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Do you want to improve your heart health, protect your brain, and reduce pain an inflammation? If so, then supplementing with omega 3 fatty acids may be for you.

Studies have shown that the omega 3 fatty acid acts as an anti-inflammatory agent in the body. This can help reduce inflammation in your blood vessels which means less build up of the harmful plaque that clogs your arteries. Also, omega 3 supplementation has been shown to reduce the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and reduce overall inflammation in the body.  

For weight lifters and athletes this anti-inflammatory response may be helpful in reducing joint and muscle pain. Remember that an inflammatory response to exercise is good, but if you train hard, then reducing some of the excess inflammation will allow you to recover faster.

The inflammation response is largely dictated by pro and anti-inflammatory hormone-like molecules called eicosanoids. Eicosanoids are made from either omega 6 or omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 6 fatty acids (high in vegetable oils) are precursors to pro-inflammatory eicosanoids and omega 3 fatty acids are precursors to the anti-inflammatory eicosanoids. Increasing the cellular availability of omega 3 fatty acids by eating more fish or by supplementation increases the chances of making anti-inflammatory eicosanoids.

One side effect of taking any amount of fish oil is getting “fish burps” which are little burps that taste like fish coming up. If this is a problem, then try freezing the pills before eating.

I recommend that every healthy person take fish oil supplements. If you are vegetarian then flax seed oil has the same properties, only it is absorbed less efficiently. I recommend choosing a product with at least the USP stamp or the gold standard Informed-Choice stamp. There are a lot of different products out there. I personally use the “OmegaPlex” by Advocare because of the Informed-Choice stamp. You can order it online here:  https://www.advocare.com/10051595/Store/ItemDetail.aspx?itemCode=W2002&id=D

In conclusion, omega 3 supplementation and fish oil are very extensively researched with many cited health benefits related to its anti-inflammatory properties. Whether you work out or not the benefit is clear and this supplement is affordable.