Content Sources:
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Fish oil refers to the oil extracted from fatty fish, which is known as a precious gift from nature, rich in Omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids, which is of great significance to human health. In the era of increasing attention to nutrition and health, fish oil has become the preferred product for people's health care due to its unique nutritional value. Because it not only nourishes the heart and protects the brain, but also regulates blood lipids and strengthens immunity.
Xiao Aiguo, a 58-year-old retired worker from Guiyang, was supposed to share the joy of family life with his wife, but fate often failed people's wishes. Just half a month before his retirement, his wife died in a traffic accident caused by a drunk driver. The sudden departure of his wife made Xiao Aiguo fall into endless sadness for a while, and after retirement, he had nothing to do all of a sudden, and this pain became even more intense. Xiao Aiguo began to lock himself in his home, not going out and walking around, and not talking to people.
Xiao Aiguo's daughter saw that her father's original plump and rich body had also lost a lot of weight, and even the bright double chin before had disappeared a little, and she was very anxious, she also tried to take her father out for a walk, but Xiao Aiguo said that he would not go out. Xiao Aiguo's daughter is worried that if she continues like this, she is really afraid that her father will collapse or suffer from Alzheimer's disease. Because her grandfather had Alzheimer's disease in his later years, and his consciousness was good and bad.
Alzheimer's disease, which we often refer to as Alzheimer's disease, is a progressive degenerative disease of the nervous system with insidious onset. It is clinically characterized by generalized dementia such as memory impairment, aphasia, apraxia, agnosia, impairment of visuospatial skills, executive dysfunction, and personality and behavioural changes. The etiology and pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease are extremely complex, and it is currently believed that it is mainly related to genetic factors, brain pathological changes and other factors, and mental stimulation, trauma, neurological diseases and other factors can induce Alzheimer's disease.
On June 4, 2008, Xiao Aiguo's daughter happened to be on vacation, and this time she said that she would take her father to the hospital for a physical examination. Unexpectedly, my father's indicators were normal, and no abnormalities were found in the brain nerves, so it seems that the Alzheimer's disease that I had been worried about before should not happen. But what I didn't expect was that there was something wrong with Xiao Aiguo's blood lipids, and the examination results showed that total cholesterol was 6.15mmol/L, triglycerides were 6.58mmol/L, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was 1.0mmol/L, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was 3.5mmol/L. All of the above values exceeded the normal range, and hyperlipidemia was diagnosed.
With age, the function of various organs in the human body gradually declines, including metabolic function, so the liver's ability to metabolize fat in the elderly is weakened, resulting in an increase in blood lipid levels. In addition, Xiao Aiguo has been staying at home and not moving around, and the consumption of fat is reduced, which will also lead to an increase in blood lipid levels. Even if you lose a lot of weight due to excessive grief, the amount of fat in your blood does not change significantly for a short period of time.
After learning about Xiao Aiguo's living habits, the doctor said earnestly: "The main thing to control hyperlipidemia is through drugs, but a healthy lifestyle is also very important, and you still have to go out and walk around more." If hyperlipidemia is not well controlled, it can easily lead to atherosclerosis, which can occasionally lead to cardiovascular diseases such as cerebral infarction and coronary heart disease. Later, Xiao Aiguo was prescribed some hypolipidemic drugs, and on the way home, the father and daughter rarely talked a lot. Xiao Aiguo also realized that he really couldn't take care of his body like this anymore.
In the days that followed, in addition to taking hypolipidemic drugs on time, Xiao Aiguo either went fishing with his old colleagues every day, or played Tai Chi and jogged in the park, and the smile on his face increased. On October 18, 2008, Xiao Aiguo's daughter saw the billboard of the roadside pharmacy that read, "Selected deep-sea fish oil, designed for middle-aged and elderly people, to lower blood lipids and protect the heart and brain".
"Is fish oil really good for cardiovascular?" After hearing her question, the clerk pointed to the instruction manual and patiently explained: "The eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in fish oil can reduce the level of triglycerides in the blood, and can also improve the endothelial function of blood vessels, increase the elasticity of blood vessels, help regulate blood pressure and blood flow, and reduce the risk of arteriosclerosis." In addition, the Omega-3 fatty acids contained in fish oil can reduce the aggregation of platelets and reduce the risk of thrombosis. ”
After Xiao Aiguo's daughter heard this, she decided to buy a bottle first and take it back to her father to try. After insisting on eating like this for more than a month, Xiao Aiguo felt refreshed, and the faint discomfort in his chest before was also relieved a lot, so he insisted on eating fish oil for a long time. On May 8, 2009, Xiao Aiguo was practicing Tai Chi in the park when he suddenly felt a dizziness in his brain, and the world in front of him seemed to be constantly turning. Immediately after, his face began to tingle, and he quickly wanted to call his friend next to him to see what was going on, but he found that he couldn't speak a complete sentence at all.
