Not all fats are unhealthy. Omega-3 fatty acids are one of the “good” types of fat. Western diets are rich in Omega-6 fatty acids, but low in omega-3. Adding Omega-3 will help balance the ratio between Omega-6 and Omega-3, associated with several health benefits.
Omega-3 is also important for growth and development, our cells, immunity, and may help lower the risk of heart disease, depression, dementia, and arthritis by their anti-inflammatory effects. Other observational studies have suggested a protective effect of n-3 on cancer and tumour growth; in particular, prostate, breast and colon cancer.
Benefits of athletes
For athletes, omega-3 helps the airways during exercise and improves blood flow by widening vessels and increasing nitric oxide. While these things are all POTENTIALLY good, a study measuring actual exercise performance after supplementing with krill oil wasn’t able to find any improvements.
Your body can’t make the omega-3 so you have to eat them (fish) or take supplements. Omega-3 fatty acids boost the increase muscle protein synthesis after protein ingestion, and help you recover faster. They also increase bleeding time; decrease platelet aggregation, thus decreasing the tendency for blood clots to form (as happens during heart attacks and strokes).
Consult your doctor!
Be aware however that you should consult your doctor before adding Omega-3 to your supplements if you are already on blood thinning medication like aspirin or warfarin, as the bleeding effects may multiply.
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EBT (Evidence Based Training) M.Ds with a passion for public health making fitness & nutrition science simple. Build muscle, burn fat, perform better. The information above is not medical advice.
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5. 10.1186/s12970-017-0192-9.
6. PMID: 12480795
