Fish Oil in Perimenopause and Menopause: What the Research Says
By Lisa Collins | Fact Checked | Sources
There appears to be something fishy about perimenopause and menopause; that is, if you want to take advantage of some of the benefits of taking fish oil supplements to help you with symptoms that can occur during these transitional years. After all, fish oil is a super source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been investigated extensively for their beneficial properties for human health. When it comes to perimenopause and menopause, here is what the research does and doesn’t show.
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Fish oil 101
Fish oil is the oil or fat that is found in the tissue or liver of fish. For fish oil supplements, the oil is usually extracted from anchovies, herring, mackerel, tuna, and other oily fish. For cod liver oil supplements, the sources are cod and other fish.
The fats found in fish include omega-3 fatty acids, which make up about 30 percent of the total amount of fish oil. The primary omega-3s in fish oil include eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), both of which have been shown to have various beneficial health qualities. Vitamins A and D are often found in fish oil as well.
Read about omega-3 fatty acids vital for women’s health
Numerous health-based organizations and institutions have made recommendations for fish consumption, and generally for adults they are to eat 2 to 3 servings (4 oz is one serving) per week. The Food and Drug Administration, for example, recommends that adults make two servings per week their goal. The American Heart Association has a similar recommendation (2 servings per week of 3 to 4 ounces per serving). As a reference, 4 to 5 ounces of Atlantic salmon provides 3 grams of omega-3s.
Before we look at the benefits of taking fish oil supplements, it’s important to mention the balance of omega-3 fatty acids with omega-6 fatty acids. Both of these fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids, but they have different structures, different functions, and different benefits. Omega-6s provide some health benefits, but their metabolites are pro-inflammatory, while the metabolites of omega-3s have anti-inflammatory effects. Since inflammation plays a big part in menopausal symptoms and conditions common to menopause, achieving a healthy balance between omega-3s and omega-6s is important.
The Western diet tends to be high in omega-6s in relation to omega-3s; around 15:1 or greater for many people. A healthier ratio is closer to 1:1 or 4:1. Eating more fish and taking fish oil supplements can help you achieve that goal.
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Benefits of taking fish oil supplements
Since the human body cannot make omega-3 fatty acids and these nutrients are an essential part of a healthy diet, individuals who do not or will not eat fish need to consider taking fish oil supplements. Here is what the research says about fish oil in these years, including where it falls short:
Help your body switch inflammation off. Your body uses omega-3s to make compounds that help bring inflammation to an end once it has done its job (Bäck and Hansson, FASEB Journal, 2019). It’s a big part of why omega-3s come up so often in menopause conversations.
Your heart, honestly. Heart disease risk climbs after menopause, so this is the one people ask about most. The biggest trial is less exciting than the headlines: in VITAL, 25,871 adults (women were 55 or older) took about 1 gram of omega-3s a day or a placebo for roughly five years, and there was no overall drop in major heart events (Manson et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 2019). Eating oily fish twice a week, as the American Heart Association suggests, moving every day and knowing your blood pressure and cholesterol numbers do more for your heart than any capsule.
Read about link between heart health and menopause
Improve brain function. Are you experiencing brain fog or having some difficulty with your memory, focus, concentration, or attention span? These are common symptoms of menopause, but some healthy fats may come to your rescue.
Your brain is composed of nearly 60 percent fat, and the majority of that fat is omega-3. These fats are necessary for healthy brain function. Experts have noted that consuming omega-3 fatty acids can improve blood flow in the brain, learning, and memory.
A few small studies have looked at fish oil and memory in healthy older adults. In one of the studies, 40 healthy people ages 51 to 72 took 3 grams of fish oil daily for five weeks and then took a placebo for five weeks. When they were taking the omega-3s, they did better on a working memory test than when they were on placebo. It was small and short, so treat it as a lead rather than proof.
Ease hot flashes. A firm conclusion about the effectiveness of fish oil for reducing and relieving hot flashes is yet to be reported. Several random controlled trials have found that use of fish oil supplements may improve frequency of hot flashes, although other studies have not had the same findings.
Dry eyes: the research says no. Dry eyes are a common menopause complaint, and fish oil gets recommended for them a lot. The biggest trial says otherwise. In the DREAM study, 535 adults with moderate to severe dry eye took 3 grams a day of fish oil omega-3s or an olive oil placebo for a year, and both groups improved about the same (Asbell et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 2018). If dry eyes are your main reason to buy fish oil, that’s worth knowing.
Enhance skin health. Your skin can undergo many changes in how it looks and feels during perimenopause and menopause, and dry skin is one of the most common. The research on omega-3s and skin is still thin. The best-known trial gave 13 women with sensitive skin flaxseed oil, a plant source of omega-3, for 12 weeks and found their skin held more moisture and felt smoother (Neukam et al., Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2011). That was flaxseed oil, not fish oil, so treat it as a promising lead rather than a promise.
Ease vaginal dryness. One reason sexual desire can decline in menopause is the development of vaginal dryness, which can result in irritation, itching, and pain during intercourse. Some studies have suggested that taking omega-3 supplements can improve vaginal dryness. One study among postmenopausal women reported an improvement after six months of taking 3.5 grams of omega-3s. Research has also shown that these supplements may increase estrogen levels, which in turn may prevent or ease vaginal dryness.
Read about menopause and vaginal dryness
Protect your bones. The risk of bone loss and development of osteoporosis is significant in perimenopause and menopause. When we talk about improving and strengthening bones, calcium and vitamin D often come to mind, and they are essential. However, some experts point to the importance of omega-3 fatty acids as well.
The actual role omega-3s play in bone health is still not clear, but research has pointed out several possibilities. One study found that individuals who have higher blood levels of omega-3s may have better bone mineral density, which suggests a relationship between the two. Another study found that use of fish oil supplements by healthy individuals reduced the amount of markers of bone breakdown.
Taking fish oil/omega-3 fatty acid supplements
Morphus Omega-3-T provides 1,600 mg of EPA and DHA in a triglyceride form, which means it is easier on the digestive system than other fish oil supplements. It is sourced from wild Alaskan Pollock and has been distilled and filtered to optimize removal of PCBs, pesticides, heavy metals, and other contaminants found in the fish used to make supplements. Morphus Omega-3-T supplements do not have any fishy smell or aftertaste.
Bottom line
Fish oil is an easy way to get omega-3s if you don’t eat oily fish twice a week. The research is stronger for some things than others, and we’ve tried to be straight about which is which. The Morphus Omega-3-T supplement is easy to take and digest, and it provides an effective balance of EPA and DHA.
