【Video version】Fish oil not only lowers blood lipids but also fights depression! It also helps lower blood sugar

Fish oil is one of the most popular health foods nowadays because it is rich in omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids such as EPA and DHA. It is also an important health food companion for many people! There is extensive research on fish oil abroad, not only in regulating blood lipids and blood cholesterol, but also many studies have explored the ability of fish oil to fight depression. In particular, some studies have also shown that fish oil can help regulate blood sugar. Does everyone need to take fish oil? How to choose fish oil?

Nutritionist Lin Shihang said that fish oil, in the health food certification project, has a second-track standard review method for regulating blood lipids, which means that as long as the content of the indicator ingredients in the fish oil is higher than the standard and it passes the stability test, it can obtain health food certification faster than case review. The following highlights some studies that show that fish oil can also help regulate blood sugar.

Mechanisms by which fish oil may modulate insulin sensitivity

The omega-3s contained in fish oil, such as ALA, DHA and EPA, are biologically active fats. The following excerpt from a study published in Nutrients found that fish oil can regulate the mechanism of insulin. (Note 1) (Link)

Fish oil reduces inflammation

Since inflammation is one of the main reasons for decreased insulin sensitivity, omega-3 metabolites form anti-inflammatory cytokines that can regulate the balance of pro-inflammatory substances in the body, thereby reducing cellular inflammation and subsequent insulin sensitivity problems.

Fish oil affects intracellular mechanisms

In addition, studies have shown that inflammation and fat hormones can cause dysfunction in the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria, preventing the glucose channel from transferring to the cell membrane and preventing glucose from entering the cell. This is one of the reasons for decreased insulin sensitivity and poor blood sugar tolerance.

Studies have found that omega-3 fatty acids can regulate specific mechanisms of the endoplasmic reticulum, thereby enhancing mitochondrial fat oxidation. This can reduce oxidative stress and allow cells to properly execute insulin signals, allowing blood sugar to enter cells for use, thereby improving insulin sensitivity.

Some studies have also shown that fish oil can help regulate blood sugar.

Fish oil can regulate cell membrane fluidity

Due to the structure of omega-3 fatty acids, the fluidity of cell membranes is improved, which will also enhance the communication and transmission of information between cells and increase insulin sensitivity.

Can fish oil improve insulin sensitivity and improve diabetes?

Nutritionist Lin Shihang said that although the above mechanisms support the benefits of fish oil in regulating blood sugar, clinical data and results are more worthy of our reference. A systematic review and massive analysis of literature in 2017 collected hundreds of relevant studies and integrated and analyzed them (Note 2) (link). The overall results are as follows:

1. For healthy people: Fish oil supplementation does not improve insulin sensitivity

2. For people with sub-health conditions: If you have metabolic syndrome, fish oil supplementation can improve insulin sensitivity

3. For diabetic patients: Fish oil supplementation does not improve insulin sensitivity

According to the above results, people who are in sub-health can supplement with fish oil as a health food to regulate blood sugar. However, if diabetes has already developed, the effect of fish oil may not be sufficient to affect the physiological mechanism. It is recommended that you see a doctor!

Who is suitable for fish oil supplementation? Who is not suitable for fish oil supplementation?

The benefits of fish oil are very wide-ranging, from improving brain health, reducing cardiovascular disease, regulating mood to regulating blood sugar, etc., so it is suitable for moderate supplementation, but those who take medication for special conditions should be careful. The following are groups that should be careful when supplementing with fish oil:

Nutritionist Lin Shihang said that since the Ministry of Health and Welfare recommends daily intake of less than 2 grams and disease formulas need to be less than 5 grams, one needs to be very careful if one wants to follow the dosage based on clinical trial results. It is recommended to consult a physician or clinical nutritionist before doing so.

1. People with impaired immunity or coagulation are not suitable for fish oil supplementation

Fish oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which tend to synthesize hormones that inhibit inflammation and coagulation during metabolism, and may also suppress the immune system. Patients with compromised immune systems, impaired coagulation, or those who are about to undergo surgery may be at increased risk of infection or bleeding.

2. Fish oil may have drug interactions for people taking certain medications

Since high amounts of fish oil have an anticoagulant effect, it may increase the chance of bleeding in people taking anticoagulants. In addition, some studies have shown that fish oil can lower blood pressure, so if you are taking high blood pressure medication at the same time, you must be careful about the risk of hypotension.

Because the issue of drugs and diseases is very complicated, when you want to supplement with fish oil, it is recommended that you take your medication to consult a doctor or pharmacist to ask if there will be any interactions and how to avoid them.

How to choose fish oil products?

Many people are curious, how should they choose fish oil?

1. If you want to regulate blood lipids, choose health food certification

Among the current health food certification items, fish oil-related products are all certified for regulating blood lipids. Therefore, people who need it can give priority to health food certification. You can refer to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's health food query website

2. How to determine the dosage of fish oil?

Since there are currently no fish oil products with other certification programs for regulating blood sugar, and there are many functions that are not available in the health certification programs, you need to do some homework at this time and choose fish oil products that meet the research dosage. The following is some clinical research data for reference:

• Regulate blood cholesterol and blood lipids: daily DHA+EPA is higher than 1 gram and lower than 2 grams (healthy certified specifications).

• Regulate blood sugar: Most clinical trials use 2-4 grams per day, but only for those with metabolic problems.

•Anti-depression fish oil dosage: 1 gram per day, EPA is twice as much as DHA.

•Improve cognition and memory: about 2 grams per day.

Because the issue of drugs and diseases is very complicated, when you want to supplement with fish oil, it is recommended that you take your medication to consult a doctor or pharmacist to ask if there will be any interactions and how to avoid them.

Nutritionist Lin Shihang said that since the Ministry of Health and Welfare recommends daily intake of less than 2 grams and disease formulas need to be less than 5 grams, one needs to be very careful if one wants to follow the dosage based on clinical trial results. It is recommended to consult a physician or clinical nutritionist before doing so.

3. Should I choose TG, EE or rTG fish oil?

People often discuss whether to buy TG type (triglyceride type), EE type (esterified type) or rTG (re-esterified type). In fact, the key point is not the absorption rate, but the concentration and overall content. The structures of TG and rTG are exactly the same. rTG is formed by re-esterification of high-concentration EE, so it is distinguished by re-esterified. The research results on the absorption rate of (r)TG or EE are different, and the difference in absorption rate is not large.

Foods such as fish and nuts also contain omega-3.

In addition, fish oil is oil extracted from fish. It not only contains omega-3 fatty acids such as DHA and EPA, but also other oils. In the TG type (triglyceride type), the content of omega-3 is only about 30%, while in the EE type, it is greatly increased to more than 60-80%. However, these are only the raw material content. We should pay more attention to how much is contained in the capsule we eat.

Therefore, it is recommended to choose fish oil health foods that clearly indicate the Omega 3 concentration or DHA, EPA content, and whose content and recommended intake are in line with the aforementioned effective doses.

(Note 1)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5872768/

(Note 2)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5496233/pdf/12944 2017 Article_528.pdf