Fish oil: The brain food

MANILA, Philippines - If your work demands churning out brilliant ideas for big projects, it could be quite a drag to sit and stare on the computer monitor for hours on end without a single idea coming from your brain.

Such scenarios are becoming common among yuppies today who are always on their feet to meet the challenges of the workplace. What to do then so they can always keep up with the demands of the daily grind?

It’s not surprising to know that all it takes is going back to the basics, that is, taking care of our health. Diet plays an important role in boosting health and one needs to make an effort in knowing what foods are good to improve his or her brain performance. One need not look further as improving brain function needs having the “brain food” included in the daily diet: fish oil.

The natural oil intrinsic in fish continues to do wonders for human health. While it has become known to boost heart health and has also been found to have anti-inflammatory properties, fish oil is also becoming increasingly known for having brain-boosting health benefits.

So what makes fish oil the ultimate brain food? The secret lies in its essential nutrient, Omega-3 Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA)/Eicosa­pentaenoic Acid (EPA).

Fish oil is oil derived from the tissues of oily fish, but this oily fish does not actually produce DHA/EPA fatty acids, but instead accumulate them from consuming micro-algae that produce these fatty acids.

Since the essential DHA/EPA nutrients in fish oil are not naturally produced by the body, it is a must to get these from the daily diet that should include more DHA/EPA-rich fish.

But not all fish are rich in DHA/EPA. Studies show that DHA/EPA-rich fatty fishes are those that include deep-sea fish like mackerel, sardines, salmons, tuna and herring. Fish that are caught from shallow waters like rivers or lakes are not fatty.

To fully benefit from the brain health benefits of fish oil, these fatty fish should not be fried but instead grilled or cooked as a soup-based dish like “sinigang” to preserve the DHA/EPA nutrients.

But with hectic schedule, poor dietary habits and low quality of food sources that people have today, experts recommend the consumption of nutritional dietary supplements that fulfill the nutritional demand of all body organs, including the brain.

Australian brand Cenovis Fish Oil, compared to other commercially available fish oil capsules that come from large fish like shark, seals, as well as cod liver oil, comes from the wild — small DHA/EPA-rich fish like sardines, mackarel, and herring that have shorter life span, making them less exposed to water pollutants.

Cenovis Fish Oil is also an all-natural fish supplement that is odorless and has no fishy aftertaste, which is important among consumers, as it was extracted from the Peruvian waters, one of the cleanest seas in the world.

The product also undergoes an eco-friendly production — after harvesting, the small fish go to Norway which is known to be the best technologically in terms of extraction of fish oils. After the extraction process, the fish oil goes to the Philippines for repackaging.

One capsule of Cenovis Fish Oil a day which should be taken along meals ensures one of the recommended dietary allowance for DHA/EPA, which is 500 to 1,800 mg per day.

To fully benefit from the health benefits of Cenovis Fish Oil (at only P9.75 per capsule), it is recommended to gradually increase the dosage.