 12 week dietary intervention using fish oil, fish or a combination. There were 5 groups that were assigned to take various combinations of fish oil capsules or fish, or both, or a placebo.

The conclusion of the study was that there was a bigger fall in systolic and diastolic blood pressure in subjects who were allocated fish or fish oil compared to the control group.

Other studies also suggest a link between fish oil and lowering blood pressure although the studies suggest that DHA may have a more beneficial effect on lowering blood pressure than EPA. This study concluded that EPA had no significant effect on blood pressure but that DHA reduced blood pressure in mildly hyperlipidemic men. The conclusion was that it is DHA which is responsible for the blood pressure lowering effects found from increasing Omega3 intake.

A further study studied the effects of omega 3 on ambulatory BP in hypertensive men who were already overweight. As obesity contributes to hypertension (as well as cardiovascular disease) it is clearly a risk factor for many people. The conclusion of the study was that regular consumption of fish and omega 3 fatty acids can lower blood pressure and reduce cardiovascular risk in overweight subjects.

And in particular a significant result of the study was that the requirements of overweight people for taking antihypertensive drugs would be lowered “substantially” by increasing the intake of omega 3 fatty acids together with a weight loss regime in overweight hypertensives who were already medicating for hypertension.

These studies give us encouraging results about the abilities of omega 3 fatty acids to lower blood pressure and demonstrate a clear blood pressure fish oil link. Anyone who suffers from high blood pressure should take these results seriously.

Other than lowering blood pressure there are powerful reasons to take daily fish oil capsules. As previously mentioned the American Heart Association clearly indicates a minimum requirement for Omega3 intake for cardiovascular health, and there are also a range of other health conditions would benefit from an increase in intake of essential fatty acids.

Studies suggest that over 90 percent of the US population, including children, are deficient in dietary intake of Omega3 fats and for this reason almost all of us should be increasing our intake of omega 3. Blood pressure reduction, where needed, and good cardiovascular health are just the start of the health benefits that follow from an adequate intake of essential fatty acids.

However there is a conundrum when considering how to increase your intake of Omega3 fats. Obviously you can do this by eating fish. However fish is contaminated with toxins such as mercury, PCBs, pesticides and heavy metals and the FDA recommend against eating too much fish for this reason. And it is only certain types of fish, namely oily fish, that are high in omega 3. And fish is very expensive.

There is however a safe and cost-effective way to ensure that you can increase your daily intake of omega 3 from fish oil and this is by undertaking daily supplementation with high quality omega 3 capsules. The best omega 3 supplements are completely free of contaminants and can safely be taken daily, and are much more cost-effective than trying to eat fish regularly, even if you want to take the risk of eating contaminated fish.

Note that there are wide variations in the quality of various omega 3 capsules available. DHA is the most important omega 3 fatty acid and the amount of DHA found in the various capsules varies wildly. The best fish oil supplements contain more than twice as much DHA as average supplements.

So it is clear, if you suffer from hypertension, that there are good reasons to increase your intake of fish oil. Blood pressure results should be positive and you also have a wide range of other health reasons to supplement your diet with daily fish oil capsules. Read the rest of this entry

Children, Omega 3 and the healthy development of our kids. Our kids need fish oil for brain development, and more.

The benefits of increasing our intake of omega 3 essential fatty acids are well-established, for both adults and children. Omega 3 essential fatty acids are very important for a wide range of health reasons.

Omega 3 fats are found in fish oil. Kids, or at least their parents, need to ensure that there is an adequate supply of Omega3 fats in their diet. Lets examine the link between Omega 3 and children’s health.

A new Australian study from the University of Wollongong’s School of Health Sciences, undertaken by associate Professor Barbara Meyer, has found that most children do not eat enough fish and are deficient in the omega 3 essential fatty acids DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) , both found primarily in fish oil. Professor Meyer has now submitted a paper for publication in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition publishing her findings.

