What You and I Need to Know Before You Buy Fish Oil Supplements

Let me tell you a quick story. Fish oil is widely believed to provide a great many health benefits. The main elements in fish oil that is believed to be the cause of these health benefits are the omega-3 fatty acids. The product I purchased had the term "omega" in the title of the product just to make sure I knew it was there. My problem was that I purchased a bottle of supplements long before I started researching what I should look for when I buy fish oil. I did not realize that there can be a large differences in quality depending on the source of omega-3 fatty acids. Turns out there are several things you and I should really know before we buy fish oil of any kind. I got lucky with my first bottle and it was not too bad, but after doing the research I will never purchase that brand again.

First, make certain the manufacturer uses molecular distillation to remove any poisons from the fish oil to provide a product that is safe to consume. Fish oils are taken from the fatty tissues and therefore also contain the same poisonous substances found to have built up within many of our sea creatures. This is why the FDA has recommended that people limit how much of certain kinds of fish you eat.

Almost everyone has heard that tuna contains mercury, but unless you do the research you may not know that due to the poisonous substances found within these animals the recommended limitaitons are for albacore tuna and other preditors like shark and swordfish. This is why fish oil supplements are a safer source than eating lots of sea food. This is also why I recommend you buy fish oil supplements to get what you want to include in your diet.

I was lucky that the first bottle I purchased does indicate that the manufacturer uses molecular distillation. It was not something I knew to look for and I never imagined that anyone would be allowed to sell a product that contained toxic substances such as mercury.

Second, while I knew omega-3 fatty acids were good for you, I did not know why. It turns out that despite the brain being more than 40% fatty acids, the body can not produce fatty acids. Your body must get all of the omega-3 fatty acids from the foods you eat. This is why health experts now agree that omega-3 fatty acids are vital for children because of ongoing brain development.

The third thing I learned was that there are different types of omega-3 fatty acids. If you are like me you are probably thinking "of course there are different types! Nothing can be simple". Keep reading.

The most commonly discussed fatty acids are DHA, which stands for Docosapentaenoic acid, and EPA, which stands for Eicosapentaenoic acid. Of the two types, the one that has been researched the most and found the most beneficial for human health is DHA.

The only supplements you should buy are the ones that provide you with the number of milligrams of DHA and EPA in each soft gel. But that is not all. You see, it turns out that your body can easily convert DHA to EPA when it needs to, but can not easily convert EPA to DHA. For this reason you want the supplements to have more DHA than EPA. With the first bottle I purchased this was not the case.

Now that you understand this information you can make smarter decisions than I made. What should you do next? You can use Google to continue your research on how to buy fish oil supplements and the benefits taking them, or you can take advantage of my research and visit my website.

W Petersen is a passionate advocate and researcher of the benefits of omega 3 fatty acids. He is a father of two children and a husband. Learn more about how to buy fish oil supplements at his website
http://www.omega-3-premium.com/

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