Has this ever happened to you? I was very annoyed after it happened to me!
Some years ago a pharmacist suggested it would be good for me to take fish oil capsules to increase my omega 3 essential fatty acid intakes to help my high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
He sold me a big container of 400 soft gels and said take 2 capsules 3 times a day.
I took them religiously for a couple of years until about 18 months ago when I became more interested in researching and learning about health issues in general, and particularly how fish oil and multi vitamin supplements may help my health more.
Looking back I guess what annoyed me the most, is how naive I was in taking his advice without really understanding the issues. I think most people tend do the same because they don’t have time or the inclination to look into these matters themselves.
Conditioning leads us to be easily persuaded by recommendations from an authority figure like a pharmacist, you understand they are trained and knowledgeable — so you are confident they have your best interests at heart.
However I have learnt it’s not that simple. Even if you are given what appears to be sound advice and a recommendation for a fish oil product, it may not be the best and most effective option for you.
As it happens the soft gels I took had low levels of essential fatty acids compared to the overall amount of fish oil, and to make matters worse the amount of EPA was twice the level of DHA.
I have since learnt that about 50% of the total capsule content should be omega-3 fatty acids and the other 50% fish oil. Also the amount DHA should be approximately double the amount of EPA.
So you can understand how annoyed I was taking these soft gels for a few years only to realize I had not been taking the optimal amount and the fatty acid quantities were the wrong way around, therefore I didn’t get the health benefits I could have had.
When we talk about essential fatty acid it means your body needs it, but doesn’t make it by itself — there are 2 types you need to know about.
Linoleic acid (omega-6 fatty acid) comes from a variety of vegetables, nuts, sunflower and certain oils. As it happens our Western diet is rich in this acid, so we tend to get too much of it.
Alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3 fatty acid) sources are green vegetables, pumpkin and mustard seeds, soybean oil and flaxseed that has high ALA levels. Sources rich in DHA and EPA are fish oil from cold water dwelling fatty fish like cod, salmon, herring, tuna and mackerel.
The general idea is to try and reduce your omega-6 consumption and increase your omega-3 intake to get an optimal balance, particularly DHA and EPA
If you think your essential fatty acid intake is inadequate for good health try to eat more oily fish, however you may be interested to take the easier and more affordable option of supplementing your diet with fish oil omega-3 DHA and EPA fatty acids.
If your interested to find out more and to better understand fish oil issues, visit my website below.
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John P. Stevens is a long time user; researcher and writer on health issues particularly fish oil and natural supplements. He only recommends natural substances that are extremely effective and 100% safe to use. To learn more about the many benefits of fish oil, Go to ==> today.
Let’s face it, if you are unfortunate enough to suffer from arthritis and you’re not supplementing your diet with fish oil high in DHA fatty acid you’re probably doing yourself a disservice
The evidence is pretty much overwhelming these days based on the findings of hundreds of scientific research studies on the benefits of fish oil omega-3 fatty acids on arthritis particularly rheumatoid arthritis.
Just the other day I read an article about how researchers from Queen Mary, University of London and Harvard medical school have recently discovered that your body can convert DHA fatty acid into the chemical Resolvin D2.
They said this discovery was very important because Resolvin D2 apparently could be used as a base to treat inflammation involved in causing illness, which can also lead to serious diseases.
Most of us already understand that our body cannot make its own omega-3 so it gets it from a variety of vegetables and oils, with flaxseed having very high levels of ALA.
However the best source of DHA and EPA is from cold-water sea dwelling fish like mackerel, cod, herrings, tuna and salmon.
By increasing the amount of oily fish you consume each week, or by supplementing your diet with omega-3 fatty acid capsules, you will add another method of helping to reduce your rheumatoid arthritis suffering. Always remember to consult your doctor before starting any new supplementation.
If you do decide to use fish oil supplements to increase your levels of especially DHA and EPA, make sure to thoroughly check out and evaluate the brand you intend to . There are hundreds of fish oil capsules available on the market, so take care to find the purest and safest one with the right DHA to EPA blend.
There’s really no doubt about it — DHA fatty acid arthritis fish oil capsules used in conjunction with your regular rheumatoid arthritis medication can be even more beneficial in helping to relieve your painful condition.
