Fish Oil: Why Is It Essential to Use It?
2–3 sentence summary (shown in the list and on Google).
How to use fish oil to lose weight and reduce stress
What is stress, and the physiology behind it?
Stress is directly connected to weight loss. If stress is high, the body finds it difficult to lose weight—because the body puts weight loss as a second priority.
To understand the importance of fish oil and how stress impacts excess weight, you need to understand how stress works inside your body.
First of all, we experience stress when we feel in danger. Stress can come in different forms:
- Physical stress, for example when we do intense training—our body is under stress.
- Psychological stress, when a social situation worries us, for example at work, etc.
Stressors can be very different— for some people, even breaking a glass can be stressful.
Whenever stress shows up in our lives, the body spends energy to deal with it.
Because the body perceives stress as something that threatens our life—and survival becomes the number one priority.
Today, most of us are under chronic stress all the time, and the body thinks it has to “secure survival” continuously by spending energy and resources.
If we ask the body to lose weight, that becomes second priority—because the goal of the organism is to survive, and when stress is present, the body mainly prioritizes managing stress, since stress is seen as a threat to survival.
So if you want to lose weight, you need to reduce stress.
Now that you understand how stress works, you can also understand how fish oil helps reduce stress.
Fish oil (Omega-3) and stress
In the body, fish oil—Omega-3—plays a calming role. Omega-3 can reduce the body’s stress response by supporting circulation (by helping blood vessels relax), reducing body aches, and lowering inflammation—basically reducing the “irritation” in the body caused by stress.
So where else do we get Omega-3?
Other sources of Omega-3 come from fish meat. But we don’t eat enough fish, and for that reason fish oil can be a good suggestion for many people.
A bit of history: Omega-3 vs Omega-6
We said Omega-3 is anti-stress / anti-inflammatory, while Omega-6 is more inflammatory. That doesn’t automatically mean Omega-6 is “bad.” Omega-6 is needed because it helps your body protect damaged areas and keep them from moving too much.
For example, if you have an injury, Omega-6 can increase pain in that area, so when you touch it by mistake, the pain reminds you to protect that body part.
The ideal ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 should be around 1:1.
But today, in modern society, the ratio is closer to 1:20 in favor of Omega-6. That means we have more inflammation than anti-inflammation in the body.
A long time ago—before the industrial revolution—the ratio was closer to 1:1 because food sources were more nutrient-dense and it was easier to maintain balance.
Today, processed foods and the lack of fish in our diet have pushed this ratio heavily toward Omega-6.
So if you want to reduce stress, you should eat fish sources about 3 times per week—but this can become difficult due to economic flexibility (cost and lifestyle). In that case, a good suggestion is taking an Omega-3 supplement.
What to look for when buying fish oil
If you want to take fish oil, you should keep something in mind:
- Choose Omega-3 only — don’t buy fish oil labeled Omega 3 + 6 + 9.
- It’s better to take pure Omega-3 for the reasons mentioned above, because we already get enough Omega-6 in our diet.
After that, two things matter most:
- The amount of EPA
- The amount of DHA
EPA and DHA are the key components of Omega-3—and you want them to be as high as possible.
Personally, I found a product:
POWER OF NATURE PLATIUM RAN – OMEGALEAN ULTRA
which contains:
- 500 mg EPA
- 250 mg DHA Total: 750 mg
For perspective, many other fish oil products are around 250–400 mg combined EPA + DHA.
If you want to get this specific product, you can find it at Matilda Pharmacy, the pharmacy near the bus station, across from the small lawn area (“lendina te lotet”).
Otherwise, you can choose any fish oil product—just calculate how much EPA and DHA it contains.
My personal experience
Personally, I used fish oil for 2 months straight, taking 1 or 2 capsules per day.
I didn’t notice a big difference in my health—I feel the same. But my experience shouldn’t be taken as a universal example.
My nutrition is very consistent: I eat fish or seafood about 3 times per week, my sleep quality is very good, and I train regularly.
But if we’re talking about someone whose diet is mainly processed meats, who doesn’t eat fish, and who is overweight, fish oil can reduce inflammation in the body.
And finally, if I had to suggest one supplement to someone, the single most-used supplement in the world with no side effects is exactly fish oil.
If you want help
Message us on WhatsApp or sign up at PLANET FITNESS KORÇË. We’re always here to guide you based on your needs, lifestyle, and goals. Sign up today!