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Fish oil and weight loss
Author: David McEvoy
Article:
Many people still struggle to lose weight despite the huge
number of weight loss products and diet supplements on the
market which would suggest that they might not be the ideal
solution. However, one recent study has found that simply taking
fish oil supplements on a daily basis could help promote weight
loss and combat obesity.
The study was conducted by the University of South Australia in
2006 and without making any modifications to diet, those taking
fish oil supplements and walking or running for 45 minutes three
times a week lost an average of two and half kilograms of weight
over the period of the trial whereas there was little difference
in the other groups. Not only that, instruments used to measure
body fat composition found that those taking the fish oil also
had a significant reduction in body fat. The results suggest
that weight loss can be accelerated when fish oil is combined
with moderate amounts of exercise.
So why would fish oil make such a difference?
Fish oil contains the essential Omega 3 fatty acids
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and
as these fats cannot be synthesised in the body, they have to be
obtained from the diet. Most of us do not get adequate amounts
of Omega 3 fatty acids in our diet and some health professionals
believe that this is responsible for a number of diseases that
are on the increase in the 21st Century such as heart disease,
inflammatory diseases, allergies and even depression. So what
impact does Omega 3 fatty acids have on our weight?
Many people who try to lose weight believe that they have to cut
out as much fat as possible. This is simply not the case and
indeed, extremely low fat diets can be harmful as the body needs
a certain amount of fat to survive. The secret lies in getting
the right kind of fat. The types of fats to be avoided are the
"trans" fats or hydrogenated fats that are found in abundance in
processed foods. This type of fat will not facilitate weight
loss and indeed is harmful to the body in general. Omega 3 fatty
acids on the other hand can improve fat metabolism.
Another important consideration is the amount of
pro-inflammatory Omega 6 fatty acids that are consumed in
relation to the amount of Omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 6 fatty
acids are also essential but are generally abundant in Western
diets in meat and dairy products, in vegetable oils and in
processed foods. The important Omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA
are only found in any significant quantities in oily fish like
Salmon, Sardines, Tuna and Mackerel, and of course in fish oil
supplements. The other plant based Omega 3 fatty acid is alpha
linolenic acid (ALA) and this can be found in dark green leafy
vegetables and flax seed oil but the body is not efficient at
converting this into the really important EPA and DHA.
The truth is anyone who restricts calorie consumption and
increases the amount of calories they burn off will eventually
lose weight. However, it is healthy weight loss that is the
ideal as this is the only way that the weight will come off and
stay off. The South Australian study suggests that weight loss
can be achieved by taking fish oil and some exercise without
making any changes to the diet. It would be reasonable then to
surmise that even greater results might be achieved by making
some alterations to the diet along with taking fish oil and some
moderate exercise.
Fish oil supplements
There are other health benefits to taking fish oil supplements
than promoting a healthy weight loss. Fish oil is known to
reduce inflammation and offer protection against heart disease
and depression and a whole host of other health problems. You
could also try adding more fish to your diet but the current
recommendation is to limit consumption of fish due to the amount
of toxins they can contain, like Mercury and PCBs for example.
So, fish oil would seem the ideal way to get enough Omega 3
fatty acids into the diet to make a difference, however, a word
of warning. As fish oils are produced from fish, they too can
contain unhealthy levels of toxins unless it is high quality
fish oil that has been through processes such as molecular
distillation to remove these toxins so shop around for a good
one first.
Conclusion
More research is required to establish just how effective fish
oil is at promoting weight loss but in the meantime, there is
every reason to believe that fish oil is certainly worth a try,
not only might you shed some extra pounds, you could improve
your general health too.
About the author:
Dave McEvoy is an expert in omega 3
fish oil EPA with over 20 years experience; for more
information about fish oil and how it can help with
weight loss please come and visit our site.
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