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What Is The Link Between Fish Oil And Diabetes?

March 2nd, 2010 | Add a Comment

The statistics on diabetes are frightening. Every year somewhere around a million Americans are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Although it can be fatal, more often it isn’t, but can have a serious impact on the lives of sufferers.

Scientists are worried about the rate of diabetes in our society. There are also enormous costs imposed on sufferers as well as the impact on their families and on the health system. So what can be done to reduce the impact of this explosion on diabetes rates?

Certainly there are a range of lifestyle factors which can help with the reduction in diabetes, such as dietary changes, levels of exercise and losing weight. However I normally analyze the benefits of Omega 3 fats, so today I want to look at Omega 3 and diabetes.

There is now clear evidence of a link between fish oil and diabetes showing that taking fish oil supplements can reduce some of the risks associated with diabetes. Fish oil has Omega 3 fats in it, and the main Omega 3 fats the are of benefit are DHA and EPA.

Type 2 diabetes is a disease that results in an excess of sugar levels in the blood. Insulin in the blood is unable to sufficiently deal with the sugar in the blood, so sugar levels rise.

And the insulin is less able to assist with the uptake of the fats into the cells, so levels of fats in the blood rise. People with diabetes tend to have lower levels of HDL (good cholesterol) and higher levels of triglycerides in the blood, and the figures also show that people with type 2 diabetes have a 6 times higher risk of heart attack and a 3 to 8 times higher risk of heart disease than people who do not.

So what is the fish oil and diabetes link? Is there any evidence that taking Omega 3 fish oil has any effect on diabetes? Yes, scientists are now convinced that omega 3 fish oil and diabetes relief are inextricably linked, and that taking fish oil lowers the risks of diabetes.

So why is there a fish oil and diabetes link? Because there are good polyunsaturated fats in Omega 3 fish oil and studies show that these fats reduce the level of triglycerides in the blood, reduce blood pressure and reduce abnormal heart rhythms, and also improve blood clotting regulation.

A large study on the fish oil diabetes link found that taking one gram of fish oil a day reduced cardiovascular mortality by 30% and the risk of death by heart attack by 45%. Blood pressure is lowered and circulation problems reduced. As the risks of heart problems are way higher for diabetes sufferers this is excellent news indeed.

A number of studies have now confirmed that diabetes and fish oil intake are linked, that more omega 3 in the diet helps reduce the negative effects of type 2 diabetes.

So how to get your fish oil? The AHA recommends 2 fish meals a week, but for some they also recommend limiting the intake of some fish due to the levels of some contaminants in fish, like mercury and PCBs. That’s scary.

The best way to get the right levels of Omega 3 fats in your diet is by fish oil capsules. The very best ones use fish from the cleanest ocean in the world, the southern ocean, and also use fish that are the highest in DHA, so their Omega 3 supplements are extremely high in DHA. And they don’t have any contamination, firstly because the fish are pretty clean to begin with, and secondly because they undergo a process known as molecular distillation that renders them so clean that contaminants are undetectable.

So clearly there is good evidence that if you suffer from type 2 diabetes there are reasons to take Omega 3 fish oil supplements daily. You lower your risks from the diabetes, including lowering your risk of sudden death.

About the Author
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