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VitoVino 07-29-2011 02:21 AM

Omega 3 Fish Oil and weight loss
 
Anybody doing this? Supposedly it affects insulin levels and therefore fat burning. It also has other benefits.

Here is the original article.

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Omega 3 Fish Oil and Weight Loss

By: David McEvoy

A lot of people still don't know there are fat burning foods that can actually increase the number of fat calories your body burns each day? These are known as free foods and are generally low in calories; in fact some of these foods are so low in calories that your body actually burns more calories metabolising them, than the total amount of calories in the food it's self.

Although fat burning foods are important for anyone who wants to lose weight and keep it off for good, they're vital if you're one of these people who find it hard to lose weight. No matter how much exercise you do or how hard you diet, your genetics and metabolic make up play a vital role in determining how fast and how much weight you lose.

Genetic differences also affect how much weight you gain when you eat too much. One study of 12 groups of identical twins was overfed for 100 days. One set of twins gained 29 pounds. A second set, however, gained only 13 pounds even though both sets of twins were overfed with the same number of calories. Of course, fat burning foods won't compensate entirely for genetic differences this ultimately comes down to a balanced calorie controlled eating regime and excersie. They will however make fighting fat a lot easier in the long run.

Types of fat


There are two types of fat "good fat" and "bad fat"

Actually there are 4 types of fat: Monounsaturated, Polyunsaturated, Saturated and Tran's fat, but they can still be catorigised as good and bad.

Monounsaturated (good fats)


Monounsaturated fats are considered good fats and are said to help reduce cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure and to help control diabetes.

These good fats are found in food like; olive oil, peanut oil, cashews, canola oil, hazelnuts, peanuts, macadamia nuts, pistachios, pine nuts and chicken fat.

Polyunsaturated (good fats) omega 3 and omega 6


Polyunsaturated fats are also considered good fats and are said to reduce triglycerides, inflammations and tumour growth. They also help to improve immune function and help protect against sudden death from heart disease.

Polyunsaturated fats can be broken down into two categories: Omega 3 and Omega 6

Omega 3 is found in foods like Canola oil, walnuts, flaxseeds, hempseeds, salmon, mackerel, trout, tuna, sardines, and herring.

Omega 6 is found in foods like safflower oil, sunflower oil, sesame oil, nuts, beans and soft margarine.

Saturated (bad fats)


Saturated fats are bad fats; they raise cholesterol and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. In fact they are twice as potent at raising your bad cholesterol levels as polyunsaturated fats are at lowering them. It is difficult to eliminate these fats from your diet but one way to reduce them is to choose fat free milk and other dairy products.

Saturated fats can be found in foods such as meats, whole milk, cheese, palm and coconut oil.

Trans (bad fats)


Tran's fats are the ugly fats; they raise bad cholesterol (LDL) and lower good cholesterol (HDL). They increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Tran's fats can be found in foods like crackers, cookies, cakes, shortening, margarine, hydrogenated oils and vegetable oils that have been subjected to heat-damage during cooking.

Omega 3 fish oil and weight loss


A recent study that was published in the international journal of obesity, researchers want to find out if by supplementing the diet with omega 3 fish oil (good fat) would increase the number of fat calories burned in a single day.

The two groups were fed exactly the same diet apart from one group were fed 6 grams of fat in the form of butter, olive oil, sunflower oil and peanut oil, the other group were given 6 grams of omega 3 fish oil.
The fish oil group were given 8 capsules per day, 2 in the morning, 3 at lunch and 3 in the evening.

The Total daily intake of omega 3 long chain fatty acids was 1.8 grams. The outcome of the test results were fairly conclusive.

The table below shows you the changes in fat oxidation, body fat, and metabolic rate after three weeks for the groups with or without fish oil

With fish oil Without fish oil


Measurement of body fat -2 pounds -0.7 pounds
Measurement of daily metabolic rate 1775 calories 1710 calories

These results show that the group who were supplementing with fish oil burned about 1.1 milligram of fat per kilo per minute. This is roughly 26% higher than the other group who weren't supplementing with the fish oil.

One of the key reasons as to why omega 3 fish oil has such a powerful effect on fat metabolism is that the insulin levels were 50% lower when subjects used the fish oil. Insulin is a hormone that reduces the use of fat for fuel, while also promoting fat storage in the presence of excess calories.

Insulin increases the activity of an enzyme known to promote the storage of fat.

Insulin inhibits the action of hormone sensitive lipase, which is responsible for breaking down stored fat and preparing it for use as energy.

Insulin also activates an enzyme, which, along with fatty acid synthesis, is responsible for converting carbohydrate into fat.

Simply put, high levels of insulin make it less likely that your body will use stored fat as a fuel source. The drop in insulin levels when subjects used the fish oil would have allowed more fat to be used for energy.

Conclusion

Any good doctor or nutritionist will tell you that the best way to get any nutrient is to eat a very balanced diet. In the case of Omega 3 oil this would be in the form of fish, sadly due to the pollution levels found in our oceans today eating large portions of fish every day is not advisable.

