<\/p>\n
Understanding the true power of fish oil supplements.<\/strong><\/p>\n Whether you train to compete, or just want to lead a healthy lifestyle, a few basic supplements should be in your daily stack. And a good quality fish oil supplement is one of them. Here\u2019s how to choose, use, and make the most of fish oils.<\/p>\n The name is pretty self-explanatory – fish oil supplements<\/a> are a convenient (and non-smelly!) way to get the goodness of oily fish in your diet. They are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, especially EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).<\/p>\n Every cell and organ in our body needs a daily supply of omega-3 fatty acids, and our bodies can\u2019t make them. In fact, we need more EFA (by weight) than any other essential nutrient in our diet. Healthy fats help our bodies utilise the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.<\/p>\n Most food contains a mixture of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and they give different messages to your body\u2019s cells. You need to make sure that the beneficial messages from the omega-3 is heard loud and clear.<\/p>\n Along with ALA (a\u2014linolenic acid), EPA and DHA are essential for cell function. They help regulate our hormones, manage inflammation, and play a role in muscle contraction. But our bodies can\u2019t produce EPA and DHA. They are in oily fish and krill<\/a> (and, to a lesser extent, in flaxseed, hempseed, and walnuts). Now we\u2019re not sure about you, but we’ve yet to come up with a great krill recipe. And not everyone likes oily fish. Even if you do, it can be tricky to eat enough without tipping yourself into a caloric excess.<\/p>\n This is where fish oil supplements come in useful.<\/p>\n People who train hard take fish oil supplements because\u00a0DHA and EPA support cell renewal and tackle\u00a0inflammation. But there\u2019s more. Your cardiovascular system will benefit (taking fish oil supplements can help reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, heart attack and atherosclerosis). Your blood vessels will work better (EPA plays a role in the dilation of blood vessels and the prevention of platelet cells sticking).<\/p>\n Studies also suggest that your muscles, bones, and connective tissue benefit. Fish oil supplements\u00a0could support bone density, boost bone mineral content, and help reduce joint stiffness. We know that fish oil supplements have a positive effect on inflamed tissue, too, which holds obvious appeal for lifters.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to look at the DHA and EPA content of your fish oil supplement. Quality and clear dosage really matters! Aim for a daily dose of 0.6g (6000mg) – 0.9g (9000mg) EPA.<\/p>\n Can\u2019t I Just Eat Oily Fish?<\/p>\n Mackerel, trout, salmon, sardines, and herring will definitely help you meet your DHA and EPA quota. But there are three problems (all are easily tackled by using a supplement).<\/p>\n First, it\u2019s difficult to know exactly how much omega-3 you are getting from your portion of fish. Second, you\u2019d need to eat the exact same amount every day to meet your daily needs. And finally, oily fish is high in calories, not always ideal for someone on a lower intake (or in a cutting phase).<\/p>\n Far easier to take a few fish oil soft gels every day and be sure that your bases are covered. A word to you macro counters: yes, you do still need to count the fat macros in fish oil supplements. But it\u2019s much easier to do that than to weigh out precise portions of fish!<\/p>\n About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n Nicola Joyce has been writing for (and about) sport, fitness, nutrition and healthy living since 2004. She\u2019s also a keen sportswoman: her background is in endurance sport but she now competes as a natural bodybuilder, most recently winning a world title with the INBF. When she\u2019s not writing content, she can be found blogging. Follow her here www.nicolajoyce.co.uk<\/a> and on Facebook<\/a> & Twitter (@thefitwriter<\/a>) too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Understanding the true power of fish oil supplements. Whether you train to compete, or just want to lead a healthy lifestyle, a few basic supplements should be in your…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":10465,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[353,356],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-supplements","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10460"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10460\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18667,"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10460\/revisions\/18667"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What Are Fish Oil Supplements?<\/h3>\n
Benefits Of Fish Oil Supplements.<\/h3>\n
How Much Fish Oil Do You Need?<\/h3>\n