If your interested to find out and understand more about the DHA fatty acid I choose to take daily, visit my website below.
Discover the best available today.
John P. Stevens is a long time user; researcher and writer on health issues particularly fish oil and natural supplements. He only recommends natural substances that are extremely effective and 100% safe to use. To learn more about the many benefits of fish oil, Go to ==> today.
First off, you do not need supplements in to gain muscle. Supplements make a 20% difference in your results. It’s the hard work, eating whole foods and recovery that is the other 80% to you reaching your goals. There are many people that are muscular without taking supplements, but honestly most of us do not have the time and/or the dedication it takes to eat a balanced diet and work out consistently. This is where supplements come in to play. Supplements do not build muscle for us, but it helps our body receive the nutrients we are lacking to build muscle.
You still need to eat properly, work hard in the gym and rest in to build muscle. The question many people ask is, "there are so many supplements out there, what should I take?" The answer is not very simple because each supplement is designed to do different things. Everybodys body reacts differently to a supplement depending on each person’s needs and bodily chemistry. With that being said, there are 4 supplements that every person needs and you will find them in the cabinet of any bodybuilders home: Multivitamins, Protein Powder, Creatine, and EFA’s
Multi Vitamin
With all the processed foods inundating our supermarkets, it’s almost impossible to get all your nutritional requirements from food alone. Even if you eat nothing but whole foods, you would have to eat a large amount of food to meet all your nutritional requirements due to the inferior soils used today.
Your body is a complex machine that conducts millions of functions simultaneously. Each nutrient contributes to thousands of essential reactions that make these functions possible such as B12 for healthy red blood cell production, Iodine for thyroid regulation, and B6 for protein metabolism. Being deficient in just one nutrient is detrimental to thousands of chemical reactions within your body, which in turn will make it much harder for your body to run at its full potential.
People who put their bodies under physical stress 3-4 days a week have a higher nutritional requirement than people who live a sedentary lifestyle. I’m sure you’ve noticed after a hard workout you’re very hungry. It’s your body telling you it is low on fuel and needs to be replenished. To make sure my body is not lacking in nutrients, I like to take multivitamins with a higher potency for two reasons:
Some multivitamins use inferior ingredients and not all of that 4000% Daily Value of Riboflavin or whatever it may say will be digested by your body. On the higher potency multi vitamins, I sometimes like to split up the dosage throughout the day as there are some people in the medical field that think there are too many nutrients for your body to digest at one time.
My body’s demands for nutrients on days that I workout are not the same as the days that I rest. I don’t want to be low on any nutrient if my body needs it. I’ve even heard some people on days of extreme stress like to take two doses a day; one in the morning and one after a really hard workout. The good thing about multivitamins are many of the nutrients such as vitamin C and Vitamin B are water soluble and will be excreted out of you, depending on your body’s needs.
A good multivitamin I would suggest is Animal Pak by Universal Nutrition. It is made with ingredients that are easily digestible by the body and they contain a good balance between key nutrients for building muscle, minerals for performance and amino acids for recovery.
Protein powder
We all know in to build muscle you need to eat plenty of calories and especially protein. The rule of thumb for protein is to consume 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight for muscle building. With any good muscle building plan, you need to spread those calories into 5-7 meals a day to keep your metabolism high and your nutrient intake steady. There are some medical professionals who think the body cannot digest more than 35 grams of protein per sitting and therefore is another good reason to spread out your protein intake. With our busy schedules, it is very hard for any of us to eat that many meals a day and the protein shake is the perfect substitute for 2-3 of those meals.
The three most important times to take a protein shake:
Morning: Drink a shake in the morning as soon as you get up because it is quickly digested. Your body has not had any protein for however long you have been sleeping and if your body goes into a catabolic state it starts to eat away your hard earned muscle. I drink shake as soon as you get up and then 30 minutes later I eat a normal breakfast.
Pre-workout: I prefer to take a protein shake before I workout instead of eating a meal because your body digests whey protein powder within an hour as opposed to chicken or fish which takes your body 2 to 2.5 hours to digest. That way I don’t feel bloated at the gym and I know the protein is going straight to my muscles instead of sitting in my stomach waiting to be digested.