The frustrating truth is that there will never be an easy quick-fix method of losing weight that is safe and simple. However, with a little research into the workings of the body, it becomes clear that there are many small things you can do which add up over time to aid weight loss and make you feel better about yourself. Taking a fish oil supplement is a good idea for anyone wanting to make positive steps towards weight loss.
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I'm giving it a try. I also take a choline/inositol supplement.

mecompco 07-29-2011 06:39 AM

I've been taking one a day for a while. I don't know if it helps, but I guess it can't hurt.

Regards,
Michael

Kathy13118 07-29-2011 06:42 AM

It's part of my routine to take a krill oil capsule at night. Hasn't affected weight loss. Calories affect weight loss. However, omega-3s are a good addition to diet.

sw07 07-29-2011 06:47 AM

I've been taking 2 a day for the 3 years in addition to using olive oil, I also try to use avocado for my mayonnaise & butter substitutes and my "bad" cholesterol has dropped considerably and the "good" has seen an increase. I don't recall the exact numbers off hand, but I can check my blood test stats later today and post it up.
I believe its all part of "eating clean", my doctor was amazed at how fast I was able to turn my numbe s around- she thought I was sneaking in Lipitor into my diet-LOL....

I also got rid of my Pre-diabetes condition and high blood pressure, of course regular exercise was part of the equation.
It can be done, you just have to want it

RunbikeSki 07-30-2011 08:51 AM


Originally Posted by sw07 (Post 52158)
I've been taking 2 a day for the 3 years in addition to using olive oil, I also try to use avocado for my mayonnaise & butter substitutes and my "bad" cholesterol has dropped considerably and the "good" has seen an increase. I don't recall the exact numbers off hand, but I can check my blood test stats later today and post it up.
I believe its all part of "eating clean", my doctor was amazed at how fast I was able to turn my numbe s around- she thought I was sneaking in Lipitor into my diet-LOL....

I also got rid of my Pre-diabetes condition and high blood pressure, of course regular exercise was part of the equation.
It can be done, you just have to want it


SW I could have written your comment - my story is identicle (although my doc knows that I refuse to take lipitor). Fish oil has also helped reduce my overall blood lipids. Even though I eat plenty of fats, my blood lipids are almost too low. The power lifters I know swear by mega doses of fish oil for building muscle. I'm not into mega-doses of anything so I testify there... and I can't say that I can attribute fish oil to my success in weight loss, though it sure didn't hurt.

BTW most caps have at least 50 cals, so don't forget to add them to your daily calorie tally.

Urbanmule 07-30-2011 10:38 AM

One of the kids at our college took them over summer break and walked on a treadmill for 5 miles each day on top of daily walking (parking further from the store and so on) he also ate less, but still ate "unhealthy" compared to most people... he ended up losing a lot, I would guess close to 40 pounds... When we got back for the next semester everyone was shocked, the kid looked so different. He would never admit to having anything extra done, I think there was probably a medical procedure, but he always stuck to his 5 mile and fish oil diet story

sw07 07-31-2011 05:13 PM


Originally Posted by RunbikeSki (Post 52229)
SW I could have written your comment - my story is identicle (although my doc knows that I refuse to take lipitor). Fish oil has also helped reduce my overall blood lipids. Even though I eat plenty of fats, my blood lipids are almost too low. The power lifters I know swear by mega doses of fish oil for building muscle. I'm not into mega-doses of anything so I testify there... and I can't say that I can attribute fish oil to my success in weight loss, though it sure didn't hurt.

BTW most caps have at least 50 cals, so don't forget to add them to your daily calorie tally.

I've also noticed an increase in mental alertness & concentration in addition to the info that has already been posted.
I also try to buy them in bulk- I hit up the buy one, get one free sales ,and if you can't stomach the "fish burps", try freezing them.

Newlee11 08-01-2011 02:43 AM

Was wondering about flax oil vs. fish oil. What are everyone's thoughts here?

Kathy13118 08-01-2011 03:32 AM

Walking 5 miles every day on a treadmill, in addition to daily walking? Wow! Try it and you will see that it has an effect, fish oil or no fish oil. I don't have a treadmill in my home, so I'd have to go to the gym every day. If you really do some activity like that EVERY day, you will see very good results, without changing other things. I know someone who lost 100 pounds walking 10 miles every day. She became VERY active. The weight dropped off. She ate carbs, carbs and more carbs, too!

It takes me an hour to walk 2.5 miles, really a 'stroll,' not a power walk by any means. Think how long it would take me every day to rack up 5 miles every day, and 10 miles every day. But what results!

ElaraGloriana 07-11-2012 01:11 PM

This will give me another reason to remember to take my fish oil/ flaxseed oil caplets. Good point~ I'll remember to log those extra calories. I have been taking them because of reports indicating omega 3 fatty acids help reduce depression. I had no idea they would help with weight loss by reducing insulin. Great tip! Thanks! :)


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