Sushi (2)This weekend, I was somewhat saddened to share the bad news about sushi on my Facebook page (1).  As a past sushi muncher myself, I have opted to swap my California rolls for the benefits of safe supplementation. Unless I can assure the quality of my swimmingly delicious friends, they may be filled with MSG, aspartame, dyes, and sugar. Furthermore, the fish themselves may be subject to the harmful health hazards of being raised as farmed fish verses wild fish, fish swapping (is that really tuna!?), and mercury contamination (2). Thankfully, the benefits of fish oil supplementation are well- documented and I have shared some of these abstracts, articles, and headlines in the past.

Unfortunately, just as any well-intentioned celebrity unwillingly stars in tabloids, the many benefits of fish oil have also been subject to bad press (3). Most recently, there were rumors about a connection of fish oil supplementation to prostate cancer. Thankfully, the headlines were met with the same vigor as the anti-vitamin attacks. The research that made the conclusion had many flaws discussed including biased selection and comparison groups, non-standardized procedures, and not accounting for accurate measurement of the intervention verses a baseline (4).

Therefore, it was no surprise that fish oil made a comeback just several months later. Specifically, MedPage Today reported on a new study in Cancer Prevention Research demonstrating that there was less tissue inflammation and proliferation among prostate cancer patients who consumed a low-fat, high fish oil diet as compared with patients who ate a typical Western diet (5, 6).

Below I’ve compiled a brief summary of the effects of fish oil for health.

Fish Oil and Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Link

Patients and models of cystic fibrosis (CF) have demonstrated abnormalities of polyunsaturated fatty acid composition and this may be reversed by supplementation with DHA and EPA (7). This demonstrates the power of nutritional support as a modulator of genetic expression.

DHA Turns off the Switch for Inflammation in Two Ways:

1.  A research report appearing in the July 2013 issue of The FASEB Journal, found a type of white blood cell uses the DHA  to produce “maresins,” which serve as the “switch” that turns inflammation off and switches on resolution of it (8) .

2. A Study in Cell 2013 compared the anti-inflammatory actions of the molecule resolvin D3 produced from DHA and modulated by aspirin. Both exerted potent inflammation-stomping effects. Furthermore, human cells exposed to both resolvin D3 released by aspirin and fish oil exerted greater anti-inflammatory effects than in either one alone (9, 10) .

Fish Oil Could Help Immune Function

DHA, an omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, has been found to modulate immune function via a specific immune cell pathway in the body. (Specifically, increasing Th2 cytokines, enhancing B cells in the body in a mice-model study) (11).

Fish Oil May Help Prevent Fracture Risk

The levels of omga-3 (n-3) to omega-6 (n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids in red blood cells were related to fracture risk in postmenopausal women. The research related higher levels of n-3 to lower fracture risk from the Bone Mineral Density (BMD) cohort in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) case controlled study and 199 additional incident hip fracture cases from the WHI observation study (12).

Heart Health, of course

In certain studies, omega fish oil helped protect against Sudden Cardiac Death and stroke (13, 14).

In closing, I want to offer a gentle word of caution if you decide to implement a fish oil in your wellness protocol…quality counts.

For example, manufactures may try to save money and not take measures to ensure that the fish oil is pure and doesn’t go rancid. Therefore, make sure that the fish oil you buy has been molecularly distilled, filtered for purity, and in the proper form for absorption (triglyceride bound with lipase is best). It should also contain mixed tocopherols and be refrigerated to ensure that the oil stays fresh.

What about krill oil? Well, it’s one of my favorite fishy supplements. Find out why here.

References:

(1) Mercola, J. Hidden Scary Sushi Ingredients Exposed. mercola.com. January 04, 2014. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/01/04/sushi-ingredients.aspx

(2) Wetherby,C. Tuna Alarm Fans False Fears. VitalChoice Newsletter. 9/20/12. http://www.vitalchoice.com/shop/pc/articlesView.asp?id=1925

(3) Wetherby, C. Faulty Omega 3-Heart Health Review. 9/13/12. VitalChoice Newsletter. http://www.vitalchoice.com/shop/pc/articlesView.asp?id=1920

(4) Fish Oil’s Link to Prostate Cancer Unproven. Medscape Urology: Chodak on Urology. July 26, 2013. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/808402

(5) Galet, C, et al. Effect of a Low-fat Fish Oil Diet on Pro-inflammatory Eicosanoids and Cell Cycle Progression Score in Men Undergoing Radical Prostatectomy (abstract). Cancer Prevention Research. Online October 29, 2013; doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.

(6) Bankhead, C. Fish Oil May Hold Promise for Prostate Cancer. Medpage Today. Nov 20, 2013.

(7) Njoroge SW, Laposata M, Katrangi W, Seegmiller AC. DHA and EPA reverse cystic fibrosis-related FA abnormalities by suppressing FA desaturase expression and activity. J Lipid Res. 2012 Feb;53(2):257-65. doi: 10.1194/jlr.M018101. Epub 2011 Nov 16.

(8) Mooneyhan, C. Harvard and USC scientists show how DHA resolves inflammation: New research in The FASEB Journal suggests that fish oil DHA is used to create Maresins, which cause macrophages to ‘turn off’ inflammation. EurekAlert.com. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-07/foas-hau070113.php. July 1, 2013.

(9) Weatherby, C. Aspirin Mimics a Fishy Omega 3s. Vital Choice Newsletter. March 14, 2013.

(10) Cell. Aspirin and omega-3 fatty acids work together to fight inflammation. February 21, 2013. Accessed at http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/cp-aao021313.php

(11) Gurzell, E, Teague, H, Harris, M, Clinthorne, J, Shaikh, Saame Raza, & Fenton, J. DHA-enriched fish oil targets B cell lipid microdomains and enhances ex vivo and in vivo B cell function (abstract). Journal of Leukocyte Biology vol. 93 no. 4 463-470. April 2013.

(12) Orchard TS, et al. The association of red blood cell n-3 and n-6 fatty acids with bone mineral density and hip fracture risk in the women’s health initiative. J Bone Miner Res. 2013 Mar;28(3):505-15. doi: 10.1002/jbmr.1772.

(13) Wetherby, C. Omega-3 Heart News, Part I: Fish Fats Curb Clots; Death-Deterring Dose Detailed. VitalChoice Newsletter. June 7, 2011. http://vitalchoice.com/shop/pc/articlesView.asp?id=1455

( 14) Musa-Veloso K et al. Impact of low v. moderate intakes of long-chain n-3 fatty acids on risk of coronary heart disease (abstract). British Journal of Nutrition 2011. Published online: 31 May 2011. doi: 10.1017/S0007114511001644.