Fish Oil Supplements! Which ones are best!
Welcome back & thank you for reading my Bite Sized Blog! I am going to breakdown fish oils and explain why choosing the right one is SO important!
So… fish oils are incredibly important for the heart, brain, circulatory system, metabolic system, joints, inflammation, eye, skin and tissue health! This is backed by significant scientific evidence. (Links below)
Fish oil or Omegas are called Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) because they are essential for optimal health and our body cannot make them, therefore essential to consume. Most Australians are deficient! With a whopping 80% of adults not meeting the recommended daily intake! 1
What you need to know
- Beneficial fatty acids in Omega 3 are EPA & DHA
- Consuming Omegas helps balance out the overabundance of Omega 6 fats we intake (consumed through refined vegetable oils, processed foods and grain fed meats)
- Recommended 1000mg or more of combined EPA/DHA daily
Omegas defined
EPA- Healthy heart, joints, mood and immunity
DHA- Cognition, memory and emotional well being
GLA- Healthy skin, joints and body fat metabolism
What to look for
When looking for a brand of fish oil you need to consider the EPA/DHA content, the purity levels and freshness. Probably seems silly to consider freshness or purity, but fish oil that is oxidised (rancid) or contaminated with heavy metals or other toxins will not have the same therapeutic effects as a pure, high-quality fish oil supplement.
There are trusted brands which strive for quality (Bioceuticals & Ethical Nutrients) available at chemists or health food stores. These brands will come with a higher price tag, although, you are getting a quality supplement with an actual therapeutic dosing effect. Although, it is still best to see a Nutritionist or qualified natural healthcare practitioner, who can prescribe a high quality, pure fish oil supplement at the appropriate dose for your needs.
Drop me a comment (if you take fish oil) with the EPA & DHA content on your bottle. I would love to know!
Thank you for reading!
1 Calder PC. Omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory processes. Nutrients. 2010 Mar;2(3):355-74. doi: 10.3390/nu2030355.
2 Erkkila AT, Matthan N, Herrington D, Lichtenstein AH. Higher plasma docosahexaenoic acid is associated with reduced progression of coronary atherosclerosis in women with CAD. J Lipid Res. 2006;47(12):2814-2819.
3 Yurko-Mauro K, Alexander D, Van Elswyk M. Docosahexaenoic acid and adult memory: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2015;10(3):1-18. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0120391.
4 Kawakita E, Hashimoto M, Shido O. Docosahexaenoic acid promotes neurogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Neuroscience. 2006;139(3):991-7. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2006.01.021.
5 Meyer B. Australians are not meeting the recommended intakes for omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids: results of an analysis from the 2011–2012 national nutrition and physical activity survey. Nutrients. 2016 Mar;8(3):111. doi: 10.3390/nu8030111.
6 Meyer B. Australians are not meeting the recommended intakes for omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids: results of an analysis from the 2011–2012 national nutrition and physical activity survey. Nutrients. 2016 Mar;8(3):111. doi: 10.3390/nu8030111.
7 Abdelhamid AS, Brown TJ, Brainard JS, Biswas P, Thorpe GC, Moore HJ, et al. Omega-3 fatty acids for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev.2018(11). doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD003177.pub3.
8 Albert B, Derraik J, Smith D, et al. Fish oil supplements in New Zealand are highly oxidised and do not meet label content of n-3 PUFA. Sci Rep. 2015 Jan;5:7928. doi:10.1038/srep07928.
9 Bannenberg G, Mallon C, Edwards H, et al. Omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid content and oxidation state of fish oil supplements in New Zealand. 2017 May;7:1488. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-01470-4.