Stressed out? Have fish oil to lower cortisol levels

Stop stress-related weight gain with daily supplementation of fish oil.

By: Sandhya Raghavan | | Published: January 15, 2018 1:41 pm

Omega-3 fatty acid can reduce the odds of heart attack.

Are you frustrated that all the healthy eating and exercising has not made any difference to your weight? There’s probably a good reason for it — cortisol, your primary stress hormone that helps you fight or flee a stressful situation. Back in the days when humans were hunter-gatherers, cortisol helped us to tactfully negotiate a dangerous situation if confronted by a wild animal or a forest fire. But such situations were rare back then and life was more or less stress-free! Also Read - Chinese man loses half his liver after eating undercooked fish: 7 foods that you should never eat raw

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Today there are no sabre-toothed tigers to fight. Instead, we have managers in suits. And unlike the former, we have to face the latter almost on a daily basis. That means your adrenal glands are secreting cortisol quite frequently, causing side effects such as weight gain around the stomach, acne, weak immune system, high blood pressure, mood swings and endocrine disorders. What you need (apart from a good diet and lifestyle regimen, of course) is an antidote for all that excess cortisol — fish oil. Also Read - Want to lose weight? Eat these 5 foods to boost your metabolism

What is fish oil?

Fish oil is popularly is either sold in transparent gelatin capsules or as in the oil form. A tried-and-tested remedy for everything from joint pain to eye health, cod liver oil is extracted quite literally from the liver of the codfish. It’s also a rich source of vitamin A, D and omega 3 fatty acids. Mothers all over the world recommend it to ward off cold, flu and other infections in their children.

How does fish oil help you fight stress?

Studies have confirmed the many stress-fighting qualities of cod liver oil. In 2004, it was found that perceived stress in people was greatly reduced after they took omega 3 fatty acids in the form of fish oil supplements.¹ The subjects of the study reported feeling less aggressive and hostile after they started taking the supplements.

A 2013 study² was performed on male alcoholics who have a faulty hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis, which can make them vulnerable to stress. In a three-week period, the men were given 60 mg fish oil a day. At the end of the test, it was observed that an elevated level of omega 3 intake helped in reducing stress symptoms and basal cortisol secretion.

How to take fish oil

Fish oil is available in the liquid and in the gelatin capsule forms. Since the oil is not very palatable, it is best to take it in the capsule form. If you are a regular fish eater, your omega 3 requirements may be taken care of. Oily fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, cod etc. have rich reserves of omega 3-rich oil. So make it a point to include them in your diet.

References:

1 Bradbury, J., Myers, S. P., & Oliver, C. (2004). An adaptogenic role for omega-3 fatty acids in stress; a randomised placebo controlled double blind intervention study (pilot)[ISRCTN22569553]. Nutrition Journal, 3(1), 20.

2 Barbadoro, P., Annino, I., Ponzio, E., Romanelli, R. M., D’errico, M. M., Prospero, E., & Minelli, A. (2013). Fish oil supplementation reduces cortisol basal levels and perceived stress: A randomized, placebo controlled trial in abstinent alcoholics. Molecular nutrition & food research, 57(6), 1110-1114.

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Published : January 15, 2018 1:41 pm

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