What are the Benefits of Fish Oil?

1. Less Pain and Inflammation. Omega 3 fatty acids, particularly EPA, have a very positive effect on your inflammatory response. Through several mechanisms, they regulate your body’s inflammation cycle, which prevents and relieves painful conditions like arthritis, prostatitis, cystitis and anything else ending in “itis.”

2. Cardiovascular Health. Omega 3 fatty acids have also been proven to work wonders for your heart and the miles and miles of arteries and veins that make up your cardiovascular system. They help to lower cholesterol, tryglicerides, LDLs and blood pressure, while at the same time increasing good HDL cholesterol. This adds years to your life expectancy.

3. Protection from Stroke and Heart Attack. When plaque builds up on arterial walls and then breaks loose, it causes what’s known as a thrombosis, which is a fancy way of saying clot. If a clot gets stuck in the brain, it causes a stroke and when it plugs an artery, it causes a heart attack. Research shows omega 3 fatty acids break up clots before they can cause any damage. (ezinearticles.com/?7-Fish-Oil-Benefits-Proven-by-Research&id=415032)

The list of benefits continues, but what really got me thinking was a conversation I had with someone recently about taking high-dose fish oil. Fish oil is an anti-coagulate (blood thinner), so I typically caution people about going into surgery if you are on a high dose of the stuff. This is where dear old dad comes back into the equation. If fish oil can thin the blood, then why take the aspirin? There are plenty of high quality fish oils on the market that are distilled or refined so that the threat of mercury or PCB content is not an issue. If you’re not taking fish oil yet get to the store or order some online. The brands that I typically recommend at the gym are Barry Sears’ Zone brand or Nordic Naturals.