来自深海的神奇礼物-Omega鱼油（上篇）,新西兰好健康微信公众号文章

What’s so special about fish oil? Well, where to start… For one, it’s rich in omega-3 fats - known as the ‘good’ type. We can't make these fats ourselves so we need to get them via our diet or supplementation. We asked our naturopaths why fish oil is so good for you, we didn’t expect number 4!

到底鱼油有什么特别之处？要从哪里开始说起呢？首先，它含有丰富的omega-3，也就是欧米加3脂肪酸 - 被称为是“好”的类型。我们的身体无法自己制造这些脂肪，所以需要透过饮食补充。我们请教了自然疗法专家为何鱼油对我们的身体这么好，我们没有预料到下面的第四点！

Why you should be taking fish oil supplements?

Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines are rich in these omega-3’s so if you’re not eating oily fish at least 3 times a week, you might want to consider taking a fish oil supplement. The main two omega-3s we get from fish oil are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA). There’s plenty of reasons why these are really important in your diet, so our naturopaths have listed 10 of the majors.

为何您应该服用鱼油补充剂？

富含脂肪的鱼类，例如鲑鱼、鲭鱼、沙丁鱼都含有丰富的欧米加3。如果您没有每周至少吃3次这些富含脂肪的鱼类，可能就要考虑摄取鱼油补充剂。我们从鱼油得到的两个主要欧米加3脂肪酸分别为二十碳五烯酸（EPA）和二十二碳六烯酸（DHA）。这些成分对饮食非常的重要，我们的自然疗法专家列出以下十大主要原因。

What are the benefits of fish oil supplements?

鱼油补充剂的好处是什么？

1. It makes you smarter.

DHA is the primary building block of your brain. It helps your brain by improving mental performance, particularly in memory and learning. The brain is 60% fat and DHA is the most abundant fatty acid in the brain. So, along with ‘eating your spinach for strength’ we recommend getting a good dose of your omega’s to grow those brain cells.

1. 使您更聪明

DHA是建造脑部细胞的基础成分。它帮助您的大脑心智表现，特别是在记忆和学习方面。脑部有60％是脂肪，而DHA是脑中最丰富的脂肪酸。因此，就像我们常说的“吃菠菜得力量”，我们建议摄取足够的欧米加脂肪酸，帮助脑细胞的成长。

2. If you’re pregnant, your baby will be smarter too.

DHA is one of the critical nutrients and the primary building block required by the brain and the eyes during the early stages of development. In the first few weeks of embryonic development when the brain cell division is most active, a mother’s blood needs to feed the foetus with large amounts of DHA. A continual supply of DHA is needed right throughout the pregnancy, as there is also a rapid brain growth phase in the last trimester. This phase can determine an infants IQ.

2. 如果您怀孕，宝宝也会更聪明

DHA是脑和眼睛在早期发育阶段所需要的关键营养物，也是基础建造成分之一。在胚胎发育的最初几周，也是脑部细胞分裂最活跃的时期，母亲的血液需要用大量的DHA来供给胎儿。整个孕期都需要有DHA的持续供应，因为在最后三个月也是大脑快速发育的阶段。这个阶段可以决定一个婴儿的智商。

If you’re breastfeeding…

DHA is the most predominant omega-3 fatty acid in breast milk. Even after birth, brain and eye development continues for the baby. Again, it is thought that babies with healthy DHA from their mother during pregnancy and breastfeeding will have better vision and a higher IQ than those with DHA deficiency.

如果您正在哺乳…

DHA是母乳中最主要的欧米加3脂肪酸。即使出生后，婴儿的脑部和眼睛持续地在发育成长。怀孕和哺乳期间从母体充分摄取健康DHA的婴儿比缺乏DHA的婴儿有更好的视力和更高的智商。

3. Omega-3 reduces PMS and painful periods.

When symptoms involve pain and inflammation, ensuring your Omega-3 levels are optimal can reduce some of this suffering. It’s important to make a conscious effort to keep these levels in check so when that time of the month rolls around, you’ll experience less pain. It’s not ideal to take fish oil symptomatically as you would Paracetamol for pain, so ensure you’re supplementing regularly to maintain adequate levels.

3. 欧米加-3减少经前症候群的状况和经痛

当有疼痛和发炎的症状，确保您的欧米加-3在最佳的水平可以减少一些这方面的痛楚。平时服用维持水平是重要的，当月经来临时就会减轻经痛。和服用普拿疼止痛不同，等到有症状出现时才摄取鱼油来止痛是不理想的，所以须确保您经常补充以维持足够的水平。

4. It can help to improve your mood.

Low levels of DHA omega-3 have actually been linked with depression. If you have too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3 in your brain, changes in the brain membranes occur which increases the vulnerability to depression. Keeping up your omega-3 intake can improve your mood drastically.

4. 帮助改善情绪

有事实显示DHA欧米加3水平低与抑郁症有关联。如果您的大脑有太多欧米加6而没有足够的欧米加3，脑膜会发生变化从而增加了抑郁症发生的可能性。保持欧米加3脂肪酸的摄取可以大幅地改善您的情绪。

5. It will maintain your eye health.

Much like the brain, the eyes require DHA for development and maintenance. Omega-3 can also help with dry eyes, night blindness and age-related Macular degeneration.

5. 保持眼睛健康

如同大脑，眼睛的发育和维护也需要DHA。欧米加3还可以改善干眼症，夜盲症和与年龄相关的视网膜黄斑病变。