Fish Oil Tablets and the Importance of High Quality Product Standards
By: Valerie Rosenbaum
Submitted: 2009-05-17 14:09:35 | Word Count: 512
Omega 3 fish oil tablets may reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer. A daily fish oil tablet should improve digestion, reduce inflammation and possibly improve the appearance of your skin. In a recent study, researchers found that three months of omega3 supplementation improve the firmness of older people’s skin.
But, some of the fish oil tablets on the market contain mercury, dioxins, PCBs and/or free radicals. These are things that we do not want to put in our bodies. We are exposed to enough toxins in the air, water and processed foods.
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In order to be sure that a fish oil tablet does not contain any of these toxins, you can check the manufacturers website and read their “Certificate of Analysis”. The COA will list the amount of contaminants that are present, if any. It will also list the amount of oxidation.
Oxidation, which is just another word for spoilage, starts to occur as soon as the fishermen pull in their catch. If the catch is handled carefully, there will be little spoilage. If it is allowed to lay on the dock for hours or days, there will be a lot of spoilage.
If a fish oil tablet causes you to have repeat or fishy tasting burps, then there is a high degree of oxidation. This also means that the supplements contain free radicals. Liquid supplements are prone to have this problem, because they continue to oxidize due to the light and heat they are exposed to. If they are encapsulated, the only oxidation that occurs is prior to encapsulation.
Manufacturers of fish oil tablets can insure that there is very little oxidation by having a laboratory test the oils. That costs money. So, you can be sure that cheap supplements have not been tested.
If a manufacturer does have a fish oil tablet analyzed, the results will be posted on their websites. It’s a major selling point. Many people are aware of the problem with contaminants. Most are unaware of the problem with oxidation. The maximum level of oxidation should not exceed 17.
As far as contaminants go, the COA should say “none detected”. That’s right “none”. The standards set by the Council for Responsible Nutrition are not that strict, but if a manufacturer really wants to provide high quality fish oil tablets, then there should be no contaminants detected.
There is a great deal of variation in the amount of omega3 fatty acids that are present in each fish oil tablet. In the better supplements, a full 50 of the oils are omega3 fats.
Most supplements contain more DHA than EPA, the reverse should be true. DHA is far more important to the brain and other systems of the body than EPA.
Other considerations include the type of fish that the oils were derived from and whether it is expressed from the liver or the flesh. Liver oils contain too much vitamin A. The best fish oil tablets come from small cold water species like hoki. That’s the fish to look for.
Author Resource:-
Valerie Rosenbaum knows that taking omega 3 fish oil supplements is the single most effective way to improve your health. Visit her site now to discover the pure, fish oil product she uses and recommends after extensive research: http://www.TakingFishOil.com