These findings include that 3 year old children in Australia consumed, on average, just 47 milligrams of omega 3 essential fats and 4 to 8 year olds just 55 milligrams. Her description of these intakes of Omega3 fats was that they were “desperately low”. And these figures represent less than 10 percent of the Australian National Heart Foundation recommended intake of 500 milligrams per day. She says that only 6 percent of Australian children are meeting the recommended dietary intake.

Clearly our kids should increase their intake of omega 3. Kids can do this by increasing their intake of fish, as well as increasing their intake of some omega 3 fortified foods. For example there are omega 3 fortified eggs available, though they are sometimes hard to find.

The best way to increase the dietary intake of Omega3 fats is from supplementation with fish oil. Kids can take omega 3 supplements, though in some cases may struggle with the capsules, these often being too large for kids to take. The author of this article has children, and overcomes this problem by cutting the end off the capsule and pouring the fish oil into a teaspoon, and giving it to his children with their breakfast.

So let’s examine some more of the information provided by Professor Meyer about the importance of increasing the intake of omega 3 in children. Omega 3 essential fatty acids are important to a whole range of children’s health issues.

Firstly Professor Meyer suggests that children’s intake of Omega3 fats should begin during pregnancy, and that pregnant women should ensure they ate fish during pregnancy, though she warns about the problem of mercury contamination in fish. This can be overcome conveniently by supplementing the diet of pregnant women with high quality fish oil supplements, many of which (though not all) are adequately decontaminated and do not harbor nasty toxins like mercury, PCBs, pesticides and heavy metals routinely found in fish.

Professor Meyer also points out that the last trimester of pregnancy is extremely important to the growing fetus as this is the time when the fetus is developing its brain, and omega 3 essential fats are highly important to brain development. And Professor Meyer also notes that the first 2 years of an infants life are equally important to brain development. However it is not just brain development that is benefited by an increased intake of fish oil. Children have other developmental requirements that are also benefited by an adequate level of Omega3 intake.

An inadequate level of intake of omega 3 in children can place them, over time, at increased risk of asthma, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), retarded brain development, reduced development of the vision and even at the risk of heart disease, and more.

Clearly there are powerful reasons for us to ensure that our kids have sufficient dietary intake of fish oil. Kids, in our modern society, do not eat enough fish, if any, and this is placing their health and proper development at risk.

It is too late to start omega 3 supplementation when children are old enough to start taking Omega 3 capsules. As the author does, it is better to ensure, right from birth, that we are maximizing the chances of children’s brain development and better health in our children. Omega 3 can be conveniently given to them merely by removing the oil from the capsule and sprinkling it on their breakfast. They don’t even know it is there.

Of course it is quite possible to increase children’s intake of fish. However there are some issues with this. The obvious one is mercury contamination of fish, as previously mentioned, and for this reason the FDA recommends that we limit our intake of fish. Pregnant women should be especially careful, and some cans of salmon carry warnings about intake by pregnant women.

Secondly fish can be very expensive and high quality fish oil supplements can be much more cost-effective. And thirdly, in the author’s experience, it can be particularly difficult to convince young children to eat fish. Of course fish can be disguised in food however it is difficult to ensure an adequate intake of fish every week in this way.

The best way to ensure an adequate level of intake of omega 3 in children is supplementation. That is why the author supplements the diet of his own children with fish oil.

It is also important to understand that there are big differences between the various omega 3 capsules available on the market. There are differences in the amount of DHA, (the most important of the omega 3 fatty acids) found in most capsules. Some capsules have way more DHA than others, and for this reason it is very difficult to compare the price of the different Omega 3 capsules available, because one capsule cannot adequately be compared with another.

There are also issues to consider about the effectiveness of the fish oil in the capsules, and in particular its freshness, as many omega 3 supplements use rancid fish oil. Fish oil can oxidise very quickly.

In our view the fish oil capsules from Xtend Life are the best available. They are the capsules that the author uses for his own family, merely emptying the oil out before giving it to his children.

