There is much publicity these days about eating good fish. The benefits are well advertised, eating three meals with good fish as the main protein each week will help lower cholesterol, prevent heart attacks, lower blood pressure, prevent strokes and lubricate our joints.
But what are good fish? Good fish are what are known as oily fish. They are rich in omega three fatty acids. These are the fish that are usually found in cold seas or at great depth: they are not usually white fleshed. They include fish such as Salmon, Tuna, Mackerel, Halibut, and Herring. Tinned fish is as good as fresh fish to eat for this purpose. All fish livers contain these good fats; it is just that these particular fish are a richer source of it. Fish liver oil capsules are made from other fish, and concentrated. Read globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/03/01/2183843/0/en/Nervogen-Pro-Reviews-New-nerve-supplement-Product-Review-by-ProductWorld.html to find out the best one.
Omega three fatty acids are the ones that are helpful to our health. Research has shown that these fats will lower cholesterol levels, particularly the harmful low-density lipids, and may in fact aid in dissolving plaques that have already formed in our blood vessels. Fish oils reduce blood pressure slightly. This reduces the risk of all coronary diseases. Omega three fatty acids are beneficial in all inflammatory diseases, including arthritis, rheumatism and general sore muscles and joints. This is thought to be due to their action on the prostaglandin system, which plays a part in coronary disease as well.
Less well known are the benefits of fish oil in ADHD, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and schizophrenia. These benefits are due to the vital role that essential fatty acids play in brain development. Pregnant and breast-feeding women are encouraged to have an adequate intake of these fats to promote healthy brain development in their children. Many commercial baby formulas now contain added omega three oils. Pregnant women have to be sure that their source of omega three is safe from mercury contamination, and so often use soybean or flaxseed oil instead of fish. They are not as rich a source as fish oils but seem safer.
Recent concern has focused on the fact that commercially caught fish may be contaminated with mercury. This has led to a movement away from fish eating, and towards the taking of capsules that are guaranteed to be free of mercury. The mercury contamination appears to be with naturally occurring Mercury, not just industrial by products, and so the region of the world the fish are caught in makes little difference. The fish with the highest levels of mercury are found to be shellfish and apex predators, such as swordfish, which is why pregnant women are advised to avoid them. Unless you eat exceedingly high amounts of these fish the levels of mercury you ingest are not likely to be very high.
All people, whatever their age or state of health, benefit from a daily dose of fish liver oil capsules, or from eating oily fish three times a week. The spoonful of cod liver oil our grandparents and parents were forced to swallow every day really was doing them good, much as they would have wished it otherwise.