You may not realize it yet but you may not be able to take Omega 3 capsules for much longer.

If you understand the health benefits of taking Omega 3 fish oil supplements, and if you take those supplements or intend to, then you’d be forgiven for assuming that you could continue to take them as long as you want.

NOT SO.

Yes unfortunately it’s true. Actions proposed by the FDA, with the support of the pharmaceutical industry, potentially mean that virtually all nutritional supplements, including Omega 3 supplements, may well become illegal and will be taken off the market.

It is complex, and rather than describe the entire process to you, which we confess we don’t fully understand yet, we suggest you read this page, (below). It’s long, but take the time to read it all, and particularly if you live in the US, go to the bottom of that page and take action.

Here’s the page to read, make sure you read it all.  CLICK RIGHT HERE TO READ MORE

This is crucial. The pharmaceutical industry is trying to protect its profits, with the support of the FDA, by taking away the right of nutritional supplement manufacturers to market their products. And thereby taking away your right to buy them.

So if you want to take Omega 3 supplements for the rest of your life, as we do, your voice must be heard.

TAKE ACTION TODAY, YOUR OWN HEALTH IS AT STAKE.

There is evidence that taking fish oil improves muscle growth from training in older women.

There is a growing body of evidence that increasing your intake of fish oil, or more specifically the Omega 3 fatty acids DHA and EPA found commonly in fish oil, can help increase muscle growth, muscle repair and improve the results that you get from exercising.

That may sound strange, however previous studies supporting this conclusion have now been joined by a new study, published in early 2012, suggesting that older women who undertake strength training can improve the results of that strength training by taking fish oil supplements.

In the new study, reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 45 healthy women around 65 years of age were studied. The study was undertaken in Brazil.

During the study these women were broken into 3 groups, all 3 involving the same amount of strengthening exercises undertaken 3 times a week for 90 days.

One of the groups of women undertook only the strengthening exercises. The 2nd group did the strengthening exercises plus took 2 grams of fish oil each day beginning on the 1st day, and the 3rd group took 2 grams of fish oil each day, but starting 60 days before beginning the exercise training.

As part of the study the muscle strength of the women was evaluated, and as you would expect all of the groups of women showed an improvement in muscle strength by the end of the study.

However the groups of women who supplemented the strength training with fish oil supplementation showed a greater increase in muscle strength than those who did not. There was no difference in the increase in muscle strength between the group who started the supplementation on the day the muscle training began, and the group who began 2 months before.

Of course as you get older you start to suffer from declining muscle capacity, and for this reason strength training may well be beneficial to older people. It seems, following the conclusions of this relatively small study, that you may well be able to improve your results by taking fish oil supplements as well.

This isn’t the only study showing some form of correlation between increasing muscle mass or capacity and taking fish oil supplements. It has been observed, for example, that cancer patients who take fish oil can retain muscle mass better than those who do not.

And some bodybuilders are being advised to add a dose of fish oil supplements to their muscle training to help build muscle mass. And it’s not just muscle mass, other reasons bodybuilders might consider taking fish oil include that there is evidence that increasing your intake of fish oil not only increases muscle mass but also helps reduce body fat, particularly around the abdomen.

And as we have noted elsewhere on this website, it is now commonly accepted that the Omega 3 essential fatty acids DHA and EPA are effective anti-inflammatories, this being one of the major reasons why they are effective in helping reduce symptoms of a number of different conditions. Highly trained athletes, including bodybuilders, are often prone to inflammatory injuries, often of the joints, and therefore fish oil supplementation may well help reduce the incidence of inflammation and associated injuries.

And of course there are the more general benefits. Supplementing with fish oil for muscle increase is just one. Reducing your likelihood of dying from a heart attack has to be good to everybody, not just bodybuilders.

And there are also specific advantages of fish oil supplementation for the older people amongst us. As well as taking fish oil for muscle strength, Omega 3 fats can help reduce your risk of macular degeneration, the major cause of blindness in the elderly, particularly in women. And there is strong evidence that the anti-inflammatory effects of the Omega 3 fats can also help in a regime designed to help treat arthritis.

So whether you’re an older female, like in the study, a bodybuilder or anyone, there are powerful reasons to consider increasing your intake of the Omega 3 essential fatty acids found in fish oil.

Confused about the correct fish oil dosage? Lets talk about that.

One of the most common questions we see is about the correct fish oil dosage. Constantly we see the question “how much fish oil should I take”?

Good question. How much do you take? What about the recommended dosage for fish oil capsules for someone with preexisting heart disease, do they take more Omega 3 supplements?

The first place to look is the website of the American Heart Association. The recognize the heart benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids, and they deal with the question of what is the proper dosage of fish oil for both people with no preexisting heart problems, and for those who do have preexisting heart conditions.

Lets look at what they recommend.

