8+ Benefits Of Fish Oil In The Human Body

Your body needs a lot of Omega-3 fatty acids. The reason is that Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil provide many benefits for you ranging from reducing the risk of depression, mental cramps, heart diseases, mental disorders, and several other diseases.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 1-2 servings of fish per week in your meals. This helps in maintaining good health and reducing the risk of diseases.

Fish oil is also available in supplements but it does not serve as an alternative to whole foods because it does not contain the same amount of Omega-3 as the latter.

Therefore, the function of natural foods should not be taken lightly.

Fish oil provides more benefits to your body than you know, we'd discuss these benefits briefly.

What is Fish Oil?

Fish oil is extracted from fish tissue as fat or oil.

Mackerel, Herring, Tuna, Anchovies, and Salmon mostly contain omega 3. Studies have shown that not all fish produce fish oil. The human body also does not produce fish oil but benefits a lot from it.

Fish oil contains two omega acids called Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The other omega acid can be found in plants which is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).

EPA, DHA, Cod liver oil, Flaxseed oil, Krill oil, or Shark liver oil are not the same as fish oil. However, fish oil contains EPA and DHA.

Benefits of Fish Oil

Reduces the Risk of Heart Disease

Did you know that fish-eating communities have lower rates of heart diseases?

Studies have shown that people who eat a lot of fish have much lower rates of heart disease.

Fish oil reduces the risk factors that could lead to several heart diseases. For example, Fish Oil:

• Increases HDL cholesterol level.
• Lowers triglycerides by 15-30%.
• Reduces blood pressure in people with moderate to high blood pressure.
• Prevents plaques that cause the arteries to harden.
• Reduces the risk of hospitalization of people with heart failure.

All these reduce the chance of many heart diseases. However, studies have shown that it neither prevents heart attacks nor strokes.

Improves Mental Health of All Age Group

The brain is made up of Omega-3s acids and these acids are essential for the brain to properly function.

Studies have shown that people with certain mental disorders have lower omega-3 in their blood vessels.

Chances of having disorders like psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia can be reduced by consuming more fish oil.

Adults who eat more fish tend to have a slower tendency of memory loss. This helps in moments of brain decline which is inevitable as you age.

The possibility of Alzheimer's disease, a memory loss disease associated with old age is reduced.

Omega-3 slows the decline of brain functions and improves the memory of older adults.

Improves the Eye

DHA, one of the acids in Omega-3, is a major structural component of the retina. Lack of DHA in the eye could lead to vision problems.

Omega 3 reduces the risk of old age-associated diseases like Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD).

Infants' visual development improves during pregnancy and breastfeeding when fish oil is consumed.

Improves the Skin

The skin is one of the largest organs in the human body. Therefore, it contains a lot of omega fatty acids.

Aging and exposure to sunlight are the causes of skin decline and damage respectively. This could lead to disorders like Psoriasis and dermatitis.

Fish oil supplements can help prevent these possibilities.

Other skin benefits include:

• Manages oil production.
• Reduces premature aging of the skin.
• Reduces the risk of acne.
• Prevents hyperkeratinization of hair follicles.

Weight Loss

Did you know that around the world 39% of adults are overweight while 13% are obese?

Obesity increases the risk of getting heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other diseases.

Fish oil supplements in combination with diets or exercise can help improve your body composition which makes you lose excess weight. This reduces the risk factor for health diseases.

Reduces Liver Fat

The liver also plays a major role in weight gain.

The liver disease leads to fat accumulation in the liver.

Fish oil supplements improves liver function which reduce the chance of diseases and fat accumulation in the liver.

Depression

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the world. It has recorded one of the highest increases among disorders in recent times.

Fish oil supplements can reduce symptoms of depression. These symptoms include sadness, lethargy, and loss of interest in life.

EPA helps reduce these depressive symptoms.

Bone health

As you age, your bones begin to lose their essential materials which cause them to break. This breakage can lead to conditions like Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis which affect your skeletal system.

Omega 3 reduces markers of bone breakdown and boosts the amount of calcium in the bones.

Other benefits of Fish oil to the human body include:

• Improves behavioral disorders like inattention, impulsiveness, and aggression.
• Crucial for a child’s development during pregnancy and early life.
• Fights inflammation.
• Reduces childhood asthma and allergies.
• Supports pregnancy and early life.
• Improves length and quality of sleep.

Bottom Line

Fish oil is beneficial to most body parts like the eyes, brain, heart, bones, liver, etc. It prevents diseases and improves the functions of these body parts.

Many suffering from some diseases currently could have avoided it if only they'd supplied an amount of fish oil to their body.

Scientists have proven its acids are as essential to the body as water is.

And just in case you don't eat fish, fish oil supplements are a good alternative.