Fish is a low-fat, high-quality food with protein, enriched with omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins such as D and B2 (riboflavin). It is rich in calcium and phosphorus and it is a great source of minerals such as iron, zinc, iodine, magnesium, and potassium. The American Heart Association recommends eating fish at least two times per week as a part of a healthy diet. The protein, vitamins, and nutrients packed in fish directly contribute to lowering blood pressure and it also helps to reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and mackerel have fats that can produce fish oil, which is widely popular now in supplementation. Fish contains Omega-3 fatty acids which are recommended by health-care professionals to be included in the diet of an individual. Omega-3 acids are proved essential in cell building. And it is important to get them from our diet since the body cannot produce this type of acid. The most recent researches conducted reveal that Omega- 3 plays a significant role in brain and fetal development during pregnancy and infancy. Fish oil is believed and proven to provide numerous health benefits. Aside from this, there are also a lot of advantages by taking oil supplements.
Fish oil can:
• Improve brain development and memory.
• Reduce the risk of a heart attack.
• Reduce the risk of cancer.
• Help a lot during pregnancy.
• Help to improve the body overall.
There has been a lot of speculations about fish oil and its benefits. Researches had proved the numerous health benefits that fish oil can give. But every coin has two sides. So, it is possible for something beneficial like fish oil to have bad effects as well.
If you are planning to use fish oil supplements, then you would have to make sure that it would not be exposed to heat, light, and oxygen. When it is kept exposed for too long, it would get oxidized after reacting with the air. This results in the oil getting bad, and thereby losing its nutritional value. Moreover, bad fish oil and fatty acids are said to contribute to the development of cancer and other diseases.
Fish may increase the risk of bleeding, especially gastrointestinal bleeding. So if you notice red blood on your stool and vomiting blood, then you should consult a doctor or a health care professional immediately. Serious effects of over-consumption of fish include hemorrhagic stroke or bleeding in the brain. If you have diabetes, then it would also be better to check with your doctor whether taking fish oil supplements is safe. Taking fish oil supplements may sometimes result in hyperglycemia or high blood sugar. You should also be watchful or conscious of allergic reactions. Getting rashes, itching, swelling, wheezing and difficulty in breathing or swallowing are some of the symptoms of the allergic conditions that can arise from taking fish oil supplements.
To avoid such minor side effects, you can take the oil supplements along with your daily meals. This will help to get rid of the aftertaste and make it easier to digest. Then it will be less likely for you to experience abdominal or stomach pain. There are few who keep their supplements refrigerated. Keeping them frozen will help to lessen gastrointestinal problems or side-effects.
The reason why high-dose fish oil is so effective is that it reduces arachidonic acid (AA) which is the building block of pro-inflammatory eicosanoids. By taking it within 30 days, it will increase your levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Fish oil is the only dietary supplement that supports in treating chronic conditions like heart diseases, cancer, immunological and inflammatory diseases, and neurological conditions like attention deficit disorder, depression, multiple sclerosis, and different types of dementia. However, taking fish oil as defenses to silent inflammation has a disadvantage, it might lead you to contamination.