Is Fish Oil Really Better For Your Health Than Flax Seed Oil?
Joe Dungait | January 11, 2010When it comes down to which is best for you flax seed oil or fish oil,there is still a lot of debate. Both of these oils contain omega3 which are beneficial for your health anyway, however there is a slight difference in the essential fats that are contained within the omega3′s and because of this for me fish oil has a slight advantage over flax seed oil, and carries more benefits for your health.
Flax seed oil contains the omega3 essential fat ALA. The omega3 in the oily fish contains the two essential fats DHA and EPA. The ALA fat is quite common in our diet anyway, because if we buy foodstuff that says it has omega3 in its, that it is normally this kind of omega three. One thing to note is that the ALA fat is in fact the parent fat, and what this means is that it can turn into the the other two essential fats. However, for us to really have any health benefits from this fat would mean eating huge amounts of flax seed because the percentage of converts is tiny.
So what is so special about the essential fats found in fish oil?
The essential fats found in the oily fish have many health benefits for you, and even though research has beeen conducted into these essential fats since the 1970s, scientists are still uncovering new revelations about these oils and how they can help your health. The first instance that scientists realized how beneficial fish oil was to the body was in the way that it helped to protect the heart. Fish oil protects the heart in many different ways but probably the most significant is in the way that it helps to thin the blood and reduce the amount of plaque that builds up within it. The importance of this is in the fact that it is plaque build up that can clog the arteries and also create clots which ultimately can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Another way it can help prevent strokes is by ensuring that the heart has a regular rhythm, because if the rhythm becomes irregular then this can lead to pools of blood forming which leads to strokes.
But it doesn’t stop there, it is also now known that there is a lot of DHA fat in the brain, it in fact acts as a membrane around the cells which the neurons passes through to get from cell to cell. If we do not have enough DHA in our diets than the body substitutes it with DPA fats which are not as flexible and therefore the neurons cannot pass through properly. It is thought now that this can lead to conditions such as depression mood swings and ADHD in children.
But we are not done yet. It has been well documented that fish oil can help conditions such as arthritis, and it is also known that the reason behind arthritis is inflammation. What is now also known is that inflammation is also behind other conditions as well such as aneurysms and unexpected fatal heart attacks; and the fish oil omega3 can help prevent these too by reducing the amount of inflammation that occurs. The reason behind this is that when the DHA is in the body several events occur which results in the DHA turning into something that is known as Resolvin D2. This Resolvin D2 then goes on to create nitric oxide in the body, and when nitric oxide is present excessive inflammation cannot occur.
There are many other health advantages that fish oil has over flax seed oil, and I cover these and more details at my website where you can also get your free five-part guide explaining all about the benefits omega3. You can get your diet today by visiting http://best-supplements.info
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