The American Heart Association recommends eating fish to obtain benefits from fish oils, but they state that fish oil pills are a convenient way to reap the rewards of omega-3 fatty acids. Although some complain about an unpleasant taste from fish oil supplements, a solution to minimize this effect is to store fish oil pills in the freezer.
Heart Health
An article written by CNNHealth.com explains that fish oil lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease. The omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil pills can lower triglycerides and blood pressure, slow plaque buildup in arteries and prevent arrhythmia. A healthy person who wants to prevent heart disease needs to take 500 milligrams per day. Someone currently at risk of heart disease needs to increase his daily dosage to 1,000 milligrams.
Reverse Memory Loss
The docosahexaenoic (DHA) in fish oil proves beneficial to elderly people who suffer from age-related memory loss and difficulty learning new things. Martek, an American bioscience company, conducted a study on elderly people who took 900 milligrams of fish oil per day. Martek claimed that the effects of fish oil on the elderly group turned back the memory clock by as much as three years.
Mental Illness
Associated Press medical writer Carla K. Johnson explains that one speculated cause behind schizophrenia is that fatty acids are handled differently by a system plagued with the disorder versus a normally functioning person. Those at risk for schizophrenia and those at the beginning stages did show improvement with supplementation of fats. For this kind of prevention or maintenance treatment, dosage needs to be 1,200 milligrams daily.
Weight Loss
Fish oil pills help support weight loss. The two essential fatty acids in fish oil pills are eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA), which work together to give the body the most benefits. These essential fatty acids work together to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or bad cholesterol, while raising the good high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Supplement-takers also report a decrease in cravings for unhealthy fatty foods, and they say the fish oil pills help to curb their hunger.
Inflammation and Arthritis
Eicosapentaenoic (EPA), one of the essential fatty acids found in fish oil, particularly helps with inflammation. This makes fish oil supplements ideal for someone with arthritis. Arthritis suffers should talk with their doctor about how to incorporate fish oil pills into their medication schedule and ensure that other prescription medicines will not interfere. Fish oil pills also prevent and help with other inflammatory diseases and conditions.
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