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IBS treatment fish oil

Fish oil has been hitting the headlines a lot in recent years regarding the beneficial effects it can have on your health. Oily fish and fish oil has been promoted as being good for everything from depression and other mental health problems to arthritis and any condition involving inflammation, including Crohn’s disease and IBS, but is it true?

The simple answer is yes. There is now a whole stack of evidence concerning the benefits to be gained from taking fish oil on a daily basis and some very good reasons as to why we need it. Essential Omega 3 fatty acids such as EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) cannot be produced by the body so it has to come from dietary sources. Unfortunately, we are not getting these in our daily diet unless we eat enough fish as EPA in particular can only be found in any significant quantities in oily fish. Bearing in mind that we have polluted our seas and therefore our fish, we are told not to eat too much oily fish but still to include it as part of our diet.

At the same time we have massively increased our consumption of Omega 6 fatty acids, again, they cannot be produced by the body and have to be sourced from diet but there are ample amounts of Omega 6 in typical western diets, in fact too much. Omega 3 is anti-inflammatory and Omega 6 is pro-inflammatory. It is this imbalance between Omega 3 and Omega 6 that some professionals believe has led to a huge rise in the number of inflammatory conditions affecting our health in today’s modern world. One way to increase Omega 3 consumption is to take daily fish oil supplements that have undergone sophisticated processes to concentrate the fatty acids and remove the contaminants.

Fish oil and IBS

IBS is a distressing disorder resulting in symptoms such as diarrhoea and constipation along with abdominal pain and bloating. Fish oil supplements could possibly help reduce any inflammation present in the gut and anywhere else in the body. It also helps improve mood and can alleviate depression, anxiety and stress, which is particularly important because anxiety and stress are known to trigger IBS symptoms.

If you do start taking fish oil supplements as a way of dealing with IBS then start with a smaller dose in order to assess the affect it might have on your IBS symptoms before gradually increasing the dose. Fish oil is naturally a lubricant and as such may affect your bowel movements. By keeping the fish oil in the fridge and taking them along with food you can reduce the possibility of experiencing any side effects such as indigestion and fishy burps.

It is important to remember that many supplements and medications and herbal remedies have contraindications and can interact negatively with other medicines and that includes fish oil. First of all, before starting any treatment plan for IBS or before taking any kind of medication, it is important to obtain an accurate diagnosis of IBS. Not only will your doctor be able to assess all of your symptoms and rule out any other possible causes before diagnosing you with IBS, he or she will also be able to advise you on the best treatment options and whether fish oil would be suitable for you.