KARACHI, Oct 16: Eating oily fish might help one reduce his weight, say researchers. Fatty acids found in oily fish will slow down aging process and as a new research has found, fatty acids found in fish oil will help keep the weight down and maintain good health with a little bit of exercise.

Prof Peter Howe from the University of South Australia who led the 12-week trial conducted his study on 68 overweight-to-obese adults at risk of coronary disease and found that daily doses of oil containing Omega-3 fatty acids, along with moderate exercises like walking, could result in significant weight loss.

The researchers explained that they found that fish oil helps people in losing weight by increasing the elasticity of blood vessel walls and thereby improving the flow of blood to muscles while they exercise.

The researchers stated that they divided the volunteers into four groups. The first group were those taking fish oil and exercise, the second just took fish oil, the third group taking sunflower oil without exercise, and the fourth taking a combination of sunflower oil and exercise.

Prof Peter Howe explained that they had found that the group of people taking fish oil combined with exercise lost more weight than any other group. They also noted that the group which took the sunflower oil, which does not contain Omega-3 fatty acids, though they exercised, did not lose any weight, and neither did the two groups that did no exercise including those on fish oil.

However, pregnant women should see the oily fish with suspicion, as excessive consumption of oily fish might increase the risk of premature delivery.

The researchers suggested that high mercury levels in oily fish like mackerel, salmon and sardines could be responsible for this effect. However, experts say that it is essential for everybody including pregnant women to eat sufficient fish to stay healthy.

A recent study published in journal Environmental Health Perspectives examined 1,024 pregnant women living in the US.

Dr Fei Xue and colleagues determined the amount of mercury in the hair of these women and did a comparative analysis with the date of delivery. The chances of having twofold the average mercury level in hair was three times higher in women who gave birth more than two weeks early. In general, these women seemed to consume more oily fish, especially canned fish. However, premature birth was observed in only 44 women.

Researchers said that more work was required to confirm their findings. They also said that some amount of inaccuracy might also be there as the amount of fish eaten was recorded based on the recollection of those women.

The British Nutrition Foundation spokeswoman said: “If pregnant women do decide to take supplements, it is important to check that the supplement does not contain high amounts of vitamin A (retinol). Too much retinol can be toxic to the fetus.”—PPI