Another benefit of fish oil...

One benefit of fish oil supplementation is that it helps a condition related to asthma called exercise-induced bronchoconstriction in highly trained athletes.

Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (known more simply as EIB) is a condition characterized by a temporary narrowing of the airway passages in the lungs during and after exercise.

Unlike typical asthma, EIB does not respond well to medications used to prevent asthma attacks. The cause of EIB is not completely understood. It may be linked to substances such as histamine and leukotrienes that cause inflammation in the lungs.

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil. When the balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in the body is disturbed, inflammation can result. One of the benefits of fish oil is that the omega-3 fatty acids help to keep inflammation in check.

Participants were received either 3.2 grams of EPA and 2.2 grams of DHA from fish oil per day, or a placebo for three weeks. A placebo is a "fake" supplement used to reduce the influence of faith and belief in a treatment on the results of a study.

After a two-week period, the two groups switched treatments and remained on the new treatment for another three weeks.

Lung function was significantly better, and levels of inflammatory markers in the blood and urine were lower during treatment with omega-3 fatty acids than during the placebo.

So, should you take a supplement or simply eat more fish?

Harvard researchers think that consuming fish oil supplements may be safer than eating fish.

They analyzed five brands of fish oil for their content of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and other organochlorines (OCs) such as DDT.

PCBs are industrial byproducts that were banned in the late seventies, but are still found in products made prior to the ban and continue to linger in the environment. PCBs have reproductive, skin, glandular, liver, developmental and immunologic effects and are known carcinogens.

The researchers found that the levels of PCBs and organochlorines were below the detectable limit in the five brands tested. They note that fish oil contains at least 5 times less PCBs than the FDA limits.

If fish from the Great Lakes was consumed at the optimal recommended amount of 400 grams of fish per week, one would be consuming at least 70 times more PCBs and 120 times more organochloride pesticides than would be consumed with a customary dose of 1.5 grams fish oil per day for one week.

Their data suggests that even large amounts of fish oil can be consumed without risk of toxicity, and that fish oil supplements may be preferable to fish consumption as a source of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.

Related Articles

• Belly Fat and How to Beat It
• How to Fight Fat and Win (Members Only)
• The Maximum Muscle Plan (Members Only)
• The Myth about Muscle and Your Metabolic Rate

Reference
Melanson SF, Lewandrowski EL, Flood JG, Lewandrowski KB. (2005). Measurement of organochlorines in commercial over-the-counter fish oil preparations. Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, 129, 74-77
Mickleborough TD, Murray RL, Ionescu AA, Lindley MR. (2003). Fish oil supplementation reduces severity of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction in elite athletes. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 168, 1181-1189