Fish Oil Supplements Discussion

Fish Oil Supplements Discussion

Nomenclature - Omega Fatty Acids Omega 3 fatty acid = EPA = EicosaPentaenoic Acid (Typically, 18% concentration) Omega 3 fatty acid = DHA = DocosaHexaenoic Acid (Typically, 12% concentration) 1g = 1000 mg. = 1000 milligrams

Marketing Claims The following words have no precise or even defined meaning in relation to fish oil products - Best, extra-distilled, finest, high-potency, highest-quality, natural, super-distilled, pharmaceutical grade, professional grade, pure, purest, purified, ultra-pure. These are all marketing terms, and guarantee you nothing. Marketing Obfuscation "Marine lipids" is an absurd description. It is the ultimate avoidance of description. But they have to say something. Lipids simply means "fats". Marine means that they come out of water, and are presumed to be fish of some type. Therefore, your ingredients come from "fish fats", from unknown types of fish, from unknown waters. Great. Can you see what I am getting at here? DISCLOSURE. We want FULL disclosure, and we are getting NO DISCLOSURE.

Fish Oil Supplement Questions - That You May Want To Ask 1. What kind of "marine lipids" (fish fats) are used? From what kinds of "fatty fish" is the oil extracted? .......... Sardines and anchovies are preferred, but herring (mostly), salmon and tuna are also used. .......... If only "marine lipids" is stated, they really don't want to say, do they? 2. Where do the fish come from? Alaska? Norway? Deep ocean? Wild? Near shore? Farmed? .......... "Norway deep ocean" is reputedly the best - fewer heavy metals, dioxins, furans, and PCBs. .......... If they don't say, it's probably not well-regarded, or they WOULD SAY. Guess Pacific Ocean. 3. How is the oil extracted? Squeezed, centrifuged or solvent extraction? Whole body or fish scraps? .......... Kinda like olive oil - do you want virgin, or the remaining dregs? .......... If they don't say, were petrochemical solvents (hexane) used in the extraction process? .......... WHY wouldn't they say? .......... Because petrochemical solvents WERE used in the extraction process, that's why. 4. How refined is the oil? Is it molecularly distilled? Twice? .......... The terms extra-distilled, super-distilled, and hyper-distilled have no scientific definition. .......... Must the oil be "extra-distilled" because the fish source was so poor? Or so contaminated? 5. Is it "health-food grade", or "pharmaceutical grade"? .......... Are these terms defined anywhere? I don't think so. Neither is "high-potency". 6. Are contaminants such as mercury and pcbs certified absent? Are any maximum values given? Even mentioned at all? .......... Most make no mention - this is a huge issue. Fish from eastern Pacific waters contain elevated levels of mercury. .......... The state of California maintains official warnings about consuming fish from Pacific waters, in every grocery store.

Conclusions - Fish Oil Report The big problem with Fish Oil supplements is the lack of DISCLOSURE. Most manufacturers, as you can clearly see above, do not want to tell you very much. .......... The type of fish used are not disclosed, unless you pay a lot more. .......... The geographic area from which the fish come is not disclosed, unless you pay a lot more. .......... The manner of oil extraction is not disclosed - because they use hexane - a hydrocarbon solvent. .......... What is the level of residual solvent (RAE)? What interactions have occurred? What new compounds were left behind? No motor oil with my fish oil, please. 1. Fish oil is plentiful. 2. The vast majority of fish oil comes from plentiful sources - which are not the best sources. 3. Fish farming is a plentiful source of fish oil - farmed fish oil sources are far worse than wild fish oil sources. Wild salmon eat fish, and have dark orange flesh, full of concentrated fish oil. Farmed salmon, on the other hand, are fed "commercial pellets", producing a fish whose flesh MUST BE DYED orange for market, because it is such a sickly grey color. Not to mention the massive doses of antibiotics that must be used for so many fish in such close quarters. Yummy. A new "healthy fish oil" market is emerging, with the most successful vendors bending over backwards to open their kimonos, and make full disclosure. YES, you will pay a premium, and YES, you will be getting a superior product. I prefer it. How about you? GET all the PROMISED BENEFITS without the HIDDEN DANGERS.