Let’s face it. Standards for the purity and freshness of concentrated fish oil vary from one country to the next and, of course, from one brand to the next. In the US, there are no regulations. It is not considered a pharmaceutical product, so there is no FDA or USDA grading process.
In the European Union and in Norway, it is regulated as a medicinal product, but the specifications concerning freshness are lacking. Laboratories can determine how fresh the oils were, before they were encapsulated, by testing the level of total oxidation, the peroxide value and/or the anisidine value. The EU and Norwegian Medicinal standards look only at the peroxide value.
The standards set by the Council for Responsible Nutrition and the International Fish Oil Standards are better than those set by the European Union or Norway. Those organizations have determined what they believe is a maximum safe level for contaminants and oxidation. Adherence to those standards is strictly voluntary.
Some companies have standards that are better than any of these organizations. It just takes a little effort to find them. In the best cases, concentrated fish oil is free of any detectable level of contaminants and has very low levels of oxidation.
Some oxidation will always occur, because it begins, as soon as the catch is pulled in. You can expect that some level of contaminants will always be present. But, at the parts per billion or trillion levels, there should be no mercury or cancer-causing PCBs.
There are still a few species that swim in oceans clean enough to be free of toxins, without distillation. In the non-distilled form, they are referred to as natural triglycerides. There is reason to believe that the inclusion of natural triglycerides increases the anti-inflammatory activity of the supplements.
The omega-3 content of concentrated fish oil varies from one brand to the next, just as the fatty acid concentration varies from one species to the next. Cold water species have the highest concentrations. Species that are particularly oily have a high content, too.
Some types of seafood, such as shrimp, contain no omega-3s, at all. They are very low in total fat and the oils or triglycerides are fats.
Other fats in the diet include omega-6s. Those can also be found in fish oils. But, there is no need to supplement the omega-6 intake, at least in most cases. The vast majority of people get enough in their diets.
It is possible to find a concentrated fish oil that is 85% omega-3s, but a recent scientific study indicates that adding natural triglycerides to the concentrate doubles the anti-inflammatory activity. That also lowers the omega-3 content, but with the right oils, you can still get a 50% concentrate.
500mg of omega-3s per 1000mg capsule seems to be sufficient, if 50% of the oils are natural triglycerides. Distillation seems to remove some aspect of the oils that have anti-inflammatory activity.
So, there are pros and cons of concentrated fish oil. But, if you decide to go with the natural triglycerides, be sure to view the manufacturers Certificate of Analysis. Otherwise, you’ll get contaminants, too.
Laurel Cohen is a strong advocate of natural health in all its forms: skin care, supplementation, and farm fresh foods. She enjoys introducing people to the best natural products she can find and uses herself daily.
Visit her site
http://www.omega-3-for-health.com to learn about the omega 3 fish oils Laurel uses daily for optimal health.
