Omega-3 fatty acids help to protect against obesity and reduce body fat

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Tuesday, April 20, 2010 10:39 am Email this article
Omega-3 fatty acids (such as fish oil) help to protect against obesity, and reduce body fat when already obese notes a new paper. Animals studies

Animals studies show protection with omega-3’s

“Animal studies suggest that increased consumption of the long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and docosahexaenoic acid [DHA], can protect against the development of obesity in animals exposed to an obesogenic diet and reduce body fat when already obese,” they write.

 

Human studies

Human studies suggest benefits of omega-3’s for body weight

“There is also evidence that increased intakes of these fatty acids can reduce body fat in humans, but human studies are relatively few and have generally been conducted over short time periods with small sample sizes, making it difficult to draw definitive conclusions,” they continue.

“Reported reductions in body fat may result from appetite-suppressing effects, adipocyte apoptosis and changes of gene expression in skeletal muscle, heart, liver, intestine and adipose tissues that suppress fat deposition and increase fat oxidation and energy expenditure.”

“We conclude that increased intakes of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids may improve body composition, but longer-term human studies are needed to confirm efficacy and determine whether increasing omega-3 intakes might be an effective strategy to combat obesity.”

 

First Wrote About Fish Oil For Obesity In 1997

I first wrote about fish oil for weight loss in 1997

I first wrote about the benefits of omega-3’s for those trying to lose weight in 1997, “Fish oils critical for dieters?” and “Fish eaters weight less” (Obesity Research Update, Vol 2, No. 3, page 17, March 1997).

REFERENCE

Buckley J, Howe P. Anti-obesity effects of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Obes Rev. 2009 Nov, 10(6):648-59.

AUTHOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION

Jonathan Buckley, Associate Professor
Nutritional Physiology Research Centre and ATN Centre for Metabolic Fitness
Sansom Institute for Health Research
University of South Australia
GPO Box 2471
Adelaide 5001, Australia
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

 

Cheapest Omega-3 Capsules

Cheapest Omega-3 Capsules I’ve Seen Are At Costco

The cheapest omega-3 capsules I’ve seen is at Costco.

A few years ago when I compared prices, the Costco Fish Oil capsules were about half the price of the store brand fish oil capsules at a large, local health food store in Southern California.

 

Dose: 3-10 Capsules Per Day (1000-3000 mg of EPA plus DHA)

3-4 Capsules Per Day (1000 mg of EPA + DHA) Healthy People, 10 Capsules Per Day (3000 mg) For Those With Disease

In an interview with Artemis Simopolous, MD, an omega-3 expert, she suggested the daily dose of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA plus DHA) be 1000 mg for healthy people, and 3000 mg per day for people with diseases.

Here is what she said.

Hobbs: What is the right dose?

Simopoulos: About 1 gram per day for health or 3 grams per day for people with diseases.

Hobbs: A combined total of EPA and DHA being 3 grams?

Simopoulos: Yes.

Hobbs: Do obese people suffer from deficiencies of EPA and DHA?

Simopoulos: Maybe. Low levels of DHA are associated with increases in body weight. A study in Pima Indians found that the lower the DHA content of muscle cell membrane phospholipids the higher the body weight. They also found that the lower the DHA the higher the insulin resistance.

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This would be

• 3-4 capsules per day for healthy people (300 mg of omega-3 fatty acids per capsule, or 900-1200 mg in 3-4 capsules)
• 10 capsules per day for people with diseases (300 mg of omega-3 fatty acids per capsule, or 3000 mg in 10 capsules)

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Articles on the same subject can be found here:

• Fish Oil (omega-3 fatty acids)

• Omega-3 Fatty Acids (fish oil)