What to Watch Out For in Choosing a Fish Oil Supplement

Millions of Americans take fish oil supplements for their numerous benefits, including cardiovascular health benefits, improved mental clarity, increased energy, healthier circulation, and much more.

Why does fish oil work so many miracles?  Because Omega-3 deficiency is widespread; perhaps as many as 90% of our population is deficient.  And because Omega-3s have important roles in our bodies.

Deficiency and toxicity are the two causes of disease, and if we’re deficient in Omega-3s, it’s impossible to be healthy.

Omega-3s are essential for building healthy cell membranes.  If they’re not available when needed, the body uses other fats, like saturated fat and transfat, to make these membranes.  This means our cell membranes will be improperly constructed; they won’t let in nutrients they’re supposed to admit, or release metabolic wastes that are polluting the insides of our cells. Omega-3s are also anti-inflammatory, and it’s critical to have a good ratio of Omega-3s to another important fat, Omega-6s. While it’s hard to get enough Omega 3s from food alone, Omega-6s are excessive in our diet and have a mostly inflammatory effect. 

Fish oil supplements sourced from wild-caught fish are full of healthy Omega-3 fats, but unfortunately many fish oil supplements are too rancid or toxic to be beneficial. Fish oil has a chemical structure that makes it highly susceptible to oxidation, which causes it to become rancid. The oxidation process begins as soon as the fish is caught and continues as the oil is exposed to oxygen, heat or light.  Oxidized oil causes undesirable odors and off-flavors and reduces the potency of the EPA and DHA Omega-3 oils.

Also, our oceans and seas are increasingly contaminated, and these contaminants find their way into many fish oil supplements.  Studies have found increasingly high levels of flame retardants, as well as pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish oil and other Omega-3 products.

Another problem is that many fish oil supplements overstate their levels of Omega-3s on their product labels.  According to the New York Times, a testing company called LabDoor analyzed 30 top-selling fish oil supplements for levels of Omega-3 fatty acids.  It found that six of those products contained levels of Omega-3s that were, on average, 30% less than stated on their labels.

Omega-3 fats are extremely perishable, and great care is needed to provide a fish oil product free of rancidity and contamination. It pays to be selective. Raymond Francis developed the Beyond Health Fish Oil Formula with a blend of marine lipids derived from pure, deep-sea fish, yielding a high level of healthy Omega-3 oils. It is distilled and nitrogen purged for maximum purity and protection.  It is purified of contaminants and handled carefully to protect against oxidation.

When taking fish oil supplements, you must also protect against their oxidation inside your body! One capsule of Beyond Health’s Vitamin E Formula with breakfast for each 40 pounds of body weight takes care of this very nicely. 

References:

1. American Chemical Society. "Fish Oil Supplements May Contain Flame Retardants." Science Daily. March 17, 2004.
2. O’Connor A. What’s in our fish oil supplements? The New York Times Well Blog, January 21, 2014.