Your Guide to Buying Fish Oil Zachary Taylor, MA If you’re taking fish oil supplements, read this before you take another drop. I’d like to provide a trustworthy 3-step fish oil buying guide so that you can know, on your own, if the brand you’re buying is worth your time and money. Admittedly, the research on fish oil seems to be all over the map — with many studies claiming huge benefits for heart, brain, eye, skin, and for treating everything from depression to cancer. At the same time other studies seem to suggest fish and fish oil can raise your risk of some cancers and increasing your intake doesn’t reduce heart attacks. So what are supposed to believe? Well, if I’ve learned anything about nutrition it’s two things: that we are not smarter than Nature, and that taking a single nutrition study in isolation is usually a bad idea. What we know for sure is that our body needs EPA and DHA (the Omega-3 fats found in fish, seaweed, and grass-fed animals) and, because your body cannot make them, you need to eat them. The problem is that they are disappearing in the modern diet and being replaced with inflammatory Omega-6 fats, mostly thanks to government policies promoting vegetable oils over saturated fat. It’s thought that not only is it important to have enough Omega-3 fats in your diet, but that the ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fats is equally important. It’s been estimated that our distant ancestors ate a ratio closer to 1:1. Even in 1935 the ratio was still about 8:1. Today, that average is an unprecedented 20:1. From the stand-point of ancestral-based nutrition principles, our first order of business would be to decrease our intake of Omega-6 fatty acids that are coming from modern industrial seed oils like canola, corn, and safflower oils, and to increase our intake of natural anti-inflammatory Omega-3 fats from fish, seaweed, and grass-fed animals. For these basic reasons, I am generally in favor of eating more high quality wild caught fish and taking a high quality fish oil supplement at least a few times per week (more if you’ve already developed a chronic health problem). If you doubt the benefits of doing so there is a great summary of fish oil benefits with references posted at the University of Maryland Medical Center website. So if you’re going to supplement with fish oil, there’s three things you need to know. If you don’t know these three things, or the company won’t tell you, then I recommend throwing it out or sending it back for a full refund: First is purity (toxin levels and oxidation), Second is form (ethyl ester vs. triglyceride form), and Third is potency (levels of the fatty acids EPA & DHA). Thankfully, with just a little homework, you can find out all these things on your own for your favorite brand of fish oil. We’ll cover how to uncover all three steps below, and if you choose not to do this homework on your fish oil, you are putting your health at risk because current industry standards and regulatory laws allow just about anything to be put on the shelves at retailers and sold on-line. 1. Purity (Toxin Levels & Oxidation) I don’t have to tell you our oceans are polluted. After all, that 5.1 billion pounds of pesticides poured on US crops each year has to go somewhere. Pollution from other industries and cars have now led to more than 200,000 square miles of ocean now labeled as “dead zones” where no life can live. Not to mention the ongoing crisis at Fukushima in Japan continues to dump radioactive waste into the oceans which is already affecting fish all over the Pacific, endangering our entire planet (but Nuclear Power is safe right?). I have ongoing concerns about possible radiation in fish, as evidenced by the fact it’s being found in almost all bluefin tuna, despite the fact that the official word is that the nuclear radiation is still at “safe” levels. That said, the fish that are eventually cut, pressed, and centrifuged for fish oil come from these polluted oceans and because fish, like humans, store toxins in their fats, consuming fish oil comes with the risk of consuming dangerous levels of toxins like heavy metals (cadmium, mercury, arsenic), dioxins, and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) which are in all fish, and according to the EPA, are very good at causing cancer. The second aspect to purity is oxidation levels. This is what happens to your olive oil after it’s been open for a month because like fish oil, it’s also a very delicate unsaturated fat that is prone to spoilage. So how do you know what levels of toxins your fish oil contains and how fresh it is? Easy. Good companies will readily allow you to see recent Certificates of Analysis (COA) from independent testing labs on their product. All you have to do is an internet search for [Your Brand Fish Oil] AND “Certificate of Analysis.” For example, here’s the one from one of my recommended brands: Nordic Naturals statement of their COA. If it’s not available online (and many are not) you can call the company and request it to be faxed or emailed to you. I am suspicious of any company that doesn’t want to show it to you and I would probably avoid any product that company sells. There is no one governing body that decides what is “safe” or “fresh,” but so far, the best standards are from the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) & the Global Organization for EPA and DHA (GOED). You can compare your COA to these levels below: FRESHNESS (OXIDATION) TESTS: Peroxide - CRN & GOED limit: 5.0 mEq/kg “Totox” (Total Oxidation) – CRN & GOED limit: 26 mEq/kg PURITY (TOXIN) TESTS: Heavy Metals (Mercury, Lead, Arsenic, Cadmium) - CRN & GOED limit: 0.1 ppm Dioxin & Furans - CRN & GOED limit: 2.0 ppt Dioxin-like PCB’s - CRN & GOED limit: 3.0 ppt The COA you get should include all these tests. I personally like to see the results well below these standards. For instance, heavy metals, in my opinion, should be no higher than .01 ppm. But these are the current standards that most good companies are trying to exceed. 