What Are Fish Oil Supplements Good For?
Fish oil supplements are made from the oils extracted from fish. Fish oil in food and in supplements is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are vital components of cell membranes throughout your body. But your body uses omega-3 fatty acids in many other ways, too, such as:
- Fostering cell growth
- Enabling muscle function
- Improving your immune system health
- Sustaining your heart health
- Supporting anxiety and depression
- Maintaining your vision and eye health
- Helping fetal brain development during pregnancy
- Supporting ADHD symptoms in children
- Combating risks associated with autoimmune diseases
Your body can’t manufacture omega-3s on its own, so if you don’t include foods that contain them as part of your regular diet, fish oil supplements can help you get the important fats your body needs. To that end, sustainably sourced fish oil supplements are now available in highly effective dosages at Asheville Compounding Pharmacy. Whether you choose capsule or liquid form, you can rely on ACP Omega to deliver the benefits of DHA.
What’s the Difference Between DHA and EPA?
There are different types of omega-3 fatty acids. Some are produced in fish, others produced in plants. The omega-3s in oily fish and the fish oil supplements made from it include:
- EPA, which stands for eicosapentaenoic acid
- DHA, which stands for docosahexaenoic acid
Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is the omega-3 fatty acid that’s derived from the oils of plants. It’s contained in plant-based items such as canola oils, soybean and flaxseed oil. Your body can convert some ALA to EPA and then into DHA in small amounts, but not enough to replace the need for DHA.
What Are the Benefits of DHA?
The most basic benefit of DHA and other omega-3 fatty acids is that they provide calories to give your body energy. Because of their role at the cellular level, though, they become involved in the proper functioning of many of the systems of your body, including your cardiovascular system and endocrine system. Other benefits of DHA include:
- Supporting optimal brain function. DHA is essential for the normal functioning of your brain. It also plays a role in both brain development in infants and the maintenance of normal brain function in adults. It may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, although research is ongoing.
- Eye health. Supplements that contain DHA and EPA may help relieve symptoms of dry eyes. There’s some evidence that taking omega-3s lowers the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration.
- Cancer reduction. Some studies suggest omega-3 fatty acids reduce the instances of colon cancer by as much as 55 percent. It may also reduce the risks of developing breast cancer and prostate cancer.
- Stronger bones. In addition to increasing the amount of calcium in your bones, healthy fat lowers your risk of osteoporosis. People taking fish oil supplements have reported reduced joint pain and stronger hand strength.
- Improved appearance. One of the biggest benefits of DHA supplements is that they improve your skin tone and tightness. DHA is one of the building blocks of skin cell membranes.
Science and medicine are continually discovering new benefits of DHA. It appears that omega-3s may reduce the risk of cognitive decline or dementia. They may improve symptoms of depression and may even destroy cancer cells in some forms of cancer.
What Fish Oil Supplement Should I Choose?
ACP Omega because ACP Omega contains optimal doses of EPA and DHA per 1 capsule. Equally important is the fact that ACP Omega DOES NOT contain heavy metals, pesticides, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Additionally, when you purchase ACP Omega, you gain access to our well trained pharmacists that can answer your questions about ACP Omega. That’s a distinct advantage of Asheville Compounding Pharmacy.
To summarize, EPA and DHA work together to benefit the functioning of cells throughout your body, but each omega-3 fatty acid does different things. To find out all the unique ways EPA optimizes your health and wellness, Click Here to read our blog post, “What is EPA in Fish Oil?”
