You can get beneficial fish oils by consuming fatty fish, such as mullet, mackerel, salmon, tuna, sturgeon, bluefish, sardines, anchovy, herring, menhaden and trout, or by taking fish oil supplements. Eating fish is better than taking supplements since the fish also provide you with protein and beneficial vitamins and minerals.
Fish Oil and Blood Pressure
One of the benefits of consuming fish oil is that it may help to lower your blood pressure. Although fish oil contains fat, it is mainly the beneficial unsaturated fats, including omega-3 fats, rather than the unhealthy saturated fats that raise your blood pressure. Fish oil only lowers blood pressure by a small amount in both adults and children, however, especially if you only consume low doses of fish oil. This effect seems to be due to fish oil causing your blood vessels to expand.
Other Fish Oil Benefits
Fish oil may also lower your triglyceride levels, as well as your risk for heart disease, heart attacks, stroke, menstrual pain, osteoporosis, hardening of the arteries, kidney problems, age-related macular degeneration, endometrial cancer and high cholesterol. It may also help treat rheumatoid arthritis, ADHD, Raynaud's syndrome, depression, bipolar disorder and psoriasis, according to MedlinePlus.
Dosage
If you are a healthy adult, eat at least two servings of fish per week, recommends the American Heart Association. Consume between .3 g and .5 g the omega-3 fats DHA and EPA, and between .8 g and 1.1 g of alpha-linolenic acid per day, according to the World Health Organization. Doses between 1 g and 9 g of fish oil per day may be used to treat certain health conditions. Children should only take fish oil under a doctor's supervision.
Safety
Doses of up to 3 g per day are generally safe, according to MedlinePlus. Higher doses may increase the risk for bleeding, decrease immune function and increase LDL cholesterol levels. People with liver disease, HIV/AIDS, diabetes or implanted defibrillators should not take fish oil supplements. Some birth control medications, anti-clotting medications and high blood pressure medications may also interact with fish oil. Some people experience gastrointestinal side effects, including bloating, indigestion, acid reflux and abdominal pain when taking fish oil supplements.
References
- MedlinePlus; Fish Oil; Nov. 18, 2010
- MayoClinic.com; Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Fish Oil, Alpha-linolenic Acid; April 1, 2011
- "Journal of Hypertension"; Blood Pressure Response to Fish Oil Supplementation: Metaregression Analysis of Randomized Trials; J.M. Geleijnse, et al.; August 2002
- Reuters.com; Should Some Kids Take Fish Oil Supplements?; Lynne Peeples; June 8, 2010
