Sunday 2 October 2011

Why should I take Omega 3 Fish Oil capsules?

http://www.metabolicjumpstart.com/

Q: Why should I take fish oil capsules every day?

A: We all know the health benefits of regular physical activity, and we're increasingly aware of the benefits of consuming long-chain omega-3 fatty acids from fish or fish oil. But is combining fish-oil and exercise better than doing one or the other?


A group from the University of South Australia examined whether overweight people with cardiovascular disease risk factors could improve their health and drop more body fat by adding both a fish-oil supplement and more regular activity into their routines.

Their study participants were randomly placed in four groups. Group 1 added 6g of tuna oil (about 1.9g omega-3 fatty acids) to their diet as a control. Group 2 added 6g sunflower oil (an omega-6 oil) to their diet as a control. The third group took the tuna oil and walked 45 minutes three days a week, at 75 per cent of maximum heart rate; the fourth walked the same amount as the third, but added the sunflower oil instead of the tuna oil.

The 71 men and women who completed the study had cardiovascular testing conducted at 0, 6 and 12 weeks, and body composition testing using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry at 0 and 12 weeks.

The researchers found that taking the fish oil (6 x 1000mg capsules each day) and exercise interacted and reduced fat mass. After 12 weeks the omega-3 plus exercise group lost around 1.6 kg of body fat, compared to no change in body fat in the sunflower oil plus exercise group. This indicates that fish-oil supplementation and regular aerobic exercise together were effective in reducing fat mass - and suggesting potential gains in a combined strategy for weight-loss programs.

So how does the fitness-fish oil synergy work? The researchers suggested that having more omega-3s in your system may enhance fat burning by mobilising more fat from fat cells, increasing the amount of body fat oxidised for fuel or improving blood flow - which delivers more fat to exercising muscles.

Although the authors want more research to explore the mechanisms and check that the effect still works beyond 12 weeks, their research was the first to show a clear benefit with overweight and obese individuals.

Take Home: Fish-oil does have the cardiovascular benefits we've been told about, but it also reduces body fat mass when combined with exercise. And it does this by improving your metabolic fitness - that is, your ability to burn more fat with the same amount of exercise. If a supplement a day helps take the fat away, fish-oil capsules might become standard in fat loss programs.

Reference: Combining fish-oil supplements with regular aerobic exercise improves body composition and cardiovascular disease risk factors. Hill, A.M. et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 85 (May 2007).
extract from http://www.metabolicjumpstart.com/

No comments:

Post a Comment