Fish Oil & Digestion, the new links explained

We all know about the benefits of fish oil for joint pain, mental health and skin health. But have you ever considered taking fish oils for your digestive system?

Research is coming to light that taking fish oil may prove beneficial for helping the integrity of our digestive tract (ie, preventing and repairing leaky gut). Studies have been done on pigs and humans and have found that the components of fish oil (EPA and DHA) are protective and restorative to the gastrointestinal tract, meaning that it will prevent damage from being done and if there is damage done it will help to repair the damage and restore healthy intestines. This action is said to be every more pronounced in inflammatory conditions, so think Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis, due to the dual action of the anti-inflammatory part of fish oil along with the intestinal integrity protection.

Another study conducted on mice looked at the affects of fish oil and the mice micro biome (the bacteria in the gut). This study showed that the fish oil helped to normalise gut bacteria. If we consider this action in humans then increases fish oil consumption will supposedly help to maintain good gut bacteria levels, assisting in reducing damage to the gastrointestinal tract, supporting healthy bowel moments and reducing overall inflammation within the gut.

Fish oil has also been linked to maintaining healthy blood sugar by regulating processes in the digestive tract which impact blood sugar levels.

In terms of supplementing with fish oil there are a few things to consider. Firstly, is do you actually need to supplement with fish oil? Everyone is different and so seeking professional advice is important. Secondly it is the type of supplement which needs to be considered. If you have sitting in your cupboard a large container of fish oil that you bought on sale for $9.95 then I would say to discard them, immediately!

These types of supplements are problematic for 2 reasons.

Firstly the purity of the fish oil is generally unknown. You don't know where the oil has come from and how many time its been exposed to oxygen. Like any oil if the oil is exposed to oxygen it becomes oxidised and can go rancid, providing next to no therapeutic effect. It is important to know where the oil comes from as well due to the presence of heavy metals in many supplements. Mercury in particular is fund in fish oils so you want to make sure that the quality is top notch and the purity is high to avoid these unwanted heavy metals.

Secondly, the doses are usually very low. Comparing the EPA and DHA values of your fish oil supplements is the best way to gauge strength, not the overall amount of omega 3 which is normally advertised on the front of the bottle. Getting your natural health care provider to recommend particular brands is the best way to ensure that you are getting a good quality product that actually is providing you with some benefit.