Fish Oil, Omega-3, DHA, and EPA

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Fish Oil, Omega-3, DHA, and EPA are essential nutrients for human health. The article will provide information about the uses, side effects, interactions, dosages and precautions of these 4 nutrients.

1. Fish oil

Fish oil is a type of fat or oil extracted from the tissues of oily fish such as herring, tuna, anchovies, mackerel.... However sometimes people can also extract the oil. fish from the offal of other fish eg in the case of cod liver oil .
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that each person eat at least one-half fish per week. Fish oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids that provide many health benefits including protection against a number of diseases. For those who do not like to eat fish, they can completely get omega-3 from fish oil capsules.
About 30% of the composition of fish oil is made up of omega-3, the rest is other fats. Furthermore, fish oil also contains some types of vitamin A and vitamin D. It is important to note that the omega-3 fatty acids, typically docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), found in fish oils are much healthier than the omega-3 fatty acids. -3 plant origin.
With that said, the main types of omega-3s in fish oil are EPA and DHA while plant-based omega-3s are mainly alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Although ALA is an essential fatty acid, DHA and EPA offer more health benefits.
Another important thing to note is that the body needs to be supplemented with an adequate amount of omega-3 fatty acids every day. In the diets of people in Western countries, they have replaced a lot of omega-3 fatty acids with other fats like omega-6. Elevated levels of fatty acids other than omega-3 can contribute to many diseases.

Common uses of fish oil can be listed as:
Supports cardiovascular health: Studies have shown that people who regularly eat fish have a much lower rate of cardiovascular disease than those who eat fish. little or no fish. In addition, fish oil also helps increase good cholesterol (HDL), reduce triglyceride levels, lower blood pressure, prevent the appearance of plaque in the arteries.... Support treatment of mental disorders: The brain is healthy. It is made up of almost 60% fat and most of this is omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are therefore essential for normal brain function Supports vision health: Like the brain, the eyes need plenty of omega-3 fatty acids to function properly. Scientific evidence has shown that people who do not get enough omega-3 have a higher risk of eye diseases. Anti-inflammatory: Fish oil has effective anti-inflammatory properties, so it is used to treat a number of chronic inflammatory conditions such as in obesity, diabetes, depression and metabolic cardiovascular disease. Essential for pregnant women and infants: Fish oil supplements given to pregnant or nursing mothers may improve hand-eye coordination in infants. They also promote brain and eye development in babies.

2. Omega-3

Omega-3s are actually a group of fatty acids found in the fatty layers of cold water fish, shellfish, vegetable oils, some nuts, walnuts, flaxseeds, algal oils and other dietary supplements. Omega-3 content varies depending on the type of food used.
There are 2 main types of omega-3 fatty acids:
Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids include EPA and DHA. They are abundant in fish and shellfish while algae usually only provide DHA. The short-chain omega-3 fatty acids represented by alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). They are found in plant-based foods such as flaxseeds, walnuts, etc. Although essential for the body, ALA has fewer health benefits than EPA or DHA. Therefore, if you choose a plant-based omega-3 supplement, you will need to eat more to achieve the same effects as a fish supplement. Hundreds of studies conducted to date have shown that omega-3s can bring many benefits to the body such as helping to prevent many diseases including: cancer, asthma, depression, cardiovascular disease , Dementia Hyperactivity Disorder Syndrome and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis ....

The specific benefits of omega-3 can be mentioned as:
Promotes brain health: Omega-3 especially DHA is one of the most common fatty acids in the brain. This explains why the brain can work better with an adequate amount of omega-3s. A study done on 800 people aged 65 to 94 found that those who ate fish at least once per week had a much lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than others. Cancer prevention: People who get adequate or more omega-3 levels have an even 64% lower risk of cancer than those who don't get omega-3 supplements. Protects artery health: Research in Finland and the United States shows that people who are provided with adequate amounts of omega-3 have healthier arterial systems than those who do not get enough.

3. DHA

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is one of the most important omega-3 fatty acids for the body. Like most other omega-3 fatty acids, DHA is associated with a variety of health benefits. DHA is mainly found in seafood such as fish, shellfish, fish oils and some algae. DHA is an integral component of every cell in the body and an important structural component of the skin, eyes and brain. In fact, DHA accounts for 90% of the omega-3 fatty acids and 25% of the total fatty acids in the brain.
Although DHA can be synthesized from alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid, this process is not really efficient when only 0.1-0.5% ALA can be converted to DHA in the body. Furthermore, this process also depends on a number of vitamins, minerals as well as the amount of omega-6 fatty acids in the diet of each person.
The body cannot synthesize the necessary amount of DHA so you always need to get it from other foods in your diet. DHA is mainly located in cell membranes, assisting in the sending and receiving of signals by neurons. Therefore, supplementing with the necessary amount of DHA helps nerve cells communicate more easily, quickly and effectively.

4. EPA

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is an omega-3 fatty acid. They are found in the flesh of cold water fish including herring, mackerel, tuna, halibut, trout, cod, and white whale. EPA is used as a medicine to relieve pain. triglyceride content in the body. As a supplement, EPA is most commonly used for people with heart disease, to prevent symptoms after a heart attack, to aid in the treatment of depression, and to balance female hormones during menopause.
In addition, EPA is also used for chemotherapy-related side effects, recovery from surgery, patients with memory loss, and many other medical conditions. Do not confuse EPA with other similar fatty acids, such as alpha-linolenic acid and DHA. However, most of the benefits of EPA studied are related to the presence of DHA, so it is not possible to conclude whether EPA alone is really good for health.
Some of the uses of EPA can include:
Reduce triglyceride levels in the blood Support in the treatment of mental disorders Enhance cardiovascular health, support the treatment of coronary heart disease Reduce symptoms Menopause in women Support treatment of some heart diseases such as arrhythmia, heart attack,...

EPA and DHA are 2 of the omega-3 fatty acids rich in fish oil that play an important role in the normal development and functioning of the brain. People with depression or mild brain function impairment need to get omega-3 from the oil to improve brain function. Taking between 1,000 and 2,000 mg of omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil each day can have huge health benefits. However, the daily dose should not exceed 3,000 mg. In addition, the omega-3 in fish oil is also confirmed by experts to be beneficial for the cardiovascular system as well as a number of other organs.
Above is important information about fish oil, omega 3, omega 6 ... you can consider based on each of your current health status to supplement each vitamin accordingly, limit reduce the risk of disease.

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Articles refer to sources: webmd.com, healthline.com