A doctor asked me today how fish oil companies handle the contaminants, pollutants and heavy metals that are found in our fish supply. He asked if fish oil supplements were purified. He asked me because he hadn’t known anyone to ask.
The question took me by surprise as I forget that doctors don’t know these things, and they usually don’t have qualified people to ask. Doctors are trained in the use of drugs, not nutrients. If doctors don’t know, how can they educate their patients?
What follows here is my answer:
Most of the fish oil on the market comes from sardines and anchovies. These small fish are omega-3 rich and not endangered.
The fish oil sold at ‘big box’ and ‘volume’ stores is referred to as commodity fish oil, it is the inexpensive/volume priced product and provides 12-30% omega-3. This fish oil is slightly filtered slightly and put into capsules. Most of the mercury is usually removed especially since this toxic metal is ‘on the radar’ of consumers. These inexpensive products may or may not be oxidized (rancid). They tend to have an 'off' flavor (oxidation and contaminants) but they are cheap. They also tend to have trans fats, saturated fats and cholesterol; if only 15-30% is omega-3, what is the rest? It is other fats. Compliance with patients is usually low with these products and this bad flavor/unpleasant experience is the unfortunate experience of many people.
Fish oil concentrates, offering 50% or more omega-3 (EPA and DHA) go through a multi-step purification process (beginning with chilling to remove saturated fats, then clay filtering, etc) and then are distilled to concentrate the EPA and DHA. As the level of omega-3 increases, the amounts of other fats are reduced. These products are handled with much more sophistication, as the challenge lies in maintaining freshness through the concentration process. Flavoring may be added, and natural antioxidant stabilizers, such as d-alpha tocopherol, are added. These products cost more, but the benefits are many: more omega-3 per capsule, less unhealthful fats, avoiding free radical pro-oxidants, and of course the greatest benefit, significantly better patient compliance. These products don’t need to be coated to ‘hide’ or ‘mask’ oxidation and bad flavor.
The other challenge is that folks may be taking 1 gram of fish oil, unaware of how much omega-3 they are getting. 1 gram of commodity fish oil can provide 120-300 mg of omega-3. 1 gram of better fish oil provides up to 700-800 mg omega-3. That’s up to 6 times as much in one capsule. There are only a few companies who offer these products. The company I work for is one. The amount of omega-3 consumed makes all the difference – to nutrition status, restoring health and reducing chronic disease. It is sad to watch people take omega-3 supplements, believing that they are doing themselves some good, when in fact, they are not getting enough of the product, or they are getting a poor quality product. Would you eat bad fish for good nutrition?
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Fast Food or Fish oil; Harm or Health?
Could it be a clear choice? It might depend on how important your liver is to you.
In a study published today (Kechagias, et al, 2008), when adults ate fast food hamburger, fries and coke once or twice a day, their liver enzymes became elevated, putting them at risk for liver disease - within a month. “Fatty liver” as it is known, occurs unrelated to alcohol intake and it may be heavily influenced by what we eat.
On the contrary, fish oil supplements protect the liver. Purified fish oil supplements are known to support healthy liver function and proper metabolism of fat. You may know that fish oil supplements can reduce blood triglycerides by 30 – 40% (triglycerides are a fat in your blood, and high levels put you at risk for heart disease). To achieve this remarkable reduction, you have to take enough. The American Heart Association recommends 2 to 4 grams of EPA and DHA (that’s not grams of fish oil, it’s grams of omega-3 fish oil supplies) from products that are guaranteed purified and fresh.
Our liver tends to be ‘under attack’ by all kinds of pollutants and toxins in today’s world, so even if you don’t have high triglycerides, fish oil promotes good fat metabolism and healthy liver function.
I don’t know anyone who completely avoids fast food, but we do know that a good amount of EPA and DHA is good for you. We need a healthy liver; our life depends on it.
In a study published today (Kechagias, et al, 2008), when adults ate fast food hamburger, fries and coke once or twice a day, their liver enzymes became elevated, putting them at risk for liver disease - within a month. “Fatty liver” as it is known, occurs unrelated to alcohol intake and it may be heavily influenced by what we eat.
On the contrary, fish oil supplements protect the liver. Purified fish oil supplements are known to support healthy liver function and proper metabolism of fat. You may know that fish oil supplements can reduce blood triglycerides by 30 – 40% (triglycerides are a fat in your blood, and high levels put you at risk for heart disease). To achieve this remarkable reduction, you have to take enough. The American Heart Association recommends 2 to 4 grams of EPA and DHA (that’s not grams of fish oil, it’s grams of omega-3 fish oil supplies) from products that are guaranteed purified and fresh.
Our liver tends to be ‘under attack’ by all kinds of pollutants and toxins in today’s world, so even if you don’t have high triglycerides, fish oil promotes good fat metabolism and healthy liver function.
I don’t know anyone who completely avoids fast food, but we do know that a good amount of EPA and DHA is good for you. We need a healthy liver; our life depends on it.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Oh, no! Dr. Oz
On the Oprah show aired February 5, 2007, Dr. Oz provided a great list for anti-aging. The list was comprehensive yet fairly simple and practical. When reviewing foods and vitamins, I was surprised to see him miss the all-important Omega-3 fat known as ‘EPA’.
He recommended DHA Omega-3, which is very important for the brain and vision, and appears to play a role in maintaining cognition. The other Omega-3 fat, EPA, is the anti-inflammatory Omega-3, and the one that is good for the heart, necessary along with DHA for mood and mental health, very effective for rheumatoid arthritis and more. Let’s remember, obesity is an inflammatory health condition.
His food recommendations of flax and chia provide some Omega-3, but it’s the plant form and research indicates that plant sources are not reliable sources of EPA and DHA as found in fish and purified fish oil.
Dr. Oz was wise to recommend magnesium along with calcium, as they occur together in foods and work together in the body. EPA and DHA are similar; they are found together in foods and work together in the body. Would you choose to use your left hand without your right hand when they work better together?
I would like to speak with Dr. Oz and provide him scientific literature on this topic. I invite a referral!
He recommended DHA Omega-3, which is very important for the brain and vision, and appears to play a role in maintaining cognition. The other Omega-3 fat, EPA, is the anti-inflammatory Omega-3, and the one that is good for the heart, necessary along with DHA for mood and mental health, very effective for rheumatoid arthritis and more. Let’s remember, obesity is an inflammatory health condition.
His food recommendations of flax and chia provide some Omega-3, but it’s the plant form and research indicates that plant sources are not reliable sources of EPA and DHA as found in fish and purified fish oil.
Dr. Oz was wise to recommend magnesium along with calcium, as they occur together in foods and work together in the body. EPA and DHA are similar; they are found together in foods and work together in the body. Would you choose to use your left hand without your right hand when they work better together?
I would like to speak with Dr. Oz and provide him scientific literature on this topic. I invite a referral!
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