Originally, I was planning on writing an article about carbohydrates today. I will still do that in the upcoming days, but today I'm going to follow back up on one of my favorite topics...Omega 3's and specifically fish oil supplementation! I've written some stuff about this before HERE. In my previous article, I really didn't talk much about Omega6's, but for things to make sense in the context of my experiences over the past month or so, you'll need to understand the relationship between Omega3's and Omega6's.
PUFA's
First off, Omega3's and 6's are essential fatty acids. They are also known as a long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, or PUFA's. PUFA's play a critical role in brain function, skin and hair growth, bone health, metabolic regulation, reproductive systems, and a variety of other important functions. Your body cannot produce Omega3's or 6's and you must get them from your diet. If you live in America, the good news is you are probably getting plenty of Omega6's in your diet...the bad news is you are probably not getting enough Omega3's. Omega6's are very predominant in our western diet, but Omega3's are not because we don't eat a lot of fish. There are 3 common Omega3's - EPA, DHA, and ALA. EPA and DHA are primarily found in fatty fish such as mackerel, tuna, and salmon. ALA can be found in certain green vegetables and grain sources such as flax seed. For the purposes of this blog post, we will focus on the EPA and DHA.Standing Up for Omega3's
I'll be honest, one of the reasons I'm posting about this is a friend of mine (he knows who he is) recently came across some info that vilifies all PUFA's including Omega3's. Many times there is a thread of truth in just about any reasonable point of view you come across; however, some truth doesn't mean all truth. The author of the article that vilified PUFA's is immanently more qualified than I am to write about this topic...but that doesn't mean he is right. Sometimes we can get so locked into our point of view, that we disregard solid logic and evidence if it contradicts our agenda. There is a vast amount of info out there indicating the importance and health benefits of PUFA's...but as you'll see very shortly...balance is important. Ok...now that I got that out of the way, and I've come clean on one of my motivations for blogging about this topic, I'll continue.Balance, Balance, Balance
Ok, now onto the meat. It is important to have a proper balance of Omega3's and Omega6's. When your body is out of balance and is short on Omega3's, a number of inflammatory conditions including tendinitis can arise. There is some variance among doctors and scientists on the optimal ratio of 3's to 6's, with some arguing for a 1:1 ratio, and others at least a 1:4 ratio. Dr. Matthew Isner has estimated that the average American has a diet probably varies from a 1:10 to a 1:25 ratio of Omega3's to Omega6's. Pretty ridiculous huh? No wonder there are so many chronic health conditions and obese people in America...we don't know how to eat properly.God designed our bodies very intelligently. Inflammation is an important function within the body, as it aids in growth and repair. The problems come into play when our body experiences chronic inflammation and leads to tissue damage and even pain. Let's cut right to the chase...I want to talk about tendinitis.
Matt's Anecdote
I am always leery of other people's anecdotes. Everyone seems to have a different experience and therefore a different opinion on a matter. When it comes to anecdotes you have to use your best judgement and be sure that you have a good bull-crap sniffer. Take into consideration what the person is telling you, but weigh it against other factors, including the knowledge and credibility of the person who is telling you their experience. Hopefully you guys trust me...buhahahaha! In all seriousness, I am shooting you straight because I am passionate about health and nutrition, and my experience only verifies the science that I've found and that I've tried to explain in very brief details above.About 2 years ago I developed extremely bad tendinitis in my right elbow. The injury stemmed from overuse as I was playing softball 2 nights a week (sometimes 3), working out 6 days a week, including 2 days of fairly intense Boot Camp. The pain got so intense that I was no longer able to throw a softball, and had to stop doing triceps exercises at the gym. Even push-ups were painful, and if I bumped my elbow...it felt like someone was stabbing me with an ice-pick! I wore a tennis elbow brace designed to put pressure on the tendon and relieve the inflammation...that didn't work. I iced the elbow down in the evenings, and sometimes during the day at work...that didn't work. I took Ibuprofen and put pain relieving creams and gels on it...that didn't work. I even took a week and a half off from any type of exercise that affected the tendon...and it began to feel much better...until I did anything with it and then it hurt again...so that didn't work. I even went to a doctor, he told me to do all of the things that I just mentioned, and when I told him that I had done all of that he said "you just need to rest it some more." I battled the tendinitis for over a year...YES...an entire year. I had essentially given up triceps pull downs, skull crushers, etc. because they hurt too bad. I even backed off of push-ups...it was miserable.
Then one day I was watching a YouTube video (The video I was watching) that was talking about Omega3's and how they can help increase muscle recovery. I remember my doctor also telling me in the past that I should supplement fish oil to increase my HDL...so I figured I should start taking it. I had no idea that this is what would cure my tendinitis. After a few weeks I began to notice that the pain in my elbow was dulling. After another 2-3 weeks it was completely gone! I was EXCITED...but I still didn't put it together. What can I say...maybe I'm slow. I was racking my brain to try to figure out why (after an entire year) did my tendinitis suddenly go away??? Then it hit me...the fish oil was the only thing I changed. I did a quick Google search for "fish oil and tendinitis" and BOOM! Apparently this stuff is all over the internet...but I didn't know...and apparently neither did my doctor...thanks a ton Doc!
Since then, I've been taking fish oil supplements every day. Even though I work out 6 days a week, I hadn't been experiencing chronic inflammation...until the last month or so when suddenly, my tendinitis flared up again. Talk about a kill-joy. I had been lifting heavier weight, so I thought maybe that was part of the problem, but with my daily fish-oil supplementation (1.5g EPA/DHA per day), I just couldn't see why the tendinitis came back after a year of being gone. However, this time I got my light bulb a little faster. Since I began the Intermittent Fasting program, I have changed my diet up and I've been consuming a lot more Omega6's than I have been at any time in the past. I decided that if this was the case, I had fallen out of the proper balance and needed to supplement additional Omega3's (increase to 2.25g EPA/DHA per day). Just like clockwork, after a few days the tendinitis began to dull, and now it is gone once again. So...whether you understand the science or not, if you are having tendinitis pains, and you don't want to back off of your exercise program, I'd suggest you consider supplementing fish oil before something more extreme like a cortisone shot. Even if you aren't dealing with chronic inflammation, there are so many health benefits of getting enough Omega3's you can pick your reason for why you should be making it a regular part of your diet.
Moral of the Story
...well I'll just let Arnold explain it to you...
Scripture for the Day
I John 3:16-1816 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
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