For decades, the natural community has promoted certain fats as being vital to health while recommending avoiding others. Modern medicine, on the other hand, often guffawed at the idea that one fat was any more important than another to our good function and recommended we avoid them all. The evidence is now so overwhelming, that even most medical doctors will recommend their patients take those oils most important, often referred to as fish oil. But, are they all the same? Isn't fish just fish, after all? Nothing could be further from the truth.
"Fish oils", come in a variety of different forms, but all really boil down to two different oils: eicosapentaenoic acid or EPA and docoxahexaenoic acid or DHA. These two oils are considered omega-3 oils based on their unsaturated fat structure (see The Truth About Fats). Originally, they were given as cod liver oil, by the tablespoon, from parents to their kids. In addition to the EPA and DHA the kids would get from this oil, they would also benefit from the abundance of vitamin D cod liver oil once had. Today, cod liver oil is out of vogue, and most kids wouldn't take a tablespoon of oil if their lives depended on it, especially if it tasted like oily fish (as cod liver oil invariably did). To combat this change in dietary habits, we have made oils into gelcaps that avoid the oily and fishy taste.
EPA and DHA have a wide variety of effects on our bodies. EPA has been known for many years to be heart protective, but lately, it has also been shown to have positive effects on depression. It is a powerful anti-inflammatory, helping our immune system to work correctly, minimizing over-reactions while at the same time keeping the blood flowing freely. EPA is such a good blood thinner that some patients have been able to eliminate their reliance on medications such as coumadin if they take adequate amounts of the vital oil.
While EPA is good for us, DHA seems to have a limitless number of positive effects. It is important for normal eye health, it keeps the skin moist in the winter, it also plays a role in our immune system, and it is a vital structural component for our brains. Since about 60% of our brain is made of fat, normal brain function is dependent on adequate fat intake, and DHA is one of the most important fats we can give our brain. When working with pregnant women, one of the few supplemental recommendations I will make is to increase their intake of DHA. Without it, the baby will scavenge from mom's brain to make it's own, and mom will often be left with more problems down the road. By investing as much as they can in DHA, parents not only provide their baby with the nutrient most vital to build baby's brain, but they are also protecting mom's brain in the mean time. While we can get too much EPA, I have yet to see any research that shows too much high quality DHA creates problems.
Unfortunately, not all fish oils are created equal. I'm amazed at how many of my patients are taking fish oils without understanding that bad fish oil can be just as bad (or maybe worse) than taking none at all. There are only a few companies in the world that manufacture fish oils. Depending on the company, the typical sources today are sardines and anchovies. While you can still find some tuna, salmon, and cod liver oils on the market, these products are getting to be fewer and fewer, due to the volume of oils the market is currently demanding. If we all had to rely on those large fish, we would eradicate whole species to fill our desire for healthy oils. In addition, these larger predator fish have a higher concentration of toxins built up; everything from mercury, cadmium, and lead to PCB's and DDT have been found in fish oils. Instead, the fish oil industry has started relying more and more on smaller fish that are much more sustainable, with krill being the latest fad in the fish oil industry.
Since there are not very many companies that produce these oils, the competition for them is fierce. Those nutritional companies that are willing to pay top dollar to guarantee the purest, most stable, least rancid, and least contaminated oil take the first batches, bring it to the shelf quickly, and put a short expiration period on the bottle. They will guarantee not only potency and purity, but also have independent labs verify that the oils in their products have virtually no heavy metals or other contaminants that could be harmful. If these are found, they pull the oils immediately and dispose of them. These oils will be traditionally sold only to health care practitioners, and will be pricey compared to what is seen on box store shelves.
The next layer of oils will have more contaminants, be less pure, and go rancid more quickly. These will still be fairly expensive oils, and will often be seen on retail nutritional shelves, in multi-level marketing companies, and health food sections of larger grocery stores. They are decent oils, but far from the quality of the first batch, with less concern for guaranteeing quality. If these oils are tested, they may not be withdrawn from the market if found to contain toxins.
As we continue on down the barrel, we will eventually end up with the sludge at the bottom, which will often be close to getting rancid, have significant contamination, and require a tremendous amount of pressure to extract, making them less likely to contain the fragile EPA or DHA. These oils will typically be sold in large box stores and pharmacies. They may seem cheap, but considering the quality, they are really the most expensive of all. While the companies that sell these oils may make flashy labels, they rarely put the money or effort into producing a quality product, since they know it really isn't even possible. With these products, you are literally throwing your money down the drain, and taking a product that could potentially decrease your health instead of improving it.
Fish oils play a vital role to improving our health, and I recommend most of my adult patients take at least 2000 mg to start. With some patients who have significant dysfunction, I will take them much higher. These recommendations are for productions that I not only know the quality, but that I take personally, and can vouch for their effectiveness. The product on my shelf, for a traditional adult gelcap, contains 720 mg in EPA and DHA combined, a potency rarely found on the market. This makes it easy to get 2000 mg by taking 3 gelcaps per day. And, they are guaranteed to not repeat (providing you don't take them with a hot liquid).
Taking fish oils from a source that isn't well researched and trusted can be troublesome, so I don't recommend it. Make sure you do your research on the company, or you have someone you trust do it for you, so you don't end up taking the oil from the bottom of the barrel, and decrease your health in your attempt to improve it.
Look for future blogs that will give more information and insights into improving your health with natural health care. You can also visit my website, like me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter.
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