Fish or Fish oil supplements?

Both fish and fish oil supplements contain important
essential Omega 3 fatty acids needed for good health, but
as we will see, it isn't just any old fish and nor is it
any old fish oil that can do the job properly.

The Paradox

Today's consumers must be very confused about seemingly
contradictory advice about eating fish. The food standards
agency says most people should be eating more oily fish
like Salmon, Tuna, Herring and Mackerel, because the Omega
3 fatty acids they contain are good for our health. But at
the same time they limit the recommended daily amounts to 2
portions of oily fish a week for women and girls who may
want to have a baby one day and for breastfeeding mothers,
and 4 portions for everyone else. So first we are told to
eat more fish in order to gain the extraordinary health
benefits of Omega 3, but then we are told not to eat too
much because our fish are polluted with toxins,
particularly methylmercury. What are we supposed to do with
this advice? Perhaps we should look at how much Omega 3 we
actually need.

Omega 3 - how much is enough?

No official recommendation exists as to how much Omega 3 is
required for optimum health but on an individual basis the
ideal amount is linked to our intake of Omega 6. The more
Omega 6 fatty acids that we consume, the more Omega 3 fatty
acids we need to counteract the imbalance. First of all it
might help to explain that the body is unable to synthesise
Omega 3, or Omega 6 fatty acids for that matter, so we have
to rely totally on our diets to get them. Now here's the
astounding part.

Most of us today are eating diets that are deficient in the
anti-inflammatory Omega 3 fatty acids but excessive in
pro-inflammatory Omega 6. Over the past 70 years or so our
consumption of fish has drastically diminished and at the
same time we are eating more processed foods, grains and
vegetable oils. These foods aren't bad in themselves it is
just that this imbalance in our diets is believed by some
to be the root cause of a huge rise in inflammatory
conditions, heart disease and depressive disorders, hence
the need for more Omega 3.

The important Omega 3 fatty acids are Eicosapentaenoic acid
and Docosahexaenoic acid or EPA and DHA. Generally
speaking, 1g of EPA/DHA daily is considered enough for
everyone. To give you an idea of what this equates to in
real terms, to get this amount of EPA/DHA from the diet,
you would have to consume a 3-oz portion of salmon every
single day, seven days a week.

Bearing in mind the toxicity problem, one might think it's
safer to get Omega 3 from fish oil supplements, but here's
the 'catch'. Fish oil is made from the very same fish in
the sea, so it stands to reason that fish oil supplements
can be toxic too unless of course the fish oil has been
purified.

What types of fish oils are there and which one is best?

To put it simply, there are basically 3 types of fish oil
available.

. Cod Liver Oil
. Standard fish oil
. High-grade concentrated fish oil

Cod liver oil is produced from the liver of fish and
although contains high amounts of Omega 3, the liver is
where most of the toxins are stored and so potentially, cod
liver oil can contain a high level of pollutants. Cod
liver oil also contains high amounts of vitamin A and D and
too much can result in Vitamin A toxicity.

Standard fish oils are produced from the flesh of the fish
as opposed to the liver of fish but again, they can contain
impurities as whatever was in the fish at the time it was
caught is transferred to the oil. The amount of Omega 3
fatty acids they contain can also vary depending on a
number of factors including the time of year, environmental
conditions etc.

High-grade concentrated fish oil has an advantage over the
others in that not only has all the impurities been
removed, the oil can be concentrated to contain much higher
levels of Omega 3. For example, concentrations of 70% EPA
is possible and so fewer capsules are required in order to
produce the same effect. With some of the standard fish
oils, 5 or 6 capsules are required every day. EPA is
rapidly gaining recognition as the most important fatty
acid as the body can produce DHA when enough EPA is present
but this isn't effective the other way round.

Conclusion

To date there has been no real studies done on whether
there is a significant difference or benefit in getting
Omega 3 from fresh fish or from fish oil supplements.
However, as it stands today, it would appear that the only
way to ensure a healthy intake of Omega 3 without the risk
of harmful pollutants is to take a high-grade fish oil
supplement that has been through processes to filter out
the impurities.

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Dave McEvoy is an expert in EPA with over 20 years
experience; for more information about fish oil and how it
can help come and visit. http://www.mind1st.co.uk
http://www.mind1st.com