Nowadays, omega-3 fatty acid supplements become very popular due to their health benefits in the heart diseases. According to different findings, omega-3 fatty acids are an excellent supplement for lowering blood pressure, reducing triglycerides, preventing atherosclerosis, normalizing heart rhythm and lessening the chances of heart attack, stroke and sudden cardiac death.
The main sources of omega-3 fatty acids are cold-water fish, salmon, sardines, mackerel, tuna and herring. Getting these fatty acids from the food is best. Alternatively, we can get it from fish oil supplement.
Fish oil is an abundant source of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) fatty acids. These two fatty acids are essential nutrients and important in the prevention and management of several diseases.
Benefits of Fish Oil for Women
In women, fish oil provides all the benefits briefly discussed above. In addition to these benefits, it also reduces menstrual cramps, gives relief from menopausal symptoms, prevents osteoporosis and might shrink the mass of fibroids. In this article, we will learn how fish oil can improve the overall health of women and discuss the health benefits of fish oil for women.
Menstrual Cramps
Menstrual Cramps
Menstrual cramps are painful cramps occurring in lower abdomen during menstrual periods. The higher level of prostaglandins is the major contributing factor in menstrual cramps. Fish oil can help to prevent and alleviate pain during periods.
Fish oil contains EPA and DHA. Both fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties. Further, a study published in Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology concluded EPA and DHA in the fish oil also reduce the prostaglandin level. The supplementation with fish oil results in a reduction of prostaglandins as compared to omega-6 and these prostaglandins are less active then prostaglandins produced from omega-6 fatty acids.
A comparison study published in Caspian Journal of Internal Medicine concluded fish oil have better efficacy in relieving severe pain in primary dysmenorrhea than ibuprofen.
The overall effect of fish oil reduces menstrual cramps and other symptoms that occur due to high prostaglandin level in the body.
Alleviates Menopausal Symptoms
A study published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has suggested that ethyl-eicosapentaenoic acid (E-EPA), a type of omega-3 fatty acids reduces menopausal symptoms, especially the frequency of hot flushes during menopause. The beneficial effects also include a reduction in depressive symptoms in middle-aged women.
Another study published in Menopause Journal has also observed a reduction in hot flushes frequency from 2.8 hot flushes per day to 1.58 hot flushes per day in the group treated with E-EPA.
In the conclusion, fish oil due to its high EPA content can help to reduce the frequency of hot flushes. It can also reduce the depressive symptoms that occur during menopause and improve the mood.
Prevents fibroid
50 to 70% of women develop uterine fibroids before the age of 50. The most disturbing symptoms include painful periods, heavy bleeding during periods, frequent urination, anemia and several other symptoms. It can also cause lower back pain.
The inflammation plays a part in the growth of fibroid mass. Omega-3 fatty acids alleviate the inflammation in the body. Like flaxseeds, fish oil is also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which can also help to prevent the fibroid formation in the uterus. It might also reduce the size of fibroids in women suffering from uterine fibroids. However, further studies are needed in order to conclude this.
Recurrent Miscarriage
Miscarriage
In the United States, 15 to 20% of all pregnancies end due to miscarriage. Many women have loss of pregnancy more than 2 to 3 times. It is termed as recurrent miscarriage. The recurrent miscarriage is the most distressing condition for women. In the most instances, the underlying cause remains unknown.
A study found omega-3 fatty acids improves the blood flow to the uterus through uterine artery. The overall improvement in uterine perfusion also helps to attain a better pregnancy outcome.
Fish oil is a rich source of omega-3, DHA and EPA, which aids in lowering the risks of miscarriage and pregnancy complications. Fish oil can also help in the growth of the fetus in the womb. Because fatty acids in fish oil are also essential for the development of brain, eyes and central nervous system of the fetus.
Prevents Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is more common in women than in men. It affects around 25% of women over the age of 50 years. It is a major cause of vertebral fractures. In Australia, 2.2 million people are suffering from osteoporosis from which 51% are women. 42% of women in Australia have a risk of having osteoporotic fractures after the age of 50. Twenty thousand hip fractures reported per annum in Australia are due to osteoporosis. Therefore, osteoporosis is a big problem worldwide affecting people in old age. The regular supplementation with fish oil can help to prevent osteoporosis.
