It should not be that hard to come across an omega 3 fish oil that is mercury free. Really, I never seen a supplement admitting to having heavy metal pollutants in it. There are however, many products that claim or imply being pure but do not tell us how they do it. This article will discuss some of the things that we can look for.
This issue was not a problem decades ago. Getting fish oil that is mercury free was very easy. Now, it has become considerably more difficult.
First, lets review. The reason people eat seafood or take fish oil supplements is the omega 3s in them. It is these fatty acids that give us all the benefits. Unfortunately, in today's processed food diets, our omega 3 consumption has dropped dramatically. The easiest and most efficient way to get these essential fats is by eating cold water predatory fish.
The problem is not the fish, it is where they swim. The modern world is a much smaller place than before. Ocean traffic and energy production is increasing at a rate unseen since the industrial revolution of the nineteenth century.
What does this mean?
More mercury, lead and other heavy metals easily find their way into the food chain and eventually to your dinner table. Another way to look at this is that every step up the food ladder adds to the omega 3s and to the mercury in the fish.
This puts consumers between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Their solution to finding fish oil that is mercury free is this: limit consumption of wild fish and increase omega 3 supplementation. This is a choice that the FDA, the American Heart Association and other agencies endorse.
The better supplement companies have been offering mercury free fish oil for years. In fact, even some of the mediocre suppliers have been cleaning up their products. However, there are other issues.
Another part of the modern worlds problems are the fish oil sources. It is important to know not only what the species is but what happened to it after it was caught. Most fish oil comes from catches that have traveled a long way in tankers. In order to reduce the rate of spoilage, they add things like hydroxypropyl methylcellulose phthalate, triacetin, methacrylic acid copolymer, glyceryl monostearate, triethyl citrate and propylene glycol.
Chemical additives are not needed. Find a company that uses local catches and does all the processing. If the company also uses a cleansing process called molecular distillation, then you will have a fish oil that is mercury free and has no chemical additives. These upper echelon companies will also provided lab reports to back up their claims.
It is important to remember that omega 3s do not last in the body. They should be taken daily. Occasionally using a supplement is not enough. This is why the purity issue is so significant. Day by day portions of mercury or other contaminants develop over the months and will eventually do harm.
Author Resource:
Get my free five-part mini course on the benefits of omega 3, including critical information on why you should take omega3 fish oil .
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