What if someone tells you Fish Oil may not be as Healthy as you Think ? Though fish oil has plenty of health benefits so far, a new research finds out that using fish or sunflower oil for too long may be hazardous to health. They have found that long-term consumption of these both oils may lead to fatty liver diseases later in life.
The researchers performed some experiments on rats and this is what they have observed, “The lifelong intake of fish oil or sunflower oil lead to some changes in the liver which further exposes the organ to non- alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). A thing to ponder is NASH is rather a more serious condition than the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and may worsen the situation.
Study co-author Jose Luis Quiles, a professor of Physiology currently working at the University of Granada in Spain, and his dedicated colleagues recently published a report in The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.
According to an estimate, almost 20 percent of the people living in the United States have developed NASH who previously has NAFLD and it’s becoming more common with age.
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is characterized by building up of fat in the liver. The cause is not either alcohol consumption, inflammation or liver damage. But the damage to the liver that is caused by NASH may increase the risks of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer as well.
The key risk factors for NASH include overweight and obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Type 2 Diabetes which are all directly affected by the diet.
How Dietary Fats affect the Liver?
The team of Professor Quiles and his colleague has revealed some new facts in their new study which links the risk factors of diet for NASH. It says that each type of oil that we consume during our lives affect the later-life risks of our condition.
The researchers concluded to these findings by analyzing the effects of different types of dietary fats including sunflower oil, fish oil, and virgin olive oil on rat livers.
The team observed that how lifelong intake of these dietary fats affect the rodent’s liver and what changes does it make to its structure as well as on gene expression, liver fibrosis (scarring), oxidative stress, and the length of telomeres.
- What is oxidative stress? It is basically an imbalance between the free radicals in the body. Free radicals are those molecules which may damage the healthy cells in the body along with unhealthy ones. Thus, under oxidative stress body copes with its ability to de-oxidize these molecules and prevent the body from its harmful effects.
- What are Telomeres? These are the caps or small coverings at the end of each strand of DNA and their role is to protect the chromosomes. The shorter the telomeres, more will be the damage to chromosomes.
Research has shown that a decrease in the size of telomeres plays a key role in increasing the risks of cellular aging and age-related diseases. While those in whom telomeres grow too long are prone to the risks of cancer.
Additionally, the team analyzed how the liver evolves along with growing age as a result of different dietary fats consumed throughout the life.
Olive Oil considered as “Best Oil” for LIVER:
The researchers have found that liver fat accumulates with age and also noticed that the type of fats that accumulates in liver depends upon the type of oil/dietary fat we consumed throughout our growing age.
As Professor Quiles points out that, “[…] this means that, regardless of this accumulation, some livers age in a healthier way than others and with a greater or lesser predisposition to certain diseases.”
The study mainly revealed that fish oil and sunflower oil had negative impacts on the liver of rats and so they can do to humans if consumed for a longer period in life.
Because lifelong sunflower oil consumption was not only found to induce liver fibrosis, but alterations in the structure of an organ, alterations in gene expression, and also an increase to the oxidation in the liver cells.
The researchers demonstrated that rats that had a lifelong intake of sunflower oil was found to trigger an increase in age-related cell oxidation in their livers and also a decrease in electron transport chain activity in the mitochondria, definitely the powerhouse of a cell. Thus, it impairs the whole cell function.
Fish oil, on the other hand, is known to increase the telomere length in the liver, published in a research report. However, olive oil was found to cause the least damage to the health of the liver.
Thus, the team as a whole indicated that virgin olive oil might be the best oil/dietary fat for later-life liver health.
“The alterations caused by the long-term consumption of sunflower and fish oils make the liver susceptible to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, a very serious disease that may act as a catalyst for other liver diseases such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. We believe that this study will be very useful in preventing and treating diverse liver diseases.”
(Prof. José Luis Quiles)
He further adds to his report that “Virgin olive oil is the healthiest diet option which has already proven itself to have the diverse relation with aspect to liver health.”
These findings may leave you in a surprise as the fish oil is the most commonly used natural oil in the whole U.S. due to its frequently documented health impacts on the liver.
Still, this study has contributed a lot to the modern diet plans and gives a thought to everyone that to choose wisely when it comes to “healthy eating”, especially. And which fats to add to the diet and which one to void. Always consult to your dietician if you are a diabetic or a patient of heart disease or hypercholesteremia.
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