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Omega 3 helps you lose weight!
Scientists advise that a daily intake of Omega 3, combined with a reasonable amount of exercise, will keep you slim.
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Fish oils combined with exercise can boost the rate at which the body burns calories |
Twenty-five per cent of the UK population is currently obese, and there are fears that by 2010 the NHS will be spending a fifth of its total budget treating Type 2 diabetes. It is in view of these shocking statistics that the medical establishment has been looking for new preventative treatments to counter the obesity epidemic. In July 2006 Australian scientists published results that indicate taking Omega 3 fish oil on a daily basis helped overweight people to lose weight without altering their normal diet.
Omega 3 fats have long been known to have significant health properties, but this new link with weight loss is regarded as a very exciting development. Subjects who participated in the research lost an average of four pounds over three months, without reducing their calorie intake (although they had to carry out moderate exercises). Omega 3 oil is found in fish such as mackerel, salmon and herring.
As well as helping with weight loss Omega 3 is also beneficial to blood pressure, heart disease and joint pain. More controversially it has been linked to helping subjects with Alzheimer's disease. There is also evidence that it can help in the treatment of depression.
The diabetes time-bomb
The United Kingdom's Health & Social Care Information Centre has recently produced figures showing a ten per cent rise in obesity among teenage boys (24 per cent are obese) and girls (26 per cent are obese). If left unchecked this could lead to an explosion of Type 2 diabetes with health complications that include nerve damage, blindness and heart disease. For reasons doctors do not fully understand obesity (particularly abdominal fat) affects the ability of the body to convert blood glucose into energy and thus it is stored as fat.
Omega 3 a possible life saver
Research presented at the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids Lipids showed how Omega 3, combined with moderate amounts of exercise, led to an astonishing ability of cell membranes to use up blood glucose rather than turning it into excess fat. The study examined a large sample over a three month period. Half the sample were given Omega 3 and the other half given sunflower oil (each group was again sub-divided into those doing 45-minutes moderate exercise and those who did no exercise).
All of the sample subjects were told to continue following their normal eating patterns.
After three months the group who took fish oils and exercise had lost an average of 4.5lb. None of the other groups had lost any weight at all.
The conclusion was clear: daily doses of fish oils can boost the rate at which the body burns calories when taking exercise.
These results show that the group who were taking Omega 3 burned more fat per minute - 26% higher than the control group who weren't supplementing with Omega 3! Scientists also found that insulin levels were 50% lower when Omega 3 was taken. Insulin is the hormone that promotes the storage of excess calories into fat. Insulin also inhibits the action of lipase which breaks down stored fat to be used as energy. In addition, insulin activates an enzyme which converts carbohydrate into fat. Although there is no hard evidence as to why Omega 3 is so beneficial in weight loss, the implication seems to be that the drop in insulin levels when subjects used Omega 3 allowed more fat to be used for energy.
Some nutritional experts are of the opinion that Omega 3 fatty acids help to increase the body's metabolic rate, thus burning more calories. Whereas all fats are high in calories, it is the ease with which calories are burned that is the crucial decisive factor. Further research is needed, but this theory could revolutionise the way we approach diet and weight loss.
Doctors advise that the preferred way to gain the nutrients necessary for good health is to eat a balanced diet. Therefore to have an adequate intake of Omega 3 you should eat oily fish (mackerel, kippers or salmon for instance) on a regular basis. However there are some difficulties with this strategy - the sheer quantity of fish to be eaten each week, the possibility of pollution because of the degraded state of the world's oceans, and also personal preference since many people do not like the taste of oily fish. Another option is to take a supplement that contains Omega 3, but make sure it contains the required amount of the fatty acid DHA (scientists recommend 220mg of DHA per day). This is also the required dosage that will help lower blood pressure and help prevent heart disease and strokes. Note that cod liver oil is not the same as Omega 3 as it contains more Vitamin A and far less DHA.
Conclusion
If you are overweight and insulin-resistant it is possible that Omega 3 could help you to lose weight. However you should not regard this as a "quick fix". It should be regarded as another tool to help you towards your goal.
What is certain is that taking Omega 3 has many health benefits and no known disadvantages. | 
