Fish Oil. One of the best and most recommended supplements on the market when it comes to general health and fat loss. It’s also one of the most commonly poorly manufactured with loads of low quality and even potentially harmful products on the market.
Quality Matters!
Why is it important?
Humans operate best when omega 3 to omega 6 ratio in the diet is 1:1 or 1:2 - the average modern day westerner sits somewhere around 1:16.
This means most people have way too much omega 6 (mostly from grains) and not enough omega 3.
The issue with this imbalance is that it causes chronic inflammation. Basically constant stress on the body which can lead to many symptoms including, poor gut health, lethargy, brain fog, achy joints, poor recovery from workouts, poor mental health, a general feeling of being unwell and it’s even linked now to many conditions including dementia.
Rates of many diseases like this have skyrocketed since humans started eating a lot more grains and vegetable oils (high in omega 6) and alot less wild meat, seafood etc (high in omega 3).
On top of this omega 3 has a vital role to play in blood sugar regulation and insulin sensitivity. This along with it’s anti-inflammatory effects is why it is very helpful with fat loss results.
The key with fish oil is 1- Quality, 2- Timing & dosages.
1- Quality. This can generally be determined by the % of active ingredient in each capsule. The active ingredients are EPA - this is best for reducing inflammation in the body and fat loss. DHA - this is good for the brain. All fish oils will contain both to differing degrees.
Example: The fish oil we stock at the gym is 83.2% active ingredient which is very high. The average you find in a chemist / supermarket is generally around 25-35% which makes you wonder what the F else they’ve got in there.
2- Timing and Dosages. There are 2 main protocols we prescribe to people.
A) General health / reduced inflammation. Take 3g before bed (or 1g with each meal). For better anti-inflammatory effects have with a serving of glutamine before bed. My night time ritual is 3g Fish oil, 5g glutamine, 200mg Magnesium Threonate & 200mg L-Theanine + ZMA for the ultimate anti-inflammatory / sleep combo.
B) Rapid Fat Loss. To speed up fat loss results take 3g of fish oil with each meal. This will dull the insulinogenic effect of the meal (you won’t produce as much insulin) which is good for fat burning. To multiply the effect take it with 1g of carnitine. You can increase these dosages in ratio but I’ve found great results over and over with clients on this protocol. This is not designed to be on forever. Just to get to your goal (max 3-6 months) before moving back to a maintenance dose (A).
Some people may experience sleep issues with taking carnitine before bed - if this happens remove the night time dose. If you have any gut issues with 1g of carnitine you can start with 0.5g for a week or 2 before increasing.
Hope this is helpful for you. Sing out with any questions.
Coach Jake
Disclaimer: I am not giving you medical advice. You should definitely talk to your doctor. If you're already on blood thinners (for example medication for Blood Pressure) it is not a good idea to take Omega 3 as it also acts as a blood thinner.
