What is Fish Oil?
Fish oil is oil derived from the tissues of oily fish in the open seas. Many health professionals recommend fish oil as healthy diet because it contains the omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid [a polyunsaturated fatty acid found in fish oils], and docosahexaenoic acid, precursors to eicosanoids that reduce inflammation throughout the body.
Most fish do not actually produce omega-3 fatty acids, but instead accumulate them from either consuming microalgae that produce these fatty acids, as is the case with fish like herring and sardines, or, as is the case with fatty predatory fish, by eating prey fish that have accumulated omega-3 fatty acids from microalgae.
Such fatty predatory fish like mackerel, lake trout, flounder, albacore tuna and salmon may be high in omega-3 fatty acids, but due to their position at the top of the food chain, these species can accumulate toxic substances. For this reason, the FDA recommends limiting consumption of certain (predatory) fish species (e.g. albacore tuna, shark, and swordfish) due to high levels of toxic contaminants such as mercury, dioxin, and chlordane. More than 50 percent of the world fish oil production is fed to farmed salmon.
Several studies report possible anti-cancer effects of fatty acids found in fish oil. Omega-3 fatty acids reduced prostate cancer growth, slowed progression, and increased survival. Among omega-3, neither long-chain nor short-chain forms were consistently associated with breast cancer risk. However, the most abundant omega-3 in membranes, were associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer.
Fish oil is oil derived from the tissues of oily fish in the open seas. Many health professionals recommend fish oil as healthy diet because it contains the omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid [a polyunsaturated fatty acid found in fish oils], and docosahexaenoic acid, precursors to eicosanoids that reduce inflammation throughout the body.
Most fish do not actually produce omega-3 fatty acids, but instead accumulate them from either consuming microalgae that produce these fatty acids, as is the case with fish like herring and sardines, or, as is the case with fatty predatory fish, by eating prey fish that have accumulated omega-3 fatty acids from microalgae.
Such fatty predatory fish like mackerel, lake trout, flounder, albacore tuna and salmon may be high in omega-3 fatty acids, but due to their position at the top of the food chain, these species can accumulate toxic substances. For this reason, the FDA recommends limiting consumption of certain (predatory) fish species (e.g. albacore tuna, shark, and swordfish) due to high levels of toxic contaminants such as mercury, dioxin, and chlordane. More than 50 percent of the world fish oil production is fed to farmed salmon.
Several studies report possible anti-cancer effects of fatty acids found in fish oil. Omega-3 fatty acids reduced prostate cancer growth, slowed progression, and increased survival. Among omega-3, neither long-chain nor short-chain forms were consistently associated with breast cancer risk. However, the most abundant omega-3 in membranes, were associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer.
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