Firstly though, lets consider the source of the fish oil. Now of course you could get your fish oil from eating fish. That’s fine, but be aware that there are some problems associated with this, (apart from the fact that fish is very expensive and it’s cheaper to buy fish oil supplements).

The first problem is that fish are generally contaminated with various toxins, and the FDA recommend limiting your intake of fish for this reason.

This doesn’t apply to the best fish oil supplements, they go through a rigorous process to ensure that they are free from contaminants. Note that not all fish oil supplements are free from contaminants.

The next problem is how much Omega 3 polyunsaturated fats you get from different types of fish. The level varies from one type of fish to another, and it’s hard to know what you need to eat to get enough. Generally speaking oily fish such as mackerel, herring, sardines, lake trout, albacore tuna and salmon is better than non oily fish.

The AHA recommendations for people with no known heart health problems is for a minimum of 2 fish meals a week (of the right types of fish). Now of course as stated that doesn’t make it easy. What if you want to take quality fish oil capsules because fish is too expensive?

The AHA recommendation also includes the statement that “evidence from prospective secondary prevention studies suggests that taking EPA+DHA ranging from 0.5 to 1.8 grams per day (either as fatty fish or supplements) significantly reduces deaths from heart disease and all causes.”

So as a general rule, for healthy people, around .5 to 1.8 grams of EPA and DHA a day from fish or fish oil supplements.

For those with existing heart problems the recommendation is as follows:

For those with documented Coronary Heart Disease: 1 gram of EPA and DHA a day. (Note that those with known heart health problems should consult a doctor before starting any supplements, in fact anyone should).

And for those seeking to lower triglycerides: 2 to 4 grams per day. Again, consult your doctor.

So there’s some more specific recommendations.  Now lets look at another source.

In a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology on 11th August 2009 the recommendations are at least 500 mg per day for those with no known cardio vascular issues, and 800 to 1000 mg per day for those with known pre existing heart disease problems, of EPA and DHA.

The next question is, what ratio of EPA to DHA? There isn’t yet sufficient science to tell us, it’s still being studied.

So what can we deduce from all that? We can deduce that, firstly, the fish oil dosage for heart disease patients is higher than for people with no known heart disease.

And we can conclude that the science is still out on the exact dosage of fish oil that everyone should be taking. But it’s getting there. The dosage recommendations above are relatively clear.

Around 500 mg (1/2 gram) minimum of EPA and DHA a day for healthy people, and around 1000 mg (1 gram) a day for known heart disease patients, perhaps double for lowering triglycerides.

The best fish oil supplements contain 280 mg of DHA and 120 mg of EPA per capsule.  (That’s more than double the normal amount of DHA in most “average” capsules). A total of 400mg of DHA and EPA.

So 2 capsules a day will give you 800 mg in total, around the level proposed by the AHA. And the recommended dosage, (taken from the label), for adults is 2 capsules a day.

The conclusion therefore is that if you use the best fish oil supplements and have no known preexisting heart problems, just follow the recommended dosages listed on the label. Other fish oil supplements may require you to take 4 or 5 or more capsules, depending on the quantity of Omega 3 fats in the capsules. Read the rest of this entry

It may pay to consider what your Omega 3 Omega 6 ratio is.

We talk a lot about Omega 3 essential fatty acids on our website, and for good reason, they’re extremely important to your health, as long as you get enough. But today we wanted to look at Omega 6 fatty acids, and what the Omega 3 Omega 6 ratio is. And how it affects you.

Omega 6 fats are also essential fatty acids. Omega 6 is like Omega 3, we can’t make it in our bodies and so we need to get Omega 6 from our diet. However unlike Omega 3 fatty acids, which 90% if us are deficient in, we are not generally deficient in Omega 6 fats. Omega 6 fats are important for a number of reasons, including for maintenance of growth and for good general health. They are important for maintaining the health of the cells in the brain.

Omega 6 fatty acids can also go by the names n-6 fatty acids, w6 fatty acids and linoleic acids.

So whilst we need Omega 6 EFAs in our diet just like we need Omega 3, most of us get enough, if not too much, or way too much.

Omega 6 fats come from completely different sources than the Omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 6 fats are found in plant sources like many of our oils, particularly corn oil, safflower oil and sunflower oil, sesame oil and peanut oil. Soybean oil is almost all Omega 6 fat.

And because many of these oils are used in the production of many of the processed foods we eat, like margarine, they are also found extensively in a wide range of foods we eat every day.

On top of that our meat is now higher in Omega 6 than it was. In the past our beef came from grass fed animals. Cows that eat grass are higher in Omega 3, because it’s found in grass. But now our animals are mainly grain fed, and as you can see the oils from grains are high in Omega 6. So our meat is now much higher in Omega 6 than it was.

