Scientists have found that regular exercise and consuming long-chain n-3 fatty acids from fish or fish oil can each independently improve cardiovascular and metabolic health. Combining these lifestyle changes may be more effective than either treatment alone, in fact, several studies have shown that taking fish oil supports weight loss. N-3 fatty acids include EPA and DHA (found in fatty fish and in fish oil supplements).
Weight Loss Study Results - Best Way To Lose Weight
Eighty-one overweight volunteers, ages 25 to 65 years (28 men and 53 women) were recruited for a 12-week study. The selected individuals did not consume fish oil supplements and exercised less than once per week prior to the study. Individuals were then divided into 4 groups:
- Fish oil supplement only
- Fish oil diet + exercise
- Safflower supplement only
- Safflower supplement + exercise
Comparing Results - Who Lost the Most Body Fat?
Exercise groups were required to run or walk three times a week for 45 minutes at 75 percent of their age-predicted maximum. Results showed that both fish oil supplementation alone and with regular exercise significantly reduced body fat compared to safflower controls.
Exercise with fish oil supplementation showed the greatest loss in body fat. The results showed the potential benefit of a combined strategy for optimizing body composition. During the 12-week study, the fish oil supplementation also:
- Lowered triacylglycerols (blood fats)
- Increased good HDL cholesterol
- Improved vessel lining
A similar study was conducted whereby young adults replaced
six grams of dietary fat with six grams of fish oil per day for three weeks. These individuals also showed a reduction in fat mass.2 Evidence supports that n-3 fatty acids may have a favorable effect on metabolism by modulating gene expression, which refers to DNA being converted to make a specific protein.
What Kind of Diet Is Best for Maintaining or Losing Weight?
People who follow a Mediterranean diet tend to have an increased level of “good” cholesterol known as high-density lipoproteins (HDL). This diet emphasizes fish and healthy fats, which provide a good balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Whole grains, roots, and green vegetables consumed with daily servings of fruits, fish, poultry, flaxseed oil, and walnuts are also part of the Mediterranean diet. Sweets, bread, rice, and noodles are not included very much.
This keeps simple carbohydrates at a minimum, which is what tends to go straight to fat storage when not burned through exercise. The Mediterranean diet has shown proven health benefits over the last 40 years. The food pyramid below shows what the Mediterranean diet includes.
How Else Can We Optimize Weight Loss or Management?
Physical activity is often recommended for weight loss, although most studies find that physical activity alone produces relatively small changes in body weight. The extent of weight loss that can be achieved through exercise may be small but it is clear that physical activity plays a key role in preventing weight gain.
As much as 60 to 90 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise can be required to maintain body weight. However, there is a lot of scientific evidence that shows exercise with or without weight loss may independently improve cardiovascular health, including improvements in blood pressure, favorably altering blood lipid profiles, and improving blood vessel function.
Health practitioners have compared the profiles of overweight people who exercise with normal- weight people who do not exercise. The Wylie-Rosett study of 5,440 overweight and normal-weight U.S. adults by Albert Einstein College researchers showed that obese people with better risk profiles tended to have more physical activity. And the normal-weight people with worse risk factors tended to have characteristics associated with lower physical activity levels.
Easy Weight Management Solution: Combine Omega+++ and Exercise
What people know but don’t want to believe is that there is no magic bullet for weight loss. The basic premise remains the same: to lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you take in. The good news is that scientists are finding ways to help us stay on track, and taking a good fish oil supplement is easy to incorporate into anyone’s daily regimen.
OMEGA+++ contains an optimal ratio of DHA and EPA, the omega fatty acids recommended for cardiovascular health that is now showing a connection to weight loss. Researchers are showing that even a small decrease in weight, when combined with exercise, can have profound benefits for health.
It is so easy to incorporate two soft-gel capsules of OMEGA+++ (one in the morning and one in the evening) for your health. And when you start to lose a little weight, isn’t that a great bonus?
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