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• Anchorage

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• Homer

Fish  Oil Information

Fish oil  is oil derived from the tissues of oily fish.Fish oils contain the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA),and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), precursors of eicosanoids that areknown to reduce inflammation throughout the body,[1][2] and are thoughtto have many health benefits.[by whom?]

Fish do not actuallyproduce omega-3 fatty acids, but instead accumulate them by consumingeither microalgae or prey fish that have accumulated omega-3 fattyacids from microalgae. Fatty predatory fish like sharks, sword fish,tilefish, and albacore tuna may be high in omega-3 fatty acids, but dueto their position at the top of the food chain, these species can alsoaccumulate toxic substances (see biomagnification). For this reason,the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends limiting consumptionof certain (predatory) fish species (e.g. albacore tuna, shark, kingmackerel, tilefish and swordfish) due to high levels of toxiccontaminants such as mercury, dioxin, PCBs and chlordane.[3] Fish oilis used as a component in aquaculture feed. More than 50 percent of theworld's fish oil used in aquaculture feed is fed to farmed salmon.[4]

The omega-3 fatty acids infish oil are thought to be beneficial in treating hypertriglyceridemia,and possibly beneficial in preventing heart disease.[5] Fish oil andomega-3 fatty acids have been studied in a wide variety of otherconditions, such as clinical depression,[6][7] anxiety,[8][9][10]cancer, and macular degeneration, although benefit in these conditionsremains to be proven.[5]

Several studies reportpossible anti-cancer effects of n−3 fatty acids found in fish oil(particularly breast, colon and prostate cancer).[12][13][14] Omega-3fatty acids reduced prostate cancer growth, slowed histopathologicalprogression, and increased survival in genetically engineered mice.[15]Among n-3 fatty acids (omega-3), neither long-chain nor short-chainforms were consistently associated with breast cancer risk. High levelsof docosahexaenoic acid, however, the most abundant n-3 polyunsaturatedfatty acid (omega-3) in erythrocyte membranes, were associated with areduced risk of breast cancer.