Innumerable studies in recent decades have underscored the importance of omega 3 fatty acids for wellness. Our bodies cannot produce omega-3s, so we must acquire them in our food. The most common way that people obtain omega-3 is by consuming fish. However, this article shall break down the trouble with obtaining omega 3 fatty acids from fish, and then will explain what to aim for in fish oil supplements.

Fish Is No Longer a Sound Source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Previous to fish oil supplements, eating fish was the exclusive way to get omega-3s in our diet. This was an acceptable method, but the truths of a post-industrial world means increased water contamination. The unfortunate outcome is that fish have become tainted with all varieties of toxins like PCBs, mercury, arsenic, dioxins and heavy metals. These contaminants play a part in a wide range of illnesses such as blindness, cancer, birth defects and even death.

Fish Oil Supplements Also Adulterated Due to these problems, more and more consumers are looking to fish oil supplements as a remedy. But, fish oil supplementsare affected by the same problems, despite the fact that the majority of fish oil makers claim that their oils are safe. A recent investigation by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the UK instigated the recall of several fish oil products because of excessive levels of pollutants!

Also, reflect upon this shocking report from Greenpeace about OmegaProtein, the largest maker of fish oil products on the planet. Their investigation reveals that OmegaProtein’s fish oil merchandise were discovered to be contaminated by toxic levels of flame retardants! Granted, probably we should take this information with a grain of salt considering Greenpeace’s ideological stance, but if true, it is particularly scary! Now that you are aware of some of the risks possible in fish oil supplements, what can be done about it? Fortunately, there are a few guidelines that make it straightforward to assess a fish oil supplement for strength and purity.

The Gold Standard: The International Fish Oil Standards (IFOS) Program The preeminent method to ascertain if an omega-3 product is a pure, quality supplement is by selecting one that has been consistently certified by the International Fish Oil Standards program, or IFOS. The IFOS program is a voluntary 3rd-party testing group that gauges fish oil supplements along 5 guidelines:

* Passes All Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and World Health Organization (WHO) Testing Categories

* Greater than 60% Concentration of Omega-3

* Amount of Oxidation Lower Than 75% of Council for Responsible Nutrition Standard

* PCB Amount Lower Than 50% of Council for Responsible Nutrition Requirement

* Dioxin Levels Lower Than 50% of WHO Standard

These benchmarks were picked because the standards used by the CRN (Council for Responsible Nutrition) and WHO (World Health Organization) were not stringent enough to allow higher doses of omega-3 fish oil. To obtain the rewards of fish oil, one must often take much more than just the 1,000 mg everyday that has been usually advised. The reason only 1 gram has been advocated, however, is due to adulteration risks. This is plainly not a dilemma if you’re ingesting an IFOS-certified brand.

If you aren’t consuming an IFOS-tested brand, you are certainly more in jeopardy of consuming contaminants. Chances are, in spite of the fact that your omega-3 supplement may assert to be sterilized by “advanced molecular distillation” (a marketing phrase), it may not be safe to take. Since the IFOS organization reports the results of their studies on their website, you can look up the best brands of omega-3 supplements obtainable.

Read more about fish oil by visiting Brittany A.M. Wallace’s website. Brittany is a health and nutrition expert that studied fish oil omega 3 benefits for nearly a decade.

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