Fortunately, my friend immediately turned his head when he heard the voice, but saw that the swaying Xiao Aiguo had a crooked mouth, and even drooled. He thought it was bad and immediately took a taxi to send Xiao Aiguo to the hospital. Immediately after the physical examination, the doctor arranged blood biochemistry, head CT, brain MRI, and cerebrospinal fluid examination. The results of the examination showed that the color ultrasound of the cervical blood vessels showed the formation of bilateral common carotid artery sclerotic plaques and the increased blood flow rate of the vertebral arteries. Hypodense lesions in the left basal ganglia, multiple localized stenosis in the M1 segment of the bilateral middle cerebral artery and P1 segment of the left posterior cerebral artery.
The doctor took the test results and said to Xiao Aiguo's daughter, who came in a hurry: "Based on your father's history of hyperlipidemia, we judged that he may have bilateral carotid atherosclerotic plaque formation caused by high blood lipids, which blocked blood vessels and induced cerebral infarction. Xiao Aiguo's daughter immediately shook her head after hearing this, saying that it was impossible, her father had been taking lipid-lowering drugs on time and in accordance with the amount, and insisted on eating fish oil to lower blood lipids, how could a cerebral infarction occur?
The doctor immediately asked, "What?" Is your father eating fish oil? Xiao Aiguo's daughter nodded: "Yes, doesn't fish oil lower triglycerides?" The doctor let out a long sigh and said, "It is true that a variety of ingredients in fish oil can lower blood lipids and reduce platelet aggregation, but there are some people who are not suitable for eating fish oil, and your father is one of them!" Although fish oil is good, you should also pay attention to 3 precautions when eating, otherwise the honey will turn into arsenic! ”
One: Avoid overdose
It turned out that since Xiao Aiguo discovered the good thing of fish oil, he was out of control, and took advantage of the anniversary of the pharmacy to hold activities, and bought several large boxes of fish oil in one go and went home to stock up. But he originally only ate it four times a week, and gradually, Xiao Aiguo saw that the fish oil was about to expire, and there was still a lot to eat. Worried about the money, he thought that it would be okay to eat more health supplements, so he began to eat fish oil several times a day. As everyone knows, fish oil contains high amounts of vitamin A and vitamin D.
Long-term high intake may cause these fat-soluble vitamins to accumulate too much in the body, causing vitamin toxicity. Excessive vitamin A may lead to headaches, nausea, rashes, abnormal liver function, and other problems; Excessive vitamin D may lead to hypercalcemia, kidney stones, vascular calcification, etc. Excessive intake of Omega-3 fatty acids may affect normal lipid metabolism, leading to dyslipidemia, especially when the intake is very high.
2. Patients with liver insufficiency and seafood allergies should not take too much
This is because fish oil has an anticoagulant effect and may increase the risk of bleeding. Patients with liver insufficiency have a higher risk of bleeding due to the liver's reduced ability to synthesize clotting factors, and excessive consumption of fish oil may further increase this risk. A seafood allergy is caused by an allergic reaction of the immune system to certain proteins in seafood. Even refined fish oil may contain traces of seafood protein, which can be enough to trigger allergy symptoms. These symptoms may include rash, difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and in severe cases, anaphylactic shock.
3. Regularly monitor the vitamin levels and blood lipids in the blood.
Although fish oil is considered a relatively safe supplement, excessive consumption may cause some side effects such as increased bleeding tendency, abnormal liver function, etc. Regular blood tests can detect these potential side effects in a timely manner. Blood tests can not only reflect blood lipid levels, but also provide other important health indicators, such as hemoglobin levels, blood sugar, liver function, kidney function, etc., which can help to comprehensively assess the patient's health status.
By regularly testing the blood, dyslipidemia can be detected in time, so that measures can be taken to prevent the occurrence of cardiovascular complications. Therefore, patients with hyperlipidemia should follow their doctor's advice and have regular blood tests when taking fish oil to ensure the effectiveness and safety of the treatment. Usually, the frequency of lipid tests is determined by the doctor on a case-by-case basis.
(Note: The names of the people are pseudonyms, and some of the pictures are network pictures; Reprinting and plagiarism are prohibited in the article)