Innumerable studies in recent decades have underscored the importance of omega-3s for well-being. Our bodies cannot manufacture omega-3s, so we must get them in our food. The most common way that people consume omega-3 is by consuming fish. However, this guide will break down the trouble with obtaining omega 3 fatty acids from fish, and then will go into detail what to search for in fish oil supplements.

Fish Isn’t a Sound Source of Omega-3 Anymore

Previous to fish oil supplements, the consumption of fish was the only way to obtain omega-3s in our diet. This was an acceptable method, but the realities of an industrialized planet means added water contamination. The end result is that fish have become adulterated with all sorts of toxins like mercury, PCBs, dioxins, arsenic and heavy metals. These contaminants have been implicated in a broad variety of illnesses such as cancer, blindness, birth defects and even death.

Fish Oil Supplements Are Also Adulterated

As a result of these complications, many more consumers are choosing fish oil supplements as a remedy. However, fish oils are handicapped by the same shortcomings, in spite of the fact that the majority of fish oil producers claim that their fish oils are safe. A fairly recent investigation by the Food Standards Agency in the United Kingdom prompted the withdrawal of several fish oil brands because of toxic levels of contaminants!

Also, turn your attention to this surprising report from Greenpeace about OmegaProtein, the biggest maker of fish oil products in the world. Their investigative video attests that OmegaProtein’s fish oil merchandise were discovered to be contaminated by toxic quantities of flame retardants! Granted, probably we should take this news with skepticism bearing in mind Greenpeace’s ideological leanings, but supposing it is accurate, it is extremely scary!

Now that you know many of the risks possible in fish oil supplements, what can you do about it? Luckily, there are a handful of guiding principles that make it simple to evaluate a fish oil supplement for strength and safety.

The Best of the Best: The International Fish Oil Standards (IFOS) Certification Program

The preeminent technique to ascertain if an omega-3 product is a safe, quality supplement is by picking one that’s been consistently certified by the International Fish Oil Standards program, or IFOS. The IFOS program is a voluntary 3rd-party testing group that evaluates fish oil supplements along 5 parameters:

• Passes All Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and World Health Organization (WHO) Testing Categories
• Equal to or More than 60% Concentration of Omega-3
• Levels of Oxidation Less Than 75% of CRN Standard
• PCB Quantity Less Than 50% of CRN Requirement
• Dioxin Quantity Lower Than 50% of WHO Standard

These standards were chosen because the standards applied by the CRN (Council for Responsible Nutrition) and WHO (World Health Organization) were not rigorous enough to permit higher intake of omega-3 fish oil. To get the rewards of fish oil, one must often take more than just the 1 gram a day that has been normally suggested. The rationale for why only 1 gram has been advocated, however, is due to pollution risks. This is obviously not a dilemma if you’re taking an IFOS-certified brand.

If you’re not taking an IFOS-tested brand, you are certainly more in jeopardy of ingesting contaminants. Chances are, despite the fact that your omega-3 product may assert to be sterilized by “superior molecular distillation” (a marketing ploy), it may not be secure to take. Since the International Fish Oil Standards program publishes the outcomes of their certifications on their website, you can research the best brands of fish oil supplements obtainable.

Brittany M. Wallace is a health and nutrition expert.

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