Fish Oil
My
favorite supplement for reducing inflammation is fish oil. The oils from
mackerel, tuna, sardines, and cod are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, a type of
fat essential to the body, but which our normal diet is deficient in. (A new,
especially rich source of omega-3s is krill, an arctic shrimplike creature.)
Much research indicates that omega-3 fatty acid supplements block production of
chemicals called prostaglandins that create pain and inflammation. Based on
studies of teeth, scientists have learned that Paleolithic humans consumed
3,000 milligrams of omega-3s a day. Americans, by contrast, take in only 120
milligrams a day, on average. We are far behind on the amount of omega-3s we
should be consuming, and it’s a major problem.
The best
way to get fish oil is by supplementation. Because of pollution with heavy
metals such as mercury, arsenic, and cadmium, and other poisons such as PCBs
(polychlorinated biphenyls) and dioxin, it’s hard to get your omega-3s safely
from the actual fish anymore. The cleanest, best
fish to
eat is wild Alaskan salmon. Two 4-ounce servings of it per week give you the
minimum amount of omega-3s needed by someone who has no health problems. But if
you have any type of pain or inflammatory condition, you need omega-3s every
day, and most people don’t want to eat fish every day.
Fish oil
is available as gelcaps or liquid. Buy it from a company that certifies it to
be free of rancidity and contaminants such as mercury and PCBs. Call the
company and ask to see their documentation on this. What you want is
“pharmaceutical grade” fish oil, meaning that the product is
very pure, free of contaminants, and in the best case, tested by an independent
lab. Drug companies have come up with their own pharmaceutical-grade fish oils
that require a doctor’s prescription and are quite costly. You will do just as
well to buy high-quality oil from a health
food store or online. Three companies I trust are Nordic Naturals, Carlson’s,
and Life Extension Foundation, which purify the oils by a process called
molecular distillation.
Dosages. A good dosage of
fish oil to support anyone’s general health is 1.5 grams (1,500 mg) per day.
Check the label to see how many gelcaps or teaspoons give you that amount. To
get an anti-inflammatory effect, however, you need at least 2.5 grams (2,500
mg) per day. People who weigh more than 200 pounds and serious athletes can
take even higher doses, but only under the supervision of an alternative
practitioner such as a naturopath or a complementary-integrative medical
doctor. Some doctors recommend up to 9 grams (9,000 mg) per day in cases of
severe fibromyalgia or for professional athletes who weigh more than 200 pounds
and are training intensively, although never for more than a few days at a
time. I take 3 to 9 grams (3,000 to 9,000 mg), but I don’t recommend this
amount to other people without knowing the details of their medical condition.
How to Take Fish
Oil. Divide
the amount of fish oil you’re taking into at least two doses a day; three times
a day is better, if you can manage it. Take fish oil after a meal, since having
food in your stomach lessens the chance that you will experience gas or that
the oil will repeat on you. If you do have gas, drop back to a lower dose, such
as 500 milligrams twice a day, and slowly build up to a higher dose. Also try
taking a digestive enzyme along with the fish oil. These two measures should
eliminate any gas problems.
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