Omega 3 fat makes you thin

The higher your omega 3 status the lower your weight. That’s the finding of a new study in the Journal of Nutrition that measured the blood fat levels of 124 people of varying weights.

They found that the more omega 3 fats in the blood the lesser was the Body Mass Index, the smaller was their waist and their hip circumference. “[Other] studies, along with our observations, suggest that omega-3 PUFA supplementation may play an important role in preventing weight gain and improving weight loss when omega-3 PUFA are supplemented concomitantly with a structured weight-loss programme,” wrote the researchers. Commenting on how a higher omega 3 intake could lead to weight loss, the Australia-based researchers noted that is was “biologically plausible” that omega-3 fats may aid weight management. Results from animal studies, for example, suggest that omega-3s may increase the production of heat by burning energy (thermogenesis). Another study found that omega-3s boost the feeling of fullness after a meal (postprandial satiety) during weight loss. Omega 3 intake also has an impact on levels of hunger hormones ghrelin and leptin which impact on appetite, according to the researchers. “Thus, the idea that fish oil can regulate weight status via improved appetite control along with a subsequent reduction in energy intake is plausible and worthy of further investigation,” wrote the researchers. This study, however, doesn’t prove cause. If you would like to find out more about the perfect intake and balance of fats in your diet I wrote about this extensively in the last issue of my newsletter and will be exploring some of the fascinating and practical findings on how to improve your weight control by understanding how the hunger hormones leptin and grhelin work in the next issue, out in September. I’m also giving seminars in London and Ireland this September on my GL diet and how to maximise weight loss.