Omega-3s for Better Sleep: Should You Really Take Fish Oil Before Bed?
Fish Oil Supplements 101: Fat Loss Benefits, Function, & Dosage
Out of the thousands of dietary supplements on the market, there are only a handful that deserve your consideration. Possibly the most well-researched, safe, and effective dietary supplement of all is fish oil.
So what is fish oil? Why is it important? How does it work? Should you bother taking it? I’m going to answer all these questions for you and more in this introductory article on fish oil supplements .
What is Fish Oil?
Fish oil is derived from the tissue of fatty fish. Fish oil contains Omega 3 fatty acids called EPA and DHA, which are “essential” to the human diet because our bodies can’t make them. As with a number of essential nutrients, some people don’t eat enough fish to have the levels of EPA and DHA necessary for optimal functioning and performance. This is where fish oil supplements can be very helpful.
Fish oil supplements are sold either in soft gels or in liquid form. Soft gels are usually the preferred form because of their convenience and lack of rancidity that comes from exposing the oil to air. The capsules block the oxygen and therefore delay the rancidity of the fats.
Benefits of Fish Oil Supplements: From Depression to Fat Loss
Fish oil’s implications for health benefits have been widely researched. The benefits of taking fish oil range from decreasing Depression and Alzheimer’s, to decreasing mortality from heart disease, to helping people improve their body composition.
Here’s a quick list of the benefits of fish oil supported by research:
Decrease the incidence of depression and anxiety Decrease Blood Pressure Reduce the Stress response Assist in the treatment of psoriasis and dry skin Assist in decreasing your body’s insulin response to food Decrease whole body inflammation as marked by C-Reactive Protein Decrease Triglyceride levels Help with treating ADHD Assist in activating fat burning genes Assist in Muscle Protein Synthesis
Besides the overall health benefits, fish oil may also help improve lean body composition in a number of different ways. What this means is that if you’re a guy with more than 15% body fat or a woman with more than 25% body fat, fish oil may help you lose fat faster while also helping to stabilize any blood sugar issues you may have. In addition to helping you lose fat, fish oil may also help you put on muscle at a quicker rate. While in its infancy, recent research has shown that supplementing with 3 grams of EPA and DHA per day helped increase muscle protein synthesis within the muscle cells, which may help you add more muscle.
What Does Fish Oil Do For Your Body? How Does It Work?
The proper functioning of the 10 trillion cells in your body influences your health in a wide array of ways. It’s on the outside membrane of your cells that Fish Oil, or more importantly the Omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, exert their influence.
Each cell membrane is made up of fat, which also holds a number of transport proteins. You can compare this cell membrane to a large party tent that has a number of entrances into and out of the tent. The doors into the tent are the transport proteins. In this tent example though, some doors only allow protein to come in and others only allow insulin to move through it.
You’ve no doubt heard the term, “You are what you eat.” In the case of cell membranes, the saying is quite literal. The fats you eat, whether they be saturated fats, Omega 6’s or Omega 3’s will then make up the composition of your cell membranes. The normal North American diet filled with many processed foods and oils, causes an over-abundance of Omega 6 fatty Acids to make up your cell membrane. For much of human evolution, the ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fatty acid profile was close to 1.5 to 1. The current ratio is between 15 or 17 to 1. This altered ratio of Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids cause an increase in cellular inflammation markers.
What this means is that those doors in and out of the cell are not easily accessible to the things that the cell needs. Bodyguards (inflammation) now stand guard blocking admission both outside the doors and also inside the tent. So instead of a fun party where things are going in and out of the tent as needed, everything going into and out of the tent is checked. This includes caterers, the guest of honor and everyone else in between. Needless to say this causes a back up of things coming and going and causes a hassle.
This is what happens when you have inflammation markers. The things that are supposed to be going into the cell (protein and insulin) are having a harder time getting in while things that are supposed to be leaving, waste products, stay around longer.
What Is The Best Fish Oil Supplement?
When it comes to finding a fish oil supplement, it’s critical to look at the label.
Most store-brand fish oils will have .18 grams of EPA and .12 grams of DHA in each capsule. Remember with fish oil that the important component is the amount of EPA and DHA combined. Everything else is just filler.
To see a decrease in fat and increase in muscle requires 2-3 grams of total EPA and DHA per day. If you’re using your regular store-bought brands, then that would mean taking in 10 capsules per day. This is a ridiculous amount for most people to take.
