The internet and health food stores are full of products that claim to be the best omega-3 supplements. The marketing is aimed at people who are not sure how to get healthier but want to. Nutrition is hard to evaluate. It is not easy to tell if your supplement even works. This article will give tips on how to find the quality ones and help you stop wasting money.
A good way to separate the best omega-3 from the mediocre is to check the research. What worked for their test subjects? What had no effect? What was improved? Would your supplement be able to duplicate any positive results that were achieved?
The last question is one that many companies would prefer not to answer.
There are eight omega-3 fatty acids but the two that are in fish oil are DHA and EPA. Let us be clear. There is no special DHA for the brain or heart, no special EPA for Arthritis and no special pre-natal omega-3. It either is DHA/EPA or it is not. The best omega-3 products will have more of it.
We are going to look at three studies - all published in 2010.
1] The first is a study of 357 Yup'ik Eskimos published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. They found that high levels DHA and EPA in the Eskimos red blood cells corresponded with better heart health. The best results were when EPA concentrations exceeded 3 percent of fatty acids in the cells, and when DHA levels exceeded 7 percent.
"Increasing EPA and DHA intakes to amounts well above those consumed by the general US population may have strong beneficial effects on chronic disease risk," they concluded.
It does not take much effort to exceed omega-3 levels "consumed by the general US population" but you would have to eat fish daily to get to the Eskimo level. The FDA, AHA and others think this is a bad idea - too many pollutants in the fish.
Real world conclusion - twice as much DHA as EPA.
2] A research group led by Eileen Birch from the Texas-based Retina Foundation of the Southwest studied human infants and found that when they reached 12 months of age, those fed the DHA-supplemented formula had significantly better vision than infants fed the control formula.
Dr. Birch said "Our data speak directly to the safety and tolerance profiles of DHA levels as high as 0.96% of fatty acids in infant formula. The safety and tolerance of these higher DHA concentrations was expected, because they are within the range of concentrations found in human milk worldwide."
Real world conclusion - 100% DHA
A joint report from Canada and Thailand published in the Journal of Neurochemistry, stated that DHA is better at preventing Alzheimer's, but EPA is better if you already have it.
Real world conclusion - the best omega-3 still needs both.
I could quote hundreds of studies but I think you see where this is going. Remember, it is either fish oil omega-3 or it is not. You, your kids and your parents can get all the benefits you need in one bottle. Buying candy, or cereal or even butter with omega-3s added is not necessary. Your body might not absorb it anyway.
In conclusion, the best omega-3 products have both DHA and EPA, but should have more DHA [see #1 above]. Also, see how the company purifies their fish oil. Some publish an independent laboratory analysis of what is in the capsule. Full disclosure is a good sign of quality. My website can help in this area.
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 .
To sign up for the course and get more tips on the importance of omega 3, visit my website: http://www.omega-3-guide.com/
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