Canada, Norway and the UK have *Banned* Most Fish Oil Supplements in the US!

Canada might have the most strict health supplement regulations in the world, and so naturally their fish oil regulations are very strict. In fact, the vast majority of fish oil supplements in the US are prohibited in Canada! And Canada isn’t the only country to ban these; Sweden and Denmark have also prohibited their sale, and the UK and Norway will be the next two countries. Why? The answer has to do with how bioavailable the omega 3 fatty acids are, or how easily your body absorbs them and makes use of them. The explanation may be somewhat technical, but I promise to make it easy to digest.

The reason fish oil supplements are so great for our health is because they contain omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are fats that actually good for the body — in fact, they’re a key part of optimal health. In nature, the Omega-3s in fish are found in the form of a triglyceride. Every molecule has three omega-3s attached to glycerol. These certainly are not the type of triglycerides that your physician looks at your blood work for, so don’t worry.

All fish oils must be purified due to the harsh reality of high levels of toxic contamination in the oceans, and thus fish. The majority of manufactures employ molecular distillation, a purification procedure, to obtain extremely strict levels of purity. However, the fish oils that originally came as triglycerides are then converted into a new form, ethyl ester (or EE). Each glycerol in the triglyceride omega-3 fatty acid (or TG) is replaced by an ethanol molecule.

What’s the problem? Aren’t alcohol molecules all the same? Actually, there is a huge difference that has caused many countries to ban it! It turns out that the more natural TG-based fish oils are absorbed by the body *far* more easily than the unnatural EE-based version. In fact, research studies demonstrated that TG omega-3 has a 300% higher absorption rate, suggesting that EE fish oil is only 1/3 as effective as TG! But that’s not where the shortcomings stop. Ethyl ester (EE) omega-3 fish oil is absorbed and used by the body at a markedly slower rate – sometimes up to 50x more slowly than TG! You can’t even buy EE fish oil in Canada and other countries for these reasons. However, it is completely legal to sell EE in the US.

What a pickle this is. If we desire to avoid the contamination in fish oils, it seems like we must settle for a slowly-absorbed fish oil that your body has a hard time using, right? Think twice! EE can actually be converted back into TG, and this is how purified fish oils are sold in Canada. You’re probably wondering: If TG-based omega-3 is better in many ways than EE-based omega-3, why do US producers of fish oil only usually produce EE oils? Greater expense, of course! It’s an extra 30% to convert EE back into the TG form, and most omega-3 consumers don’t even know the difference, so US manufacturers of fish oil don’t bother with the added costs.

Furthermore, a fraction of them actually indicate that their fish oil supplements are EE-based, so it’s very difficult to tell what they contain. However, since the large majority of fish oil supplements in the US are EE products, you can assume that a product is an EE unless it’s labeled otherwise. There are two omega-3 fish oil brands in the USA that are both TG-based fish oils and are 5-star certified by International Fish Oil Standards: Nordic Naturals Fish Oil asd See Yourself Well Omega-3.

Numerous studies indicate that triglyceride-based omega-3 is far superior to most omega-3 prouducts on the market. To ensure that you’re taking the best omega-3 product for your health, definitely consider buying a fish oil that’s trigylceride-based.

Brittany M. Wallace is a health and nutrition expert, with particular expertise with Omega-3 Fish Oil.