Now on to the Omega 3 Omega 6 ratio. It is thought that some time ago we ate roughly as much Omega 3 as we ate Omega 6, That makes an Omega 3 Omega 6 ratio of 1:1.

However our diets have swung much more in favor of a higher intake of Omega 6, and a much lower intake of Omega 3, from eating less fish and from less Omega 2 in meat.

Some scientists suggest that some of us may have an Omega 6 Omega 3 ratio that is as high as 10 times as much 6 as 3. So as you can see we don’t need any more Omega 6. Some estimates are even that some of us can be eating more than 20 times as much Omega 6 as 3, and we have even seen estimates of a ratio of 30 times as much Omega 6 as 3.

Although not fully understood it is thought that a diet high in 6 and low in 3 can lead to some health problems, and that our Omega 3 Omega 6 ratio should be somewhere much lower than it is now, perhaps around 1:3.

A high ratio, it is thought, can lead to thickening of the blood possibly leading to blood clots, a worsening of some autoimmune diseases and an increase in some inflammatory diseases, and more, including cancer. A lower ratio can is associated with a lower breast cancer risk. And there is a wide range of lifestyle diseases that are thought to be susceptible to a high ratio between the 2, including many that are related to inflammation in the body. Read the rest of this entry

Are you worried about taking drugs? Want to know how to lower your triglycerides naturally with a no risk product and some lifestyle changes?

Everyone knows about cholesterol. Good cholesterol, bad cholesterol, high cholesterol foods and so on. But triglycerides? Finding answers to the question of how to lower  your triglycerides usually starts with another question. What are triglycerides?

Everyone knows fat is bad for you. But is that true? No it’s not. Some fats are bad for you and some fats are good for you. Triglycerides are a form of fat and they’re one of the ones that are bad for you.

There’s all sorts of chemical explanations about what they are, but lets simplify it down for you. Triglycerides are a form of fat that is found in your blood. They get in your blood from what you eat.

Triglycerides are also formed in the body from the fats in the food you eat. This takes place while your food is being digested. Not all triglicerides are fat based, some can be formed from carbohydrates as well.

So why do some people have too high a level of triglycerides in their blood? From what they eat, from being overweight and from drinking too much alcohol. They can also come from various health conditions.

What foods are more likely to cause high levels? Those high in fats, and in particular saturated fat. Also high sugar foods. These are foods that you don’t want to eat too much. What you need to eat is foods to lower triglycerides.

What is the problem with too much triglycerides in the blood? They can lead to blood clots, which isn’t a good thing, and they can also cause your HDL (good cholesterol) to lower. Both of those are bad. Basically it’s linked to coronary artery disease.

And high triglycerides can be a risk factor in diabetes and thyroid problems as well as kidney disease. They can also contribute to health problems caused by high cholesterol.

So lets now look at how to lower triglycerides. If yours are too high you need to know this.

1. Eat the right diet to lower triglycerides. Foods that are lower in fat, fresh and good for your health. More fresh fruit and vegetables. Less high fat foods, less sugar. Cook with Olive oil or Canola oil.

2. Exercise more. Exercise helps a lot, and is good for you in so many other ways.

3. Lower your intake of alcohol.

4. Try to reduce your weight if it’s excessive.

5. Increase your intake of Omega 3 polyunsaturated fats. For example instead of eating steak tonight, eat an oily fish full of good Omega 3 fats.

The role of Omega 3 fish oils in lowering triglycerides.

It is now well established that increasing your intake of Omega 3 fats, found primarily in fish oils, is an important part of a good diet to lower triglycerides.

The American Heart Association tells us that we need to increase our intake of fish or fish oil supplements to combat a whole range of different heart conditions, including high triglycerides. That’s because fish and fish oil supplements are the best source of Omega 3 fats, and Omega 3s are a very important part of the best diets to lower triglycerides as well as an important part of our overall health generally.

Omega 3 fats are one of the good fats. Remember I said, not all fats are bad.

So if you’ve been wondering about how to lower your triglcyerides naturally, you do have options. There are well recognized ways to do this, including some dietary and lifestyle changes.

Look more closely at what you eat. Take time to exercise more, lose a little weight and increase your intake of protective Omega 3 fats from taking daily fish oil supplements and you’re on top of it.

Lastly, always consult your doctor. It’s always important for any health condition to do that.

How do you lower your triglycerides? Do all that and you’re on your way.

Note, more recent update. More and more we are reading about not only the health benefits of the Omega 3 fats, including to those with elevated triglycerides, but we are also seeing more and more about the negative health affects of too much Omega 6. Whilst we don’t intend to canvas the issue of Omega 3 vs Omega 6 in this article, we do suggest you consider not only the health benefits of Omega 3 but the negative effects of eating too much Omega 6.

To this end read our article about the Omega 3 Omega 6 ratio.