After extensive research including consideration of the freshness of the fish oil used, the effectiveness of the fish oil mixture, the amount of DHA in the capsules and a range of other factors the author has decided that the fish oil capsules by Xtend Life are the best available anywhere in the world. Read the rest of this entry

DHA is in fish oil. Breastfeeding mothers ought also have enough of it in their milk.

For quite some time now the benefits of breastfeeding have been well recognized. However it is now becoming equally well recognized that there are many benefits to a growing baby from an adequate consumption of DHA. Breastfeeding is how a growing baby sources it’s DHA, the most important omega 3 essential fatty acid.

There are 2 principal Omega 3 essential fatty acids, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) that are now well recognized as essential to the health of all people, including growing babies and even including fetuses. An adequate intake of DHA is very important for the health of a growing fetus right from day one and we have written about the importance of an adequate intake of omega 3 during pregnancy.

But maintaining an adequate supply of omega 3 fats for the mother should not just stop at the end of pregnancy and birth of the baby. One of the most important breastfeeding tips is for the mother to maintain an adequate intake of DHA and EPA for the health of the growing baby during breastfeeding.

Omega 3 essential fatty acids are not produced in the body and the only source of these essential fats is food. Of course the only food that a baby eats is milk, and for breastfed babies it is breastmilk. So if DHA and EPA are important to the development of growing babies then it’s essential that they be found in the mothers breastmilk. This is one of the most important aspect of breastfeeding. Diet is very important to all of us, including babies.

Why is it essential that a baby get an adequate supply of DHA from breastfeeding? DHA is very important for a range of reasons including improving learning ability, improving memory, improving vision and more.

Here’s a quote from the website of Dr. Bruce Holub, a noted Emeritus professor in the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelf, and previous president of the Nutrition Society of Canada.

“Supplementation of breast-feeding women with 200 mg DHA/day for four months after delivery resulted in higher circulating levels of DHA in their blood plasma phospholipid and higher scores on the Bayley Psychomotor Development Index at 30 months of age. Positive relationships have also been reported for high levels of DHA in mothers’ milk and visual development in term infants as well as optimized arousal in newborn infants. A Norwegian study indicated that women who supplemented their diet with 1183 mg DHA and 803 mg EPA per day for a 3 month period after delivery, after supplementing at a similar level from week 18 of pregnancy, gave rise to young children at four years of age who exhibited more favourable mental development based on the augmentation of their IQ assessments.”

Studies have shown that the average American, in fact over 90 percent of us, are deficient in the important omega 3 essential fatty acids. These important fats are found in fish. A diet high in fish and other seafoods should produce adequate levels of Omega3 fats in the body, however almost none of us eat sufficient fish for this to be the case.

Fish is not a huge part of our diet for a number of reasons. It is expensive and it is also well-known that most fish is now contaminated with a range of toxins including mercury, and for this reason the FDA recommends that we do not eat too much fish.

It is possible to get an Omega 3 fat, called ALA, from plant sources however this is nowhere near as beneficial as DHA and EPA and a diet high in plants containing ALA is not sufficient to produce sufficient Omega3 fats, including DHA, in the breastmilk.

DHA is found in fish oil. Breastfeeding mothers should not eat too much fish for reasons of contamination however the best way to get an adequate dietary intake of DHA is taking high quality fish oil supplements. These are contamination free, are relatively cost-effective and can be taken daily. By taking daily supplements of fish oil breastfeeding mothers can ensure adequate levels of DHA in their milk.

As can be seen there are significant benefits to growing babies from the essential omega 3 fatty acids found in fish oil. Breastfeeding mothers ought be aware of the importance of maintaining a daily intake of DHA and EPA.

As noted the best way to do this is taking daily fish oil capsules. Omega 3 supplements are a simple, inexpensive and safe way to maintain adequate levels of Omega3 fats. However it is also important to note that not all Omega 3 capsules are as good as others.

There are wide variations in the amount of DHA present in the different brands of fish oil capsules and also variations in the effectiveness of the fish oils. In our view the fish oil capsules from Xtend Life represent both the best value and most effective available.

We have also written an article on how to compare fish oil capsules if you wish to read it. Read the rest of this entry