There's Omega 3 In Fish, Without Doubt, But What Else Is There?

Most people now know that there is plenty of Omega 3 fat in fish and that more of the Omega 3 essential fatty acids in your diet is extremely good for you.
The Omega 3 essential fatty acids are known as "essential" because they are extremely important for the proper function of your body, and also because your body is unable to produce them itself and therefore your diet is the only source of these fats.
And research has demonstrated clearly that over the last century our intake of fish, the primary source of the Omega 3 fats in our diet, has declined dramatically. And science is now showing that this decline has repercussions in a wide range of health areas.
Omega 3 levels in fish vary according to the type of fish. Some fish are relatively low in Omega 3 essential fatty acids whilst others are relatively high. Oily fish in particular have high levels of DHA and EPA, the 2 most important of the essential fatty acids, as these are found in the oil.
And so it would seem, if our diets are low in the Omega 3 fats, and there is plenty of Omega 3 in fish, that we should all be eating lots of fish. And whilst this is true to a degree it also has its own problems.
The American Heart Association tells us that we should all be eating a couple of meals of fish per week. However they also recognize a problem, namely that much fish is contaminated with Mercury, PCBs and other nasty toxins. Whilst these are present are in low levels they should not be there at all, and we should not be eating them.
And for this reason the AHA also repeats various warnings made by the FDA, particularly concerning children and pregnant women, warning that they should not eat too much of certain fish, and that they should vary the types eaten because of this particular problem.
And with the price of fish rising all the time providing 2 fish meals per week can become prohibitive for many families.
There is no doubt about the Omega 3 levels in fish, however there are also reasons why we should be extremely careful in choosing which ones we eat, and we should also look for other alternatives to improve our intake of the essential fatty acids.
There are many brands of fish oil supplements available, however there are also brands of supplements which have been found to be contaminated as well, and so you should be extremely careful if looking to get your essential fatty acids from capsules.
But there are excellent Omega 3 supplements available with high levels of DHA and EPA and no contamination.
There is plenty of Omega 3 in fish, but some powerful reasons not to eat too much. Fortunately, through the use of high quality fish oil supplements, it is both cost-effective and safe to increase your intake of DHA and EPA every day.

Are You Eating PCBs And Mercury With Your Omega 3 Capsules?

It's now becoming common knowledge that DHA and EPA, the 2 most important of the Omega 3 essential fatty acids, are extremely good for your health, and that most of us get too little in our diet. It is not so well-known that many Omega 3 fish oil supplements intended to deliver these important essential nutrients can be contaminated with PCBs, Mercury and other industrial contaminants.
Unfortunately it's true. The US government tells its citizens not to eat too much fish because of industrial contamination. Obviously fish oil comes from fish, and therefore there is a likelihood that if oil is used from contaminated fish then that oil will also be contaminated.
And sadly that's now been confirmed, with a significant number of Omega 3 fish oil supplements tested by an independent laboratory being found to be contaminated with industrial toxins which can include PCBs.
PCBs are a class of particularly pernicious industrial chemical that have been banned in the US since the 1970s, many of which are known to cause cancer. In California Proposition 65 requires manufacturers of various products to warn consumers if they are at risk of ingesting various toxic chemicals at certain levels from their products.
And it's not just some fringe brands of Omega 3 supplements that were found to be at fault. Some big names in the fish oil supplements industry have been caught in the net.
And as a result legal action has been launched against these companies for failing to warn consumers of the risks of using their products as required by Proposition 65.
There's no doubt that virtually all of us need to increase our intake of DHA and EPA, the essential fatty acids known as the Omega 3 fats found primarily in fish. But none of us need do so at any risk to our health from contamination from chemicals such as PCBs and more.
There's an easy way to tell if the fish oil supplements that you eat are clean. The manufacturer of these supplements should publish on their website a Certificate of Analysis of the oil used in the supplements, updated for each batch of oil used, by an independent laboratory, certifying that the oil has been tested to contamination and found to be clean, with the results there for everyone to see.
If you're currently taking Omega 3 fish oil supplements head to the website of the manufacturer and see if you can find such a Certificate of Analysis. If you can't consider a change of brands.
The best fish oil supplements are marketed transparently, and you are perfectly able to view the entire Certificate of Analysis for each batch of oil used in their manufacture. Unfortunately you'll find that this is quite rare.
So if you're convinced of the health benefits of Omega 3 supplementation choose your brand of capsules wisely. There are risks that you may not have thought of before.

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It's Confusing Finding The Right Fish Oil Dosage.

It's not quite clear what the right fish oil dosage is, I constantly see questions about how much fish oil should I take.

How much fish oil should you take? What is the recommended dosage of fish oil capsules for someone who has heart disease already? Should they take more fish oil supplements?

Lets have a look at the view of the American Heart Association. They tell us the benefits of Omega 3 fish oil on their website, and they look at what is the correct dosage of fish oil for people with, and without, heart disease.

Lets look at what they recommend.

Firstly though, lets consider the source of the fish oil. Now of course you could get your fish oil from eating fish. That's fine, but be aware that there are some problems associated with this, (apart from the fact that fish is very expensive and its cheaper to buy fish oil supplements).

