A large number of scientific research proves that fish food is beneficial to human health. The Dietary Guidelines revised in 2000 by the American Heart Association (AHA) encourage adults to eat fish (especially fatty fish) at least twice a week, including mackerel, salmon, herring, mackerel tuna, sardines, and salmon. Because these fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, the two main ones are eicosapentaenoic acid (epa) and docosahexaenoic acid (dha). In addition, taking soybean oil, vegetable oil or walnut oil, etc., the rich in linolenic acid (lna) can also be converted into omega 3 in the body.
Research has confirmed that fish oil has the following positive effects on human health:
1. Reduce the growth rate of coronary atherosclerotic plaques, thereby reducing the incidence of coronary heart disease. Danger. For people at high risk of coronary heart disease, AHA recommends taking 1 gram of EPA and DHA every day;
2. Reduce triolein levels. For people who need to regulate blood lipids, AHA’s recommendation is to take 2 to 4 grams of fish oil or omega 3 every day;
3. Reduce the occurrence of heart rhythm disorders;
4. For Cologne It is helpful for intestinal inflammation and colitis (can relieve intestinal inflammation); it can also reduce the adverse effects of environmental pollution on the body;
5. Mildly lower blood pressure;
6 .May reduce the occurrence of mental depression.
Overall, Omega 3 can reduce the incidence and mortality of cardiovascular diseases, and reduce the incidence of myocardial infarction, stroke and other events. The best source of Omega 3 is to eat fish directly.
Is deep-sea fish oil a medicine or a health product?
Deep-sea fish oil is a fish oil preparation that contains more omega 3, so it is effective in preventing cardiovascular disease. But it doesn't cure everything as advertised. The so-called deep sea fish oil actually refers to fish oil. The purpose of using "deep sea" is just to show that it is environmentally friendly and pollution-free. As we all know, water is flowing, and pollution cannot be limited to one place; fish also swim, and fish in the deep sea do not only stay in the deep sea. Therefore, all fish oil must be properly processed before it can be produced. Adult fish oil products. As for the words "Alaska" and other words, it is for commercial purposes.
Although it is said that Omega 3 in fish oil can prevent cardiovascular disease, commercially available fish oil preparations are currently approved as food additives (also known as health products). They are not drugs. Can't cure disease. If you really suspect that you have a disease, you must be treated under the guidance of a doctor. Even if you use health care products, it is best to do it under the guidance and recommendation of professionals.
Adults, especially those with a family history of cardiovascular disease or high-risk factors (hypertension, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, obesity, lack of exercise, long-term excessive smoking and drinking, etc.), should pay attention to strengthening physical exercise and correcting high-risk factors. Factors, while changing the diet structure and appropriately supplementing fish oil preparations.
Who will regulate deep-sea fish oil?
Currently, the most common fish oils on the market mainly come from the United States and Australia. The United States is the largest producer and market of fish oil. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the production quality and marketing of food additives, including strict control over advertising and product labeling. The production of fish oil must also be carried out in FDA-approved production facilities. On September 8, 2004, the FDA solemnly announced that the instructions for fish oil preparations can be labeled with the label that omega-3 fatty acids containing EPA and DHA can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, but the instructions must include polyunsaturated fatty acids, saturated fatty acids, Monounsaturated fat and cholesterol content are strictly labeled.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not have strict quality controls for fish oil products not sold in the United States. Therefore, when purchasing imported fish oil products, Chinese consumers should pay attention to whether they have quality certification from my country’s authoritative departments.
If not, its quality cannot be guaranteed.
Taking fish oil of substandard quality may cause many side effects to health. Pregnant women and children taking too many improperly processed fish oil preparations may cause heavy metal poisoning, especially mercury poisoning. In addition, if consumers have questions about the products they are using or experience side effects, they should directly consult their local food and drug regulatory authorities.
It is particularly worth mentioning that fish oil is not the only source of polyunsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids are not the only nutrients and health care ingredients our bodies need. Health care needs to be individualized. Never watch what others eat and just follow suit. Be sure to tailor your health care plan to each person's unique needs.
