Fish oil might protect the brain from junk food

Taking fish oil supplements might reduce the negative effects that junk food has on the brain, according to researchers at the University of Liverpool.

A review of more than 180 different studies aimed to discover whether omega-3 supplements were able to aid weight loss. Researchers found that diets rich in these healthy fats could play a significant role in preventing sugar and saturated fat from controlling the brain's response on intake of food – suggesting that they might help with hunger or impulse control.

Fish oil protects 'good' hormones

Normally, high-fat diets prevent certain "protecting" hormones from passing into key areas of the brain because of the presence of other inflammatory molecules. However, fish oil appears to interfere with these inflammatory molecules – triglycerices – and help restore overall nerve health.

"Fish oils don't appear to have a direct impact on weight loss, but they may take the brakes off the detrimental effects of some of the processes triggered in the brain by high-fat diets," Dr. Lucy Pickavance, from the University's Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, said in a statement.

Eat more omegas

Pickavance notes that fish oils appear to mimic the effects of calorie-restrictive diets. Including more of these supplements in your daily diet – or eating more omega-rich foods like fish and nuts – may help people who want to lose weight:

Body weight is influenced by many factors, and some of the most important of these are the nutrients we consume. Excessive intake of certain macronutrients, the refined sugars and saturated fats found in junk food, can lead to weight gain, disrupt metabolism and even affect mental processing.

The study is published in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Source: Science Daily