Nutritional Wonders From The Ocean – Omega Three Oil
Have you ever tried taking fish oil from a spoon? Ugh-Yuk. I remember when I was a kid taking cod liver oil from a spoon many years ago! Today, by taking Omega 3 Fish Oil capsules, you can supply your body with this essential supplement without that awful taste.
Having said that, you must use a bit of caution as all fish oil supplements are not created equal. Unfortunately, many contain harmful toxins and other nasty stuff which is no good for our bodies. This is a problem recognized by the FDA as being industry wide.
You need to be aware that many Omega 3 supplements can actually harm your health. Unfortunately there is a lot of hyped-up information out there so there are lots of things to consider before taking Omega 3 fish oil, or any other supplement for that matter. But at least there is some good news. You can learn everything you need to know about Omega 3 and improving your health.
If you’re thinking about taking Omega three fish oil supplements, your main consideration should be its level of purity. To answer this question all you need to do is simply ask the supplier. You should follow this route before taking any dietary supplements.
What Do We Know about the Health Benefits of Omega-3?
The benefits of fish oil in general are well known and omega-3 itself has been subject to many studies about its known benefits to health.
Every day our brains need to maintain a good level of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) which is an essential fatty acid that’s needed to repair and rebuild brain cells. It’s a long-held belief that fish is beneficial to the brain as it contains this fatty acid.
Scientific studies have shown that the fatty acids found in fish oil help to provide optimal brain function. Increasing your intake of omega-3′s can also improve your memory in general IQ.
Various diseases are known to be linked to the deficiency of DHA including depression, multiple sclerosis and attention deficit disorder. Omega-3 fish oil supplements can help to protect us against these conditions.
| RECOMMENDED OMEGA 3 FISH OIL PRODUCT The One We Use Ourselves.Xtend-Life’s Omega 3 Esters are the Best Omega 3 Fish Oil we’ve uncovered to date. |
Let’s Look at Some Opinions on DHA from Respected Professionals in the Nutrition Field.
“Omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial because they help reduce the incidence of heart attacks and strokes by thinning the blood and reducing clotting in the bloodstream. Omega 3’s also improves fluidity to cell membranes and communication between brain cells.
Two very important omega-3 fatty acids are eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA). They are found in seafood, especially mackerel, salmon, striped bass, rainbow trout, halibut, tuna, and sardines. In the body, DHA is found mostly in the brain, retina, and in sperm. DHA plays an important role in vision. B) Omega-6 fatty acids are made from linoleic acid, a fatty acid found in vegetable oils such as corn, safflower, cottonseed, and sunflower.
Mayonnaise and salad oils normally contain a great amount of omega-6 fatty acids. Unlike omega-3s, which are concentrated in the brain, omega-6s are found in most tissues in the body. The double bond of an omega-6 fatty acid starts six carbons from the left. Most Americans generally have a much higher intake of the omega-6s than the omega-3s.”
“Mind Boosters” by Dr Ray Sahelia MD, page 69
“One of the most important fatty acids is called docosohexiaonic acid or DHA. This fat plays an important role in the formation of the synaptic connections within the brain. These connections allow the various parts of the brain to communicate with each other and communicate with the body as well.”
“Health And Nutrition Secrets” by Russell L Blaylock MD, page 34
“Adequate levels of DHA are required for proper brain and eye development and function. DHA is important for signal transmission in the brain, eye, and nervous system”.
“Heart Disease” by Burton Goldberg, page 46
| On Sept 8th, 2004, the Food and Drug Administration issued a Press Release Announcing:
“Qualified Health Claims for Omega-3 Fatty Acids” “Coronary heart disease is a significant health problem that causes 500,000 deaths annually in the United States,” said Dr. Lester M. Crawford, Acting FDA Commissioner. “This new qualified health claim for omega-3 fatty acids should help consumers as they work to improve their health by identifying foods that contain these important compounds.” |
“Essential fatty acids are important in both stroke prevention and during the repair of brain tissue damaged by stroke. The brain is almost entirely composed of fatty acids. The Framingham study confirmed that the friendly fats have a beneficial effect on stroke prevention. Essential fatty acids include alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) found in perilla and flax seed oils and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) found in cold-water fish oil.
Fish oils reduce inflammation due to their high content of DHA and EPA. Fish oil acts as platelet aggregation inhibitors as well as triglyceride lowering agents”.
“Disease Prevention And Treatment” by Life Extension Foundation, page 533
“DHA is not only very critical in brain development but also in maintenance of the brain later in life. Don’t forget, the brain is constantly restructured throughout life, even into the extremes of age. Unfortunately, because of food-processing methods and industrial raising of animals as meat sources, most omega-3 fatty acids have been removed from our foods”.
“Health And Nutrition Secrets” by Russell L Blaylock MD, page 315
“Fish oil is probably the most important dietary source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are vital nutrients. These fatty acids reduce inflammation, protect against the abnormal clotting associated with heart attacks, inhibit cancer, and protect brain function. There may be other benefits, too: a 1992 study published in the journal Lancet, for example, suggested that omega-3 fatty acids prolong pregnancy by a few days and improve birth weights”.
“Ask Dr Weil” by Andrew Weil MD, page 92
| An Alarming Omega 3 Fatty Acid Statistic: Researchers figure that the majority of Americans are deficient in omega-3′s… |
“The basic building blocks of our brain cells are essential fatty acids such as EPA and DHA from fish oil. These fatty acids are also used as fuel for brain metabolism and help control the chronic inflammatory processes involved in degenerative brain disorders”.