How to supplement deep sea fish oil?
Since the day it was discovered that the health of the Eskimos is closely related to their diet, medical research around the world has confirmed that regular consumption of fish or omega-3 fatty acids extracted from fish can help improve health. , Resist disease. Unlike the Eskimos who waited by the ice caves to guess when they would be able to wait for their next seafood meal, modern consumers are troubled by: too many choices. In this case, the question faced by every consumer is: how to eat and supplement this nutritional ingredient. Various trademarks, including Alaskan deep-sea fish oil, Australian cold-water fish oil, refined fish oil, and concentrated fish oil, can reach more than 50 types during the peak market season. Each product advertisement has its own version, which poses many problems to people who pursue perfection. Some people change dressings regularly, fearing that they may not be able to reap all the benefits. Is there any simple way to help consumers make choices that suit their needs easily and calmly?
Medical experiments show that adults consuming 0.5 to 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids every day can help the body maintain a healthy state. This means that eating fish 2 to 3 times a week can meet your needs. If you cannot get enough fish oil from food for various reasons, you can make up for it by taking appropriate amounts of fish oil pills or fish oil preparations. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently proposed that adults should consume no more than 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids per day from fish and no more than 2 grams from fish products.
What are the quality standards for fish oil?
If you cannot absorb enough omega-3 fatty acids from food, you can use fish oil preparations extracted from fish through artificial methods to supplement your intake. No matter where the fish oil preparation is produced, the standards for considering its quality mainly include two aspects:
1. Content of active ingredients: There are two main functional ingredients of omega 3 fatty acids: 20 carbon atoms Pentaenoic acid (epa) and docosahexaenoic acid (dha). The two ingredients should generally be included in fish oil pills at the same time in a ratio of 2:1 or close to 2:1. The higher their total content, the more nutrients the fish oil pills contain. Fish oil preparations are nutritional supplements, and their composition includes active ingredients (epa and dha), media (such as vegetable oil, etc.), antioxidants (such as vitamin E, etc.) and capsules. Nutritional supplements are completely different from medicines, and the content of their active ingredients is sometimes somewhat different from what is shown in the instructions, or even differs greatly. A sampling inspection in 2000 found that the active ingredient content of some fish oil preparations imported from China was only 10% of what was stated on the label. Therefore, when purchasing, pay attention to the reputation of the manufacturer and the inspection certificate of the authoritative department.
2. Purity of fish oil preparations: When taking fish oil preparations, in addition to getting enough nutrients, you also hope to avoid eating harmful substances as much as possible. Fish oil may contain toxic substances such as PCBs, dioxins, and mercury. Among them, polychlorinated biphenyls can cause multiple organ dysfunction. These harmful substances can only be removed through rigorous processing. Impurities in fish oil also include denatured products of the active ingredients EPA and DHA. The two carbon atoms in the epa and dha molecules are connected by a "double bond". Specific double bonds are sensitive to temperature and light, and are easily oxidized into more stable "single bonds". With just one word difference, the active ingredient becomes an inactive ingredient. What you get in exchange for spending money is no longer "brain gold", but just beautifully packaged "vegetable oil".
Since omega-3 fatty acids are chemically easily denatured, many manufacturers add vitamin E to fish oil to prevent and delay the loss of nutrients. Even so, you should pay attention to the expiration date of the product when purchasing.
Medical research shows that there is no significant difference in the health-promoting effects of omega-3 fatty acids produced from different origins. If handled properly, there is no necessary relationship between the purity of the product and the fishing waters. "Alaska Deep Sea Fish Oil" is the trade name of a fish oil preparation, which is purely for commercial purposes and is not a local specialty.
Five major problems with deep-sea fish oil
When choosing fish oil preparations, we need to pay attention to understand the five major problems.
Can people with dyslipidemia completely regulate their blood lipids by taking deep-sea fish oil?