2. Form – Triglycerides (TG) vs. Ethyl Esters (EE) and Why Your Fish Oil Might be “Snake” Oil. In order to purify your fish oil from the above named toxins it goes through a process called “molecular distillation” which removes most all the toxic impurities. The beauty of that is that you get a very pure, low-toxin fish oil, and it’s the best way I know of to ensure a pure product. But it’s not without a downside. That cleaning process converts this wonderful, bio-available fish oil from its natural triglyceride form to an un-natural “ethyl ester” form (the glycerol “backbone” is replaced with an ethanol, for you chemistry buffs). It’s been estimated that this un-natural form is more than 50-times more resistant to absorption through your intestines and possibly Before I bore you to tears, your fish oil needs to be converted back to the triglyceride form before you take it or you may be wasting a lot of your money. Why? Since the dawn of time humans have eaten fish with oil in the triglyceride form, and your body doesn’t break down other forms very well and you mostly just poop it out, to be scientific about it. The ethyl ester is up to 50-times more resistant to absorption and less than 50% of the precious EPA and DHA is generally absorbed. If you’d like to read an excellent, well referenced article on the TG vs. EE issue, check out Ascenta Health which has done an excellent job reviewing all the details. Most all companies do not bother converting it back to the natural, healthy form because it adds 30-40% on to the cost of the final product. So instead of being able to sell you a bottle for $15, it would cost you $20-25, and the fine retailers in most markets know most people will go for the $15 bottle and not even know their being sold snake oil….well, I mean it’s still fish oil, but it’s as good as snake oil. Good companies who care about your health and giving you a quality product take the time and money to sell you a pure product in the natural triglyercide form. But even here again, it’s buyer beware. In order for a company to claim their product is in a natural “triglyceride” form they only have to convert about 60% of it. That means 40% may still be an ethyl ester fish oil. So when you call a company you need not only to ask them if it’s in the triglyceride form, but what percentage on average is triglycerides. I was told by Designs for Health, for example, their OmegAvail is about 95% true triglycerides. 3. Potency – Levels of EPA & DHA The whole point in taking fish oil is to get these two little Omega-3 fatty acids called EPA and DHA. Your body needs these every second you’re alive and yet you can’t make them and because we don’t eat a lot of wild fish, seaweed, or 100% grass-fed animals anymore, we don’t get a lot of them. Ideally, you want to get as much of your EPA and DHA from fish and grass-fed animals as possible. These oils appear to be much better absorbed when eaten as whole meats over even the best fish oil supplement. A 6 ounce serving of wild salmon contains some 800mg of EPA and 1,100 mg of DHA. Unless you are eating this 3 times per week, you’re not getting enough of these essential fats in your diet. Ideally, you want to look for a supplement that (1) meets the purity and freshness standards I’ve listed above, is (2) in the triglyceride form, and (3) is concentrated enough so that you can get at least 500-1,000mg (milligrams) of EPA and 1,000-1,5000mg DHA per day. For discovering the potency of your fish oil, all you need to do is take a look at the label and do a little math. Here’s an example: Omega Essentials Liquid_8oz This is the label from a popular professional brand of fish oil called “PRN.” Look first at the levels of EPA and DHA which are 650mg and 450mg per serving. Now, go to the top of the label and see what is a serving: 1 teaspoon. Here’s where the math comes in. If you need at least 1,000mg of EPA and DHA per day, how many teaspoons of this product would you need? It’s about 3 teaspoons or 15 mL. If you are going for a little higher amount or already have a particular health condition you’re trying to reverse, 4 teaspoons of this product would be fine, along with a weekly diet of 2-4 servings of fish. What Brands Meet these Standards? I know a few companies that meet all three of these standards, and I’m naming names. By no means are these the only good products out there. But I know some of you won’t do your homework, so here you go (you’re welcome): Nordic Naturals — All their fish oil products meet or exceed these standards. If you have access to their professional line I recommend the ProEFA which is an Omega 3, 6, and 9 blend. However, their retail line is highly recommended too and you can find it online or at a local health food store. Vital Choice Wild Salmon Oil — This is also a high quality omega-3 supplement from a certified sustainable company that uses only wild caught salmon. I’ve met with the owner of this company and was incredibly impressed with how much they care about the quality and sustainability of not only their fish oil but also their entire line of seafood. PRN Omega-3 Products — this is a professional line, but one of the best. Many clinicians swear by this line. Designs for Health – OmegAvail and Omega Synergy. Also a professional line, and I have been told by the company that 95% of their oil is converted back to the triglyceride form which is very high even for triglyceride-form products which typically only convert 70-80% back to triglycerides. A Few Ending Considerations I know how easy it is to just pick up whatever is on the shelf at your local big-box retailer. I also know how hard it is to cough up the extra $10-$20 for these excellent fish oils. But personally, if I am not going to ensure that the fish oil I’m taking is a fresh, clean, natural, and potent product, I would rather not take anything at all. Please take a few minutes one day to call your fish oil company with this guide in hand, be kind, and ask them about the three considerations above. I also want to take a moment to suggest that along with regular wild-caught fish consumption, you also consider roe or caviar. It’s a whole-food that boasts huge amounts of Omega 3 EPA and DHA. I cannot recommend highly enough Vital Choice’s Wild Salmon Caviar. And because it is fish eggs, it’s often not been as contaminated yet with the ocean’s pollution. I should mention here that while I take fish oil about every other day, I also take Green Pastures Fermented Cod Liver Oil and High Vitamin Butter Oil Blend 2-3 times per week. I like alternating with cod liver oil, but only recommend Green Pasture or Carlson. These products also contain EPA and DHA, but also contain essential vitamins which almost every one of us is low in: Vitamins A, D, E, and K2 along with many other nutrients and co-factors that are not in more standardized and purified products. primaldocs/opinion/guide-buying-fish-oil/
Posted on: Thu, 21 Nov 2013 08:09:19 +0000
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