Fish can be contaminated and for this reason the FDA tell us not to eat too much.

The very best fish oil capsules do through a strict decontamination process, so are free from chemicals. But not all fish oil capsules are.

The next problem is how much Omega 3 polyunsaturated fats you get from different types of fish. The level varies from one type of fish to another, and its hard to know what you need to eat to get enough. Generally speaking oily fish such as mackerel, herring, sardines, lake trout, albacore tuna and salmon is better than non oily fish.

Now the AHA tells us to eat 2 fish meals a week, but what if you're worried about contamination, or fish is too expensive?

And they also say evidence from prospective secondary prevention studies suggests that taking EPA+DHA ranging from 0.5 to 1.8 grams per day (either as fatty fish or supplements) significantly reduces deaths from heart disease and all causes.

So for healthy people we should be taking around half to 1.8 grams of EPA and DHA a day from fish or supplements.

And for people who have heart disease already:

For those with documented Coronary Heart Disease: 1 gram of EPA and DHA a day. (Note that those with known heart health problems should consult a doctor before starting any supplements).

And 2 to 4 grams a day if you have triglycerides that need lowering.

That's not too vague, but lets look somewhere else.

In a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology on 11th August 2009 the recommendations are at least 500 mg per day for those with no known cardio vascular issues, and 800 to 1000 mg per day for those with known pre existing heart disease problems, of EPA and DHA.

But what about the ratio between DHA and EPA, the 2 major Omega 3 fats? How much of each? The AHA don't tell us, it's being studied.

What's the conclusion? Firstly, those with known heart disease should take more fish oil than those without.

We don't know what ratio we should aim for between EPA and DHA, but otherwise it's reasonably clear.

A minimum of a half gram a day of EPA and DHA together for healthy people and about double that for those with known heart issues. More for lowering triglycerides.

The best fish oil supplements money can buy have 280 mg of DHA and 120 mg of EPA in them. (Double the amount of DHA than your "average" capsules). So they have a total of 400 mg.

So 2 capsules a day will give you 800 mg in total, around the level proposed by the AHA. And the recommended dosage, (taken from the label), for adults is 2 capsules a day.

So if you have no known heart issues take the best fish oil supplements at a fish oil dosage of 2 capsules a day. You need to take up to double that for your "average" fish oil supplements, depending on what is in them.

So I hope that helps a little for those looking for the correct fish oil dosage. There's no exact recommendations, it's still being studied.

We can draw some conclusions from the recommendations of the AHA and others.

And those dosage conclusions correspond with the dosage recommendations of the best Omega 3 supplements money can buy. Take 2 of the best fish oil capsules day for general heart health.

All About The Benefits Of Omega 3, And Finding The Best Omega 3 Supplements

You've decided it's time to start taking fish oil supplements, but how to find the best fish oil supplements?

It's confusing isn't it? There's a whole lot of different fish oil supplements on the market and they differ a lot in price don't they?

But surely fish oil is fish oil, just buy the cheapest. Actually no, that's not the best way to buy your Omega 3, there's more to think about than price.

Basically it boils down to 4 things. The amount of DHA in the supplements, the freshness of the oils used, the purity of the oil and it's effectiveness at combating inflammation. Lets look at these one by one.

1. The quantity of the DHA.

DHA is the most important of the Omega3 fatty acids. It's the primary fat in our brain, and the one you most want to get from your supplements, along with EPA. Most capsules are 18/12, meaning that 1000 mg per serve gives you 180 mg of DHA (18%) and 120 mg of EPA (12%).

But how do you find out how much DHA is in your capsules? Read the label. If it's not listed on the label don't buy them because it isn't there for a reason. There isn't a lot, if there was they'd tell you.

2. Freshness of the oils.

Fish oil can go rancid, or oxidize. When you take a capsule and it "repeats" on you, or burps up, it's probably because it's rancid. Oxidized fish oil is high in free radicals and isn't good for you, as any free radicals aren't good for you.

3. Purity of the fish oils used.

Our friends from the sea are contaminated with toxins that we, humans, have put in their ocean. It comes from the land via rivers, (and from oil rigs) and it contaminates the water they swim in. It ends up in their flesh, and the oil that comes from it.

There's a range of different standards internationally for the quality, or purity, of fish oil. None are binding. And there's different methods of decontaminating fish oil.

4. Effectiveness of the supplements.

Some supplements are more effective than others believe it or not. One of the major benefits of Omega 3 fish oils is their ability to reduce inflammation in our bodies. Aspirin is also used for this reason, but Omega 3s work much better.

So there you have the 4 major things to consider when looking for the best fish oil supplements. More confused than ever? Sorry.

But there is good news. There is one brand of Omega 3 supplements that fulfill all these criteria. They have 28% DHA, they use oil from fish caught in the cleanest ocean in the world, the southern ocean. They purify it using molecular distillation, the most effective purification method. Then they take each batch of fish oil to an independent lab to test it, and publish the results on their website to customers can check.

And tests show that they are up to 2 1/2 times more effective against inflammation than other supplements.

They aren't, of course, the cheapest Omega 3 fish oil supplements but I hope I've convinced you that price isn't all there is to fish oil capsules.

So if you've been looking to source the best fish oil supplements there's what you need to think about.