It is well known that epa and dha contained in fish oil can regulate blood lipids, but this does not mean that people with dyslipidemia can only rely on taking fish oil preparations such as deep-sea fish oil to regulate blood lipids. We advocate eating more fish food and supplementing with fish oil preparations appropriately, mainly to improve the fat intake structure in the body, increase the intake of unsaturated fatty acids, and reduce the intake of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol, thereby reducing the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Rate. For people who already have dyslipidemia, increasing their intake of fish oil can prevent further deterioration of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. People with mild dyslipidemia can also regulate their blood lipids by consuming fish oil or fish oil preparations to return them to normal. Play a role in health care. However, for those with obvious abnormal blood lipids, they must take blood lipid-regulating drugs under the guidance of a physician to control the disease.
Can people with high blood pressure and diabetes take deep-sea fish oil to treat their diseases?
There are currently many advertisements claiming that deep-sea fish oil can treat high blood pressure and diabetes. These claims lack scientific basis. According to the analysis of the ingredients contained in fish oil, we can find that fish oil can neither be used as an antihypertensive drug nor a hypoglycemic drug. It is not even a drug at all. It cannot replace the role of antihypertensive and hypoglycemic drugs at all, and certainly cannot treat high blood pressure and diabetes. However, patients with hypertension and diabetes can change their diet by taking fish oil or fish oil preparations to further reduce the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. In other words, it can only be used as a means of self-care for patients with hypertension and diabetes.
Can pregnant women prevent infant allergies by taking fish oil supplements?
In general, children with a family history of allergies are at increased risk of developing allergies. A recent report in the journal Allergy and Clinical Immunology confirmed that women with a history of hay fever or asthma taking fish oil capsules during pregnancy can help prevent allergies in their babies. Researchers surveyed 98 pregnant women and asked some of them to take fish oil capsules and others to take capsules containing olive oil. They took 4 capsules a day from 20 weeks after pregnancy until delivery. The researchers then collected the baby's umbilical cord blood, from which cells were extracted for analysis. It was found that those pregnant women who supplemented fish oil gave birth to babies with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their cell membranes. In addition, the infants' immune cells were less reactive to allergens than those in the control group. Pregnant women who took fish oil supplements during pregnancy were three times less likely to be allergic to eggs when their babies were tested for skin allergies at 1 year old. Such babies are more likely to develop eczema on their skin, but are less likely to develop severe eczema.
This is mainly due to the fact that fish oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which have anti-inflammatory effects and can promote the development of the immune system. However, this is only the first time that scientists have studied the impact of fish oil preparations on infants’ immune systems. There is still much work to be done further. Some people believe that the gradual increase in the incidence of allergic diseases in the West in recent decades may be related to the decrease in omega-3 fatty acids in their diets. Fatty fish like salmon and sardines are the main source of omega-3 fatty acids in food. Next, we should conduct larger studies to confirm whether children exposed to fish oil capsules in the mother's womb can reduce the risk of allergies in the long term.
Can people with bleeding disorders take fish oil?
The epa contained in fish oil can inhibit platelet aggregation, dilate blood vessels and resist thrombosis. It can also reduce blood viscosity, enhance red blood cell deformability, and improve platelet membrane fluidity. Therefore, after ingesting a large amount of EPA, there may be a temporary decrease in platelets and prolonged bleeding time.
For people who already suffer from bleeding disorders, whether the mechanism causing bleeding is thrombocytopenia or coagulation factor deficiency, they should not take fish oil preparations for a long time. Treatment should focus on treating bleeding disorders. However, there is currently no sufficient reason for patients with bleeding disorders to give up eating fish. They can consume fish to supplement unsaturated fatty acids and reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease.
Can deep-sea fish oil and lecithin be taken at the same time?
Elderly people can achieve complementary effects by taking lecithin while taking fish oil. Because the metabolites of fish oil when regulating blood lipids must be metabolized by the liver, this increases the burden on the liver (the liver of the elderly is more susceptible to damage). Taking fish oil and lecithin together not only helps regulate lipids, but also lecithin can enhance the excretion function of the liver, thereby protecting the liver from damage. Therefore, some nutritionists suggest that middle-aged and elderly people should take one fish oil preparation in the morning and one lecithin capsule in the evening.
It’s a bit embarrassing not to comment on the quality of other people’s products! ! !