This fish tale is easy to swallow.
A nice testimonial from PhillyBurbs columnist Wayne Fish. (Note that most of my athletic friends prefer PlusEPA for arthritis support and the reduction of inflammation.)
I wasn’t sitting in my bathtub like Archimedes was when he made his discovery about the purity of gold 2,300 years ago, but my revelation was still thrilling enough for a good old “Eureka!”
I’m talking about fish oil, and how it can make anyone a better runner.
For years, people have been raving about the benefits of fish oil, which contains heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
They’ve claimed it does everything from cure dry skin to improve your eyesight.
But I’ve come across some other benefits which make this supplement nothing short of invaluable.
The process began a couple months ago when I was looking for a way to keep a slightly high triglyceride reading in check by natural means.
Someone mentioned fish oil. I didn’t give it much thought but was willing to try anything.
At the same time, I had been visiting several doctors about an arthritic joint in the second toe in my left foot. It had been inflamed since last summer but hadn’t really started bothering me until I resumed training for an April marathon.
I began taking fish oil caplets, brand name “Nordic Naturals,” with the hope of getting my triglycerides down before my next blood test.
It was right about then that I picked up the February issue of Runner’s World and came across a column by veteran marathoner Budd Coates.
Coates, a writer-editor at the magazine and former U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier, wrote about how he was taking omega-3 for plaque buildup in one artery.
Then the coincidences started getting eerie.
He also had been battling an arthritic joint in his second toe. Two weeks into a new diet, fortified by omega-3, the toe stopped bothering him.
That’s when “Eureka!” crossed my mind.
Sure enough, about two weeks into my fish oil ingestion, inflammation in my toe began to dissipate, and soon I was pain free.
Coates’ column confirmed that omega-3 can be effective in offsetting arthritis in joints.
Another parallel: Coates’ running times began to improve. He credits this not only to a healthier diet but a loss of weight and drop in cholesterol, courtesy of omega-3.
He ran a four-mile race in 21:24, the first time he had cracked 22 minutes in four years. Then he ran a half-marathon nearly four minutes faster than the previous year.
This is not to make the claim that a better diet and fish oil is going to qualify you for Boston overnight. But I do believe a conscientious diet (I’m also experimenting with protein shakes on a daily basis) and diligent use of omega-3 will help.
One note: Taking omega-3 by pharmaceutical grade caplet is better than eating a lot of fish from the ocean, which has been shown to contain high levels of mercury and other metals. Caplets are made from a distillation process which makes the oil pure and free of contaminants.
The Philadelphia Flyers use fish oil on their training table, and head trainer Jim McCrossin is a believer.
“I do know that they’re finding out more and more about omega-3 fatty acids,” he said. “We use it for general health. As our nutritionist puts it, it fills in the gaps. Every little bit helps.”
For me, it’s all about the ability to recover from training on a day-to-day basis. So far, so good.
SOURCE: PhillyBurbs.com