Omega 3 Joint Relief: Can You Beat The Pain?

Sedentary lifestyles help to promote joint pain among the young and old alike. Today, more than ever before, people spend most of their lifetime seated in front of various electronics and inflammation of the joints is one of the outcomes of such a lifestyle. So this problem is only growing.

Types of Joint Pain

Joint pains can be divided into three distinct categories: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis and Bursitis.

Arthritis is the most common type of joint pain. Arthritis is itself subdivided into two categories: rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

The former refers to the condition wherein the immune system of the body attacks the body's own joint tissues, having mistaken them for being foreign cells. Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common auto-immune disease that people suffer with.

Osteoarthritis, on the other hand, refers to the deterioration of the cartilage surrounding the joints due to wear and tear in the body.

Bursitis is the name given to the chronic pain of the joints caused by the inflammation or injury of Bursae, which are sacs filled with fluid that cushion the movement of the joint bones against friction. Shoulder and elbow joints are the usual victims of this issue and the individual suffers unbearable pain.

Omega 3 and Joint Pain

Omega 3, an essential fatty acid that can only be provided to the body through the food you eat, is a nutrient that has been proven to reduce inflammation. This is one of the many reasons why it has become so popular over recent years.

But the crucial thing most people are not telling you, is that not all omega 3 is equal!

Flax oil emerged as a favorite among athletes and bodybuilders since they frequently tend to suffer from inflammation around their joints - due to improper warm up regimens or just wear and tear on their joints.

However, the new champion that studies are hailing is fish. Specifically those cold water oily fish that we are told to eat more of to protect our hearts.

Well the very substance in those fish that protects our hearts is the same one that has been shown to have significant effects on reducing many kinds of inflammation. And inflammation is of course what causes joint pain.

So we now know it's the DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in omega 3 that provides most of the researched benefits. And oily fish is the only source of omega 3 that provides significant levels of DHA.

So Eat More Fish? Yes and No!

Eating more oily fish should be the solution. But we now have to be careful due to the levels of pollution that can be found in those fish. The danger is recognised by Government bodies that advise us to choose fish carefully and avoid eating (the very fish we want more) of too often!

Personally, I now choose to take fish oil in capsule form, after it has been properly filtered to remove those toxins. It's one of the very few supplements it actually makes sense to buy! After all, it's difficult to get enough DHA without eating plenty of fish.

But do buy carefully. Not all fish oil is filtered as it should be. So make sure the manufacturer properly processes their oils, maintains high quality standards - and double check that DHA content too. Remember, not all fish oil is the same just like not all omega 3 is the same.