A better alternative would be to start looking at the amount of EPA and DHA per capsule. My favorite fish oil supplement is the Now Foods Ultra Omega 3 that has .75 grams of EPA and DHA per capsule. Therefore, instead of needing to take 10 pills to get to 3 grams, you would need to take just 3-4 per day, which costs less than 50 cents/day. These pills can be taken all at once or spread out throughout the day. In most stores, you should be able to find a fish oil with a combined EPA/DHA of at least .5 grams per capsule. At this amount you would need to take 4-6 capsules per day, spread out as you like (Such as Solgar Omega 3).
Top fish oil supplement brands like Nature’s Made, Solgar, and NOW brands all have strict policies and procedures regarding the manufacturing of fish oil, which undergo molecular distillation to remove mercury and other harmful contaminants.
Please keep in mind that all dietary supplements are overseen by the FDA, but they are not approved by the FDA (See BuiltLean Article: Dietary Supplements 101). In addition, several fish oil supplements came under fire in 2010 from a lawsuit claiming the presence of excessive levels of PCB’s (toxic chemical substance). The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) quickly denounced the merits of the lawsuit with a press release titled “CRN Says There Are No Safety Issues With Fish Oil.”
In summary, fish oil offers a wide array of health benefits. Recent research also suggests that fish oil may help you lose more fat and build more muscle. If you do not regularly eat fish (especially deep water fatty fish), or you eat too much processed foods and oils, adding a fish oil supplement to your daily regimen deserves serious consideration.
If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below!
Nutrition Q&A: Can I stop taking fish oil?
Correction: An earlier version of this story gave the incorrect average seafood consumption in the United States. Americans eat about 3 1 /2 ounces of seafood per week. This version has been corrected.
Question: I’ve avoided taking fish-oil pills because they made me feel weird and I didn’t like the taste in my mouth hours later. Now I’ve been reading that research is showing that fish-oil pills don’t actually live up to their promise of preventing heart disease. Can I skip them?
Answer: Thanks for this timely question. The answer, as for many nutrition topics, has evolved as research has revealed fresh findings. “Nothing in nutrition is set in stone. We just don’t yet know the details of everything various nutrients do, let alone exactly how much people need and how to account for individual differences,” says Catherine Price, author of “Vitamania: Our Obsessive Quest for Nutritional Perfection.”
To fit current guidance about fish-oil supplements into the evolving recommendations for how much and what types of fats to eat or supplement, let’s look at fats in general and polyunsaturated fats (the more healthful fats) in particular. Keep in mind that research and recommendations in this area are aimed squarely at reducing cardiovascular disease, particularly heart disease and strokes, which, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are among the top five leading causes of death in the United States.
Zoom out: Fats
Fish, red meat, peanut butter, avocados and other foods contain different types of fats, including saturated fat and the two main categories of unsaturated fats, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. Even the highly esteemed olive oil contains a small amount of saturated fat.
We all need to eat some fat. Fats provide vitamins A, D, E, and K and, among other functions, help maintain healthy skin.
But the message to cut as many calories from fat as you can is from a bygone era. Today the focus is on quality. In a nutshell, this translates to: Don’t eat too few (less than 20 percent) or too many (no more than 35 percent) calories from fat and make the fats you eat more healthful ones. Reducing artery-clogging saturated fats continues to be priority No. 1 to reduce cardiovascular disease, according to the 2013 American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology Guideline on Lifestyle Management to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk and the soon-to-be released 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee report.
The AHA/ACC guidelines focus on decreasing LDL-cholesterol (the unhealthful cholesterol in the blood) and blood pressure to reduce cardiovascular disease. “Research shows that preferentially replacing polyunsaturated fats for saturated fats provides the greatest impact on reducing cardiovascular disease,” says Penny Kris-Etherton, registered dietitian, Penn State University nutrition professor and spokeswoman for the American Heart Association. Monounsaturated fats come in second place and healthful sources of carbohydrates come in third.
Zoom in: Polyunsaturated fats
Omega-6 and omega-3 fats are the two main types of polyunsaturated fats. Liquid vegetable oils, such as corn, soybean and sunflower oils, contain mainly omega-6 fats. Omega-3 fats are found in plant-based foods such as canola and soybean oil, flax oil and seeds, and walnuts or walnut oil, and, as you know, fish.
