There are about 50 essential elements our bodies require for everyday health and longevity.
They are considered "essential" because our bodies cannot manufacture them; we must acquire them from the diet.
Most of these essential elements are vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, but two are the essential fatty acids known as omega-3 and omega-6.
Because the brain is made up of approximately 50% fat (about 33% from cholesterol and about 15% from EFAs), omega-3 rich fish, like salmon has long been considered "brain food."
Furthermore, marine omega-3 is the precursor, or "parent" of two other very powerful brain fat compounds called eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
Fish oil influences numerous metabolic functions including reducing inflammation and improving hormonal production, alleviating our response to daily stress.
The omega-3 in fish oil plays an important role in the maintenance of blood hormones called prostaglandins.
The high densities of prostaglandin series 3 (PG3s) produced by marine-based omega-3 keep blood flowing smoothly and maintain our immune system.
Fish oil helps support optimal health, including cardiovascular health, cognitive health and even helps maintain healthy skin and hair.
Increasing research reveals the Omega-3 fatty acids EPAand DHA help support cardiovascular health, joint health, cognitive health and may help promote emotional balance and mood.
Obviously we should ingest some kind of fish oil daily.
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Fish oil is oil derived from the tissues of oily fish.
It is recommended for a healthy diet because it contains the omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), precursors to eicosanoids that reduce inflammation throughout the body.
Fish do not actually produce omega-3 fatty acids, but instead accumulate them from either consuming microalgae that produce these fatty acids, as is the case with fish like herring and sardines, or, as is the case with fatty predatory fish, by eating prey fish that have accumulated omega-3 fatty acids from microalgae.
Such fatty predatory fish like mackerel, lake trout, flounder, albacore tuna and salmon may be high in omega-3 fatty acids, but due to their position at the top of the food chain, these species can accumulate toxic substances (see biomagnification).
For this reason, the FDA recommends limiting consumption of certain (predatory) fish species (e.g. albacore tuna, shark, and swordfish) due to high levels of toxic contaminants such as mercury, dioxin, PCBs and chlordane.
More than 50 percent of the world fish oil production is fed to farmed salmon.
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Over the years, fish oil has also sparked a lot of interest in the study treating clinical depression and especially, bipolar disorder.
While there have been limited studies done on the subject, there have been notable trials that showed significant evidence to suggest that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil acted as a mood stabilizer, or at least, enhanced the benefit of SSRI medications.
It is also interesting to note that the countries that indicated the highest intake of fish in their diets also correlated with the lowest rates of depression among citizens.
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However, the preferred source of omega-3 should be from the fish's body, not the liver.
The liver and liver products (such as cod liver oil) of fish and many animals (such as seals and whales) contain omega-3, but also the active form of vitamin A.
At high levels, this form of the vitamin can be dangerous.
It was suggested that these kinds of fatty acids are responsible for the neuronal growth of the frontal cortex of the brain which, it is further alleged, is the seat of personal behavior.
The US National Institutes of Health lists three conditions for which fish oil and other omega-3 sources are most highly recommended: hypertriglyceridemia, secondary cardiovascular disease prevention and high blood pressure.
Studies published in 2004 and 2009 have suggested that fish oil may reduce the risk of depression and suicide.
One such study took blood samples of 100 suicide-attempt patients and compared the blood samples to those of controls and found that levels of Eicosapentaenoic acid were significantly lower in the washed red blood cells of the suicide-attempt patients.
According to a study from Louisiana State University in September 2005, fish oil may help protect the brain from cognitive problems associated with Alzheimer's disease.
A study examining whether omega-3 exerts neuroprotective action in Parkinson's disease found that it did, using an experimental model, exhibit a protective effect (much like it did for Alzheimer's disease as well).
The scientists exposed mice to either a control or a high omega-3 diet from two to twelve months of age and then treated them with a neurotoxin commonly used as an experimental model for Parkinson's.
The scientists found that high doses of omega-3 given to the experimental group completely prevented the neurotoxin-induced decrease of dopamine that ordinarily occurs.
Since Parkinson's is a disease caused by disruption of the dopamine system, this protective effect exhibited could show promise for future research in the prevention of Parkinson's disease. *
* Read the article in Wikipedia with references and links June 12, 2010
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