Fish oil capsules, or what are sometimes called Omega 3 capsules, help with a weight loss program

Fish oil capsules, or what are sometimes called fish oil supplements or Omega 3 supplements, contain the essential fatty acids DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) and EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid). These are generally known as the Omega3 fatty acids, though there are others. Let’s examine whether taking fish oil caps can have a role in an effective weight-loss program.

First let’s understand exactly what the Omega 3 fatty acids are. They are called essential fatty acids because they are very important to the overall health of the body however they cannot be manufactured in the body and so must be obtained through the diet. The vast bulk of our Omega 3 consumption in the past has come through eating fish in particular and seafood in general.

Over the last hundred or so years the role of fish in our diet has declined dramatically and many people now eat no fish at all. There were also Omega 3 fatty acids in our beef and eggs, however modern methods of feeding our animals has meant that there is now very little in either of these sources.

And modern research is finding that this reduction in our intake of Omega 3 fatty acids has significant implications for our health. However this reduction may also have implications for those seeking to lose weight.

Researchers have found that increasing your intake of the omega 3 essential fatty acids helps you lose weight. There is a hormone called leptin. This hormone has a role in regulating your appetite, and of course regulating your appetite plays a large part in any effective weight loss program.

When your body’s store of leptin is too low your appetite will be higher because it is more difficult to feel full. However as your store of leptin increases your appetite would reduce because of the reverse effect.

And it has been found in research that increasing your intake of the essential fatty acids, commonly by use of fish oil capsules, helps your body increase the rate at which it produces leptin.

Of course simply adding a regime of fish oil capsules to your diet is unlikely, of it’s own, to result in you losing significant amounts of weight. However this is an important step in an overall weight-loss regime.

For example a study has also shown that regular exercise also increases the level of leptin sensitivity, thereby also producing the result that appetite may be reduced. So there is no doubt that exercise also plays a part. Read the rest of this entry

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There is now a clear fish oil weight loss link. Why would Omega 3 fats help with losing weight?

Have you heard about the benefits of fish oil? Weight loss may be one of those benefits that you hadn’t thought about. There are now scientific studies linking fish oil and weight loss and today we wanted to look at the link between fish oil supplements and weight loss.

The science seems to suggest that one of the best ways to improve any weight loss program, along with a balanced diet and exercise, is to have an adequate supply of Omega 3 essential fatty acids. The 2 most important of these essential fatty acids are called DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and apart from eating lots of fish the best way to get these is using Omega 3 supplements.

There’s several reasons why an adequate supply of DHA and EPA helps in losing weight. There is one reason you may never have thought of. If you’ve read the rest of our website you’ll see that fish oil supplements help improve the outcomes for people suffering from depression.

It is thought that this effect helps people who may be struggling psychologically with the difficulties of following a low-calorie diet and help them maintain a positive attitude and avoid some of the more negative psychological effects that some experience that cause them to struggle to maintain the diet.

It is now well understood that more DHA helps reduce the effects of depression. If you’re interested in finding more browse our depression category at the right.

But this isn’t the only fish oil weight loss link. The link between fish oil and weight loss has been studied extensively and a new study from Australia has recently been released about the benefits of fish oil for weight loss.

In this study researchers studied 124 adults classed as normal, overweight or obese. 63 were obese and 40 were overweight. Each of these subjects fasted for 10 hours and then blood samples were taken to measure their Omega 3 levels. (None of these people took fish oil supplements.)

There was a clear link between the levels of Omega 3 in their bodies and their weight. Those who were the heaviest had the least Omega 3 and those who had normal weight had the most Omega 3 in their bodies. The conclusion was that those who have higher levels of Omega 3 essential fatty acids tend to have lower weight and a smaller waistline and hips.

This demonstrates a clear link between taking more Omega 3 fatty acids in your diet and losing weight. It is not entirely clear how doing this works. There are some theories suggesting that an increase in Omega 3 essential fatty acids increases the feeling of fullness in people thereby helping reduce their intake of calories, and other studies suggest that Omega 3 fats help the body burn calories better.

And there is the reason previously mentioned, that an adequate supply of essential fatty acids helps maintain a positive attitude.

But it is generally estimated that around 90% of people in the US are deficient in Omega 3 essential fatty acids.

There is now a significant number of studies confirming a fish oil weight loss link and that using fish oil supplements for weight loss is a worthwhile strategy.

Of course whilst this may be true it is probably fair to say that adding more fatty acids to your diet is only one part of a successful weight loss program, that doing so in isolation will be unlikely to be successful. But seems that it may well be a part of the overall strategy. Read the rest of this entry

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