Your reading of the research that now questions the early promise of fish oils and supplements in preventing heart disease is correct. In the 1970s, researchers observed Eskimos’ low prevalence of cardiovascular disease and high intake of fish oils. Early studies in this area showed remarkable benefits of fish-oil supplements in preventing repeat heart attacks and strokes and sudden death from heart disease. But more recent research has not duplicated these dramatic benefits (though it has shown some).
Kris-Etherton details three potential reasons why: First, the later studies looked at fewer participants over a shorter time span, and lower doses of the fish-oil supplement were used. Second, many people were already taking statin (LDL-cholesterol-lowering) medication. Third, the care for people who experience heart disease has greatly improved in the ensuing years. So you might say participants in the later research started with a leg up on the Eskimos.
Consuming sufficient amounts of omega-3s from fatty fish remains an important goal for heart health, along with attention to eating more plant-based omega-3s. “People don’t eat sufficient amounts of either,” Kris-Etherton says. According to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, we eat about 31/ 2 ounces of seafood per week — much less than the eight ounces the guidelines recommend .
Suzanne Steinbaum, director of the Women and Heart Disease Center at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York and co-founder of the Global Nutrition & Health Alliance, recommends fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, trout, sardines and tuna.
Why the focus on eating fish rather than swallowing fish-oil supplements? “Fish provides a good source of protein along with vitamin D, B vitamins, potassium and other nutrients,” Kris-Etherton says.
Supplements
The answer to your question about whether you can skip fish-oil supplements depends greatly on your willingness to eat a sufficient amount of fish each week, along with your health status and disease risk.
Kris-Etherton and Steinbaum encourage people to get as much of their omega-3 fats as possible from foods, but they also don’t shy away from recommending fish-oil supplements to meet your needs, because most people don’t eat enough. Kris-Etherton recommends one gram per day of a fish-oil supplement for healthy individuals who don’t eat fatty fish. Steinbaum recommends one gram per day for people at risk of or with heart disease, and more for those with elevated triglyceride levels. (Check with your doctor.) And, as always, it’s a good idea to discuss your individual health status and disease risks with your health-care provider before starting a supplement.
When you scan the shelves for a high-quality fish-oil supplement in the right dose for you, zero in on the Supplement Facts label. Look at the serving size, total amount of omega-3 fats and the amount and ratio of EPA and DHA. Make sure the supplement contains both EPA and DHA, the two types of omega-3s in fatty fish. For help choosing a fish-oil supplement, Price likes Consumer Lab, a subscription service. “They pull products off the shelves randomly and test them to make sure they contain what they claim to on their labels and Supplement Facts,” she says. Another trusted resource on supplements is the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements.
“‘Change and replace’ is today’s general message on fats. Minimize saturated fat and get sufficient amounts of all types of polyunsaturated fats,” Kris-Etherton says. If you’re concerned about your calorie tally from fats, even the healthful ones, slash calories from other areas of your diet, particularly sugar-sweetened beverages, refined grain-based foods and desserts. This move will accomplish several important health goals.
Warshaw, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator, is the author of numerous books published by American Diabetes Association and the blog EatHealthyLiveWell found on her Web site,
Omega-3s for Better Sleep: Should You Really Take Fish Oil Before Bed?
Eating fish is the best way to incorporate omega-3 fatty acids in your diet (though you can get them from other sources). Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats. Their molecular structure contains more than one double bond, and the 3 refers to where in the structure the double bond occurs.
They're essential fats, which means that your body doesn't naturally produce them - you have to get them from your diet, and/or supplements.
There are four main types of omega-3 fatty acids:
alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) - found in green, leafy vegetables, chia seeds, flax seeds, walnut and canola oils.
- found in green, leafy vegetables, chia seeds, flax seeds, walnut and canola oils. eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) - found in oily fish, krill oil, and algae oil.
- found in oily fish, krill oil, and algae oil. docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) - found in oily fish, krill oil, and algae oil.
- found in oily fish, krill oil, and algae oil. eicosatetraeonic acid (ETA) - found in roe oil and green-lipped mussels.
The scientific research on the impact of omega-3 on sleep has mostly focused on children, and it suggests that omega-3 fatty acids may be able to help people sleep better. With the known benefits of omega-3 on the brain, heart, and other organs, it's not surprising that it would also have a positive impact on sleep.
If you've already decided on supplementing your diet with omega-3 fish oil, my favorite product is from Dr. Tobias. You can find it in most stores but it is usually discounted on Amazon.