EPA and DHA found in fish oil are beneficial for bones. These fatty acids play an important role in the regulation of bone metabolism. It restores calcium level, boosts osteoblastogenesis and improves osteoblast activity.
Inhibits Endometriosis
Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a progressive and chronic condition of presence of endometrium outside the uterus. It causes pain and affects female fertility.
A mice study suggested that fish oil helps in inhibition of adhesion formation associated with endometriosis. It also reduces endometriosis-related lesion. The beneficial effect may also be due to anti-inflammatory action of fish oil. It reduces inflammation that contributes to the development of endometrium lesion.
How to Take Fish Oil
Fish Oil
If you don’t take oily fish every week, you should think to take fish oil as a supplement. Here are some important tips:
- In the most cases, 1000 mg fish oil is the recommended dosage. It should be consumed every day. A normal person requires around 300 mg EPA and DHA per day in the combined form. So, select fish oil supplement that provides 300 to 500 mg EPA and DHA in 1000 mg fish oil.
- Generally, fish oil is prone to oxidation and rancidification. So, it is better to choose a product that comes along with Vitamin E, a potent antioxidant. Also, store it away from sunlight and keep in dark place, ideally keep it in the refrigerator.
- As discussed fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are well absorbed when taken along with other fats. Therefore, fish oil capsules should be taken with a meal that contains a few amounts of other fats.
Overall, omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil are responsible for its health benefits for women. Fish oil fights inflammation and helps to prevent several inflammation diseases. In this article, we have discussed its benefits for women. However, it is also effective in prevention and management of several other diseases that occurs equally in both sexes – female and male. It helps in the treatment of ADHD, Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, arthritis, cancer, depression and diabetes. It also improves eyesight and boosts immunity.
References
- Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. (2006, April 4). Anti-inflammatory Effects of Omega 3 Fatty Acid in Fish Oil Linked to Lowering of Prostaglandin. ScienceDaily. (www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060404085719.htm)
- Zafari, Mandana, Fereshteh Behmanesh, and Azar Agha Mohammadi. “Comparison of the Effect of Fish Oil and Ibuprofen on Treatment of Severe Pain in Primary Dysmenorrhea.” Caspian Journal of Internal Medicine 2.3 (2011). (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3770499/)
- Lucas M, Asselin G, Mérette C, Poulin MJ, Dodin S. Effects of ethyl-eicosapentaenoic acid omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on hot flashes and quality of life among middle-aged women: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. Menopause. 2009 Mar-Apr. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19034052)
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Volume 89, Pages 641-651 “Ethyl-eicosapentaenoic acid for the treatment of psychological distress and depressive symptoms in middle-aged women.
- Cohain, Judy Slome, Rina E. Buxbaum, and David Mankuta. “Spontaneous First Trimester Miscarriage Rates per Woman among Parous Women with 1 or More Pregnancies of 24 Weeks or More.” BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 17 (2017). (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5741961/)
- Lazzarin N, Vaquero E, Exacoustos C, Bertonotti E, Romanini ME, Arduini D. Low-dose aspirin and omega-3 fatty acids improve uterine artery blood flow velocity in women with recurrent miscarriage due to impaired uterine perfusion. Fertil Steril. 2009 Jul. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18692841)
- Rossi E, Costa M. Fish oil derivatives as a prophylaxis of recurrent miscarriage associated with antiphospholipid antibodies (APL): a pilot study. Lupus. 1993 Oct. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8305926)
- Maggio M, Artoni A, Lauretani F, Borghi L, Nouvenne A, Valenti G, Ceda GP. The impact of omega-3 fatty acids on osteoporosis. Curr Pharm Des. 2009. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20041817)
- Orchard, Tonya S. et al. “A Systematic Review of Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Osteoporosis.” The British journal of nutrition 107.0 2 (2012). (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3899785/)
- Herington, Jennifer L. et al. “Dietary Fish Oil Supplementation Inhibits Formation of Endometriosis-Associated Adhesions in a Chimeric Mouse Model.” Fertility and sterility 99.2 (2013). (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3582352/)
- Lawson LD, Hughes BG. Absorption of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid from fish oil triacylglycerols or fish oil ethyl esters co-ingested with a high-fat meal. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1988 Oct. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2847723)