A high-quality fish oil rich in omega-3s is often one of the top supplements encouraged by experts because of the nutrient’s proven role in supporting heart health, brain function, fat loss, and much more.
All the more reason to understand why and how this essential fatty acid — “essential” because our bodies can’t produce it on their own, so we have to get it through our diets — influence the body’s inflammatory response system.
What Is Inflammation?
Inflammation is a natural response from the body’s immune system. In some cases, it can be acute, and the body needs it as part of the natural healing process for injury or infection — think a sprained ankle or the redness from a scrape or cut on the skin. This type of inflammation is positive, says Gregory Plotnikoff, MD, a board-certified internist and pediatrician and founder and medical director of Minnesota Personalized Medicine. Though it may be uncomfortable, it aids in recovery and healing.
In an episode of Life Time Talks, Plotnikoff shares that it’s when inflammation becomes chronic and systemic that it becomes more harmful and can contribute to many of the chronic illnesses that we want to avoid. “To stay as healthy as possible, it means attentiveness to things that could drive inflammation,” he says.
As reported in Experience Life, weight-loss resistance, brain fog, anxiety and depression, fatigue, gut dysfunction, joint pain, and headaches can all be signs of ongoing inflammation in the body. It can also show up via conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, or lupus.
And sometimes, it can be invisible, as Shilpa Ravella, MD, Columbia University Irving Medical Center assistant professor and author of A Silent Fire: The Story of Inflammation, Diet, and Disease, shares with Experience Life.
Cassie Wilder, NMD, founder of the Minneapolis Integrative Medicine Center, also notes that chronic inflammation can be caused by a continuous trigger (such as polluted air, excess visceral fat, or a disrupted gut microbiome) or if the body is lacking the resources it needs to quell inflammation (such as if your immune system isn’t operating optimally due to factors like chronic stress, poor sleep, or an unhealthy diet). Or, she says, these two causes can work in combination.
Linked to numerous health problems, including heart disease, mood disorders, diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s, chronic inflammation can significantly impair quality of life and longevity. (Learn more: “What Is Inflammation?” and “How Chronic Inflammation Affects Your Health.”)
How Fish Oil Supplements Can Modulate Inflammation
Fish oil supplements can play a crucial role in helping to manage the inflammation processes throughout the body. Made up of omega-3 fatty acids, a quality fish oil supplement contains concentrated doses of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the most active forms of omega-3s.
“EPA and DHA are long-chain fatty acids that are critical for healthy cell membrane function,” says Paul Kriegler, RD, CPT, director of nutritional product development at Life Time. “In addition to being the structural components of cell membranes, they have roles as signaling molecules to promote healthy inflammatory response to injury or infection. Some evidence suggests omega-3s are also capable of boosting adaptive immune response.”
In another Experience Life article, Life Time Health experts also share that, “The endocannabinoid system regulates inflammation. DHA and EPA can be metabolized into cannabinoids, making these omega-3s important for the function of your endocannabinoid system.”
While the best dietary sources of EPA and DHA are fatty fish — salmon, mackerel, or sardines, for example — most people do not eat enough to obtain optimal levels of omega-3s. A study in Nutrition Journal reported that the average person’s fish intake is less than half the recommended amount established by the American Heart Association, which is at least two 3.5-ounce servings of fatty fish per week.
That recommendation is below what the team of Life Time dietitians advise for dietarily supporting omega-3 levels, which is at least an 8- to 10-ounce portion at minimum three times per week.
“Supplementing with high-quality fish oil is a safe and effective way to address this nutritional gap,” says Kriegler.
Fish oil also reliably counteracts pro-inflammatory omega-6s, which are abundant in highly processed foods and refined cooking oils. When omega-3s and omega-6s are represented more or less equally in the body, according to Experience Life’s reporting, they complement each other, governing the immune system and aiding in the production of prostaglandins, the hormones that regulate inflammation.
But according to numerous studies reviewed by the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, an increased ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s — and an overall rise in omega-6 consumption — damages important mediators and regulators of our inflammation and immune responses.
Incorporating a quality fish oil supplement into your routine can help restore this stability and mitigate the risks of chronic inflammation. (Learn more: “Fish Oil: Health Benefits of Supplementing for Your Body and Brain.”)
