Thursday, July 24, 2014

Dr. Rhodes on the Benefits of Fish Oils



Why are fish oils recommended for so many different health conditions?

If you google fish oils and benefits you are bound to find a myriad of illness that they benefit.  Diabetes, ADHD, Alzheimer’s disease prevention, heart disease, kidney disease, obesity (I could go on and on) are all among the health conditions improved by eating fish oils.  But how could one oil help so many things? 

The answer is all about inflammation and a little hormone called PGE3 (prostaglandin E3).  Chronic inflammation is a part of most chronic diseases and PGE3 decreases inflammation.  It also decreases triglycerides, decreases platelet aggregation (makes your blood less likely to clot) and increases “good” cholesterol.   Amazing, right?!  Well, fish oils provide the “fuel” our bodies use to make PGE3.  This “fuel” is EPA and DHA, two essential fatty acids found in fish oil. 

The bottom line is taking fish oil reduces chronic inflammation, which reduces your risk of and the severity of the lengthy list of chronic diseases. 

Dr. Rachel Rhodes