“Disease Prevention And Treatment” by Life Extension Foundation, page 22
From all this research and information it’s pretty clear that most of us need fish oil supplements to maintain our levels of both EPA and DHA fatty acids. In particular, we really need one that is high in DHA. Trouble is, not many products available today contain DHA in sufficiently high quantities.
Unfortunately, many companies don’t know enough about the manufacturing process of dietary supplements as a whole. The oils are gathered from all over the world and can quickly go rancid.
If omega-3 fatty acids are taken on a daily basis, they can even prevent and relieve the symptoms of osteoarthritis because they act as an excellent anti-inflammatory. The American Arthritis Foundation even recommends fish oil dietary supplements for Arthritis sufferers as well as for a basic preventative measure.
It’s even been suggested in some studies that someone having lower than the required levels of omega-3 could be more susceptible to certain types of cancer.
Most people are aware of omega-3 fish oil capsules having seen them advertised in the media and even in local grocery store.
If you’re thinking about buying omega-3 fish oil you should always consider quality and only buy molecularly distilled fish oil. Through our research we have discovered that the process for manufacturing supplements in New Zealand is the most stringent in the world, far exceeding the requirements of the FDA.
What’s The Difference Between The Different Grades Of Omega-3 Fish Oil Capsules?
In a nutshell, it’s the level of molecular distillation. This is the process that makes the difference between the grades. The distillation removes toxins and other contamination from the fish. Things like heavy metals such as mercury and PCBs.
All pollutants, both natural and man-made, have to be removed from the fish oil before human consumption. If you buy pharmaceutical grade Omega 3 Fish Oil Capsules, as long as they have a good degree of molecular distillation you are getting the highest quality product available.
But it’s not just the distillation that accounts for the best quality of omega-3 fish oil. It also depends where the fish come from. It’s just the same as high-quality beef coming from certain areas of the world. The content of the essential fatty acids EPA and DHA varies greatly according to location.
Having said that, we can say with certainty that the best omega-3 fish oil capsules come from unspoiled and pristine areas like New Zealand. Added to this is the fact that they are still molecularly distilled.
What About Side Effects?
The best type of fish oil, as well as being molecularly distilled to remove harmful toxins and impurities, is also tasteless and odorless. You should always follow the manufacturer’s instructions or those from your doctor. It’s also advisable to take your supplements with a meal to help prevent stomach upsets.
You should always have a chat with your doctor before taking any dietary health supplement, including multivitamins, just in case there are no implications or interactions with other medications you may be taking.
Now that you’ve decided to buy a particular supplement, you need to decide where you will get it from. You need to investigate things such as how long the company’s been in business, are they reputable have a good name etc.
Unfortunately, many companies selling vitamins and supplements are pretty unscrupulous and only care about how much profit they can make. They generally purchase all their raw ingredients in bulk with very little quality control. Some companies buy prepackaged supplements from abroad for pennies on the dollar, add their own label and sell them for a huge markup. It beats me how some of them continue to get away with it.
Consumer groups sometimes take random samples which have shown that many supplements do not even contain what’s printed on the label, and important ingredients are often diluted for increased profits. Fortunately for us though, reputable companies will always guarantee quality, content and customer satisfaction.
A few of the questions you should be asking yourself before buying omega-3 supplements include: where does the fish oil come from; are there any additives such as colorings, flavorings or preservatives; does it even contain fish oil – many don’t.
Here Are Some Fish And Fish Oils You Need To Avoid.
- Stay away from cod. Cod has been over harvested and the trawlers used to catch them often damage the habitats of other fish species. Also, the waters they swim in tend to be pretty polluted.
- Farmed Atlantic salmon. Unfortunately, fish farming is associated with higher than normal levels of dioxins and pesticides.
- Shark, because the population numbers are dwindling and also because of mercury contamination.
- Atlantic halibut, again because of over-harvesting and mercury contamination.
You’ll notice that mercury contamination is pretty common. These days it’s not unusual to find high levels of mercury in fish and fish oil. That’s why it’s especially important that you only buy fish oil that has been molecularly distilled. . Fortunately, this process removes all toxins including Mercury.
Research has shown that the best type of fish for manufacturing fish oil is the Hoki fish from New Zealand. The population of this species is plentiful and sustainable and more importantly, the Hoki has no known health risks from mercury and other toxins.
Where Do They Catch Hoki?
We’ve all heard of industrial waste, PCBs, mercury, dioxins, and other pollutants that contaminate many of our oceans. It’s a sad and disturbing fact that fish in the Atlantic Ocean have high levels of these contaminants. The waters off Alaska and the Northern Pacific are less polluted but the fish there have been over harvested which in turn is affecting other wildlife that depend on fish for food.
Fortunately, the Hoki fish live in the clear and pristine ocean waters surrounding New Zealand. Fishing practices in New Zealand are also very environmentally friendly and these waters are under no threat from fish farms or hatcheries.
Is the Fish Oil Molecularly Distilled?
It seems pretty ironic that many nutritional companies sell fish oils that, according to them, are more natural because they are not distilled. Wrong!! If fish oils do not go through the molecular distillation process they will more than likely contain the very contaminants that we are trying to avoid!
Finally, here are some important points to remember about fish oil:
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Omega-3 fatty acids are great for people of all ages, providing numerous health benefits.
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Fish oil is known to be the best source of omega-3 fatty acids.
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The best fish oil supplements come from fish that swim in clean and unpolluted ocean waters and contain no additives or preservatives. These are the only types of supplements that you should consider buying.
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The best fish oil supplement that you should go for is one containing both EPA and DHA, with a high percentage of DHA being the most important factor.
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