Fish Oil. Is it just for the old man with a heart problem? No way.
Omega-3 fatty acids and athletics.
Simopoulos AP.
The Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health, Washington, DC 20009, USA. cgnh@bellatlantic.net
Human beings evolved consuming a diet that contained about equal amounts of y-6 and y-3 essential fatty acids. Today, in Western diets, the ratio of y-6 to y-3 fatty acids ranges from approximately 10:1 to 20:1 instead of the traditional range of 1:1 to 2:1. Studies indicate that a high intake of y-6 fatty acids shifts the physiologic state to one that is prothrombotic and proaggregatory, characterized by increases in blood viscosity, vasospasm, and vasoconstriction, and decreases in bleeding time. y-3 fatty acids, however, have anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic, antiarrhythmic, hypolipidemic, and vasodilatory properties. Excessive radical formation and trauma during high-intensity exercise leads to an inflammatory state that is made worse by the increased amount of y-6 fatty acids in Western diets, although this can be counteracted by eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
For the majority of athletes, especially those at the leisure level, general guidelines should include EPA and DHA of about 1 to 2 g/d at a ratio of EPA to DHA of 2:1.
PMID: 17617998 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
So now that you want to take fish oil, you need some questions answered about omega 3's, essential fatty acids...you see these terms day in and day out in the news, on TV, on internet forums. So what's the big deal? What should the aspiring athlete supplement with fish oil? Here's a breakdown on everything you need to know about it.
Omega Three Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids (sometimes seen as n-3, ω-3, or O3) are from the family of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA); both omega-3 and omega-6 are considered essential fatty acids (EFA), meaning humans must obtain them from diet.
ω-3s can be further broken down into 7 separate fatty acids; ALA (Alpha Linolenic Acid), EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) and DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) will be discussed here in the context of fish oil supplementation.
ω-3s act as generalized anti-inflammatory agents in the body; their balancing (or unbalancing, as it is today) counterparts are the eicosanoids of the ω-6 family of PUFAs, which are involved in the inflammatory processes of the body. The issue in today's society is the ratio of ω-3 to ω-6 intake; by many accounts, this ratio is anywhere from 20:1 to 50:1 in favor of ω-6. In Paleolithic times, it was more along the lines of 2:1 or 3:1. This ratio, and the balance of, is essential to understanding why one should supplement with fish oil. It is also essential to note that ω-6, while being "pro-inflammatory", are also essential to bodily functions like clotting factors and immune response. As stated before, it is the ratio that is the issue.
Dietary sources ω-6 are found in whole grains, eggs yolks, meats and nuts; the majority of the ω-6 that is over consumed by North Americans comes in the form of linoleic acid (LA), found in corn, sunflower, and safflower and soyabean oil.
Dietary sources of ω-3 are found in fish, seed (flax), and nut (walnut) oils. In botanical dietary sources, EPA and DHA are not found (with the exception of microalgae); the ω-3 ALA is. While this is a beneficial EFA, the conversion to EPA and DHA in the body is extremely low, at rates of 2-15% and 2-5%, respectively. For those following a strict vegan diet, botanical sources of ALA may be the only rudimentary source of EPA and DHA.
Why Fish Oil?
Fish oil, specifically fatty cold water fish like mackerel, tuna, and salmon, contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids from eating smaller prey fish like herring and sardines; likewise, sardines and herring contain O3's from feeding off of microalgae that produce it. No other food source on the planet contains levels of EPA and DHA as high as are found in cold-water fish. Krill oil also contains high levels of EPA and DHA ( they feed on phytoplankton, much the same as herring and sardines); at this time, though, krill oil supplementation producers are limited and not as cost-effective or available as fish oil. As it becomes more popular, prices may drop. A discussion link on it can be found
here.
Why Not Just Take ALA?
As far as supplementing with ALA in the form of flax or other vegetable-based oils, unless one has a morale dilemma to consuming fish, it ultimately is a highly ineffective way of getting therapeutic amounts of EPA and DHA. To take from Dr. Eades book,
The Protein Power Lifeplan:
"Some people refuse to take (fish oil) because they can't stand the taste or they are vegans and refuse to eat food of animal origin. For these folks, flax seed oil is great. It gives them a great source of omega-3 fats that they otherwise wouldn't get. But taking flax seed oil is like buying crude oil and running it through your home distillery to make gasoline for your car. If that's the only way you can get gasoline, then that's what you have to do. if you can buy the gasoline already distilled, though, it's much more efficient to do that.
Lyle McDonald cites a recent study on ALA conversion, and also makes some excellent comments
here.
Another option for vegans are algae/spirulinabased EFA supplements that contain both EPA and DHA
What Kind of Fish Oil Should I Take?
There's lots of choices out there on the shelves, just like with any supplement. Which one should a guy (or gal) take, and which brands should one avoid? The answer is easier than you think; it's all in the label. Look for two things:
- Molecular Distillation
- Types of fish listed
- EPA and DHA content per capsule
Molecular distillation is essential; this can't be overstated. If it's not listed as such, the purity of the fish oil is questionable, and you may be doing yourself more harm than good. Molecular distillation (also called vacuum distillation) is used to separate oil from impurities like accumulated heavy ****ls at the cellular level. Centrifugal is the most common and effect method at the present time. Keep in mind Steam distillation, while sounding "cleaner", does not in fact, do a superior job. It also involved using extremely high heat for prolonged periods, effectively altering the structure of the fish oil.
A very high quality brand of fish oil found in many on-the-shelf products is
Meg-3; this can be compared to Creapure, an ultra-high quality creatine monohydrate found in reputable brands.
Also look for the types of fish used. Because so many companies are jumping on the fish oil bandwagon, the quality of products in general is likely to go down. As stated before, look for cold water fish, and preferably, smaller fish with shorter lifespans, like sardine and herring.
The EPA and DHA content are self-explanatory; the most common strength is 180mg EPA and 120mg DHA (written as 180/120). Concentrated forms are available in the 400/200 dose.
Another option is liquid fish oil; one clear advantage is that the quality of the oil will be readily apparent. One drawback from capsules is that you may not know if they have become rancid, which is an important concern that will be addressed farther down the page.
Cod Liver Oil - If you're looking to get a decent amount EFAs, this is NOT a good option; cod liver oil contains vitamin A and D, and to get a therapeutic amount of EPA/DHA, you'd seriously overdose on the fat-soluble vitamin A.
The Sherdogger's Guide To Fish Oil Supplementation 