Post workout: This is the absolute most important time to take a protein shake. This is the beginning of the all important "recovery" phase. Your muscles have been broken down from a strenuous workout and you need to get protein to them fast in to repair and build new muscle.
It is important to take any protein powder, but I think whey protein is the highest quality protein for building muscle and as a bonus it’s also one the cheapest. Whey contains all the essential amino acids for building new muscle and is also high in bioavailability so our body can digest a high amount of it. Whey is also high in BCAA which are the amino acids, leucine, isoleucine, and valine, which help with and muscular breakdown. You can get a 2 lb jug of Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard for under $23 dollars.
Creatine
Has been known to build muscle since the early 1900′s but, creatine was first introduced to professional athletes during the 1992 Olympics. Many English athletes admitted after the Olympics to training with creatine, which angered other athletes as they disputed that "it gave the English an unfair advantage" as they won gold medals in several track and field events as well as rowing. No penalties or disqualifications were passed out by the Olympic committee as they discovered creatine is a naturally occurring nutrient found in every skeletal muscle in the body. They also determined that creatine is abundant in foods such as red meat and fish and it would be impossible to determine if an athlete supplemented or attained it from natural food sources.
Over the last 15 years, creatine has been the most used supplement by athletes and people wanting to gain muscle. The popularity of this supplement is not a surprise as the main function of creatine is to give muscles extra energy to perform strenuous activities. Creatine is essential for short duration, high intensity exercise such as sprints or weight lifting with a max of 8 reps. When muscles are used to lift weights or to perform any kind of work, ATP is broken down to ADP and energy is released. The amount of ATP stored in the muscle will only fuel a maximum effort such as lifting a weight for 10 to 15 seconds. After that, the muscle must rely on creatine to restock its supply of ATP. Creatine promotes intense lifting by replenishing the necessary energy molecule ATP, but there are also other muscle building effects that make this supplement so popular:
Creatine buffers the development of lactic acid so you can train harder and longer.
Creatine increases muscle volumization by increasing the amount of water stored in the cells. Do not confuse this with water retention as this is intracellular water storage and not intercellular water retention. This is important as intracellular water storage boosts hydration, resulting in higher rate of protein synthesis.
Studies have shown that creatine decreases mental fatigue by increasing the amount of oxygenated red blood cells into the brain.
Creatine can increase strength by 5-15% over a short period of time. It’s also not uncommon to gain 5 to 10 lbs in a month.
Creatine increases the amount of growth hormone release during exercise. Your body naturally releases growth hormones as you exercise and creatine allows your body to lift heavier loads more frequently, which naturally causes your body to increase the amount of growth hormone secretion.
Like any other supplement, there is the perfect time and amount to take in to maximize the effects of creatine. Many say you should "load" creatine, which means, 5-10 grams a day for 5-7 days, but I don’t think you have to do this in to achieve your desired results. You may achieve your results faster by "loading" your body with creatine, but if you add it to your sports drink before and after your workouts, you will gradually achieve the same results. Absorption time depends on if you take it on an empty stomach and if you take it with a simple sugar like juice or a sports drink.
Creatine only stays in your system for 1 to 1.5 hours and if it is not used it is excreted out of your body. To maximize the short saturation period, you should take 5-10 grams of creatine 45 minutes to an hour before your workouts so your workout coincides with the saturation period. You should also take 5-10 grams post workout as you want to keep your muscles inundated with creatine during the "anabolic window".
Creatine is a must-use supplement because it provides all these muscle building benefits with very minimal adverse side effects. In the early years it was thought that creatine damages your kidneys as it is processed and excreted out of the body through the kidneys, but later research has debunked those claims. Actual side effects are minimal but, in some cases it can cause cramping and an upset stomach. If you drink plenty of water and don’t take creatine on a completely empty stomach, this should eradicate those issues.
Essential Fatty Acids
Are as well as to gain muscle. There are 2 families of EFA’s, Omega 3 and Omega 6. EFA’s are fats that cannot be produced by the body and therefore must be obtained through our diet.
Omega 3 and Omega 6 assist with many essential bodily functions:
Heart health- Improves heart rhythm, a mild blood thinner and slows the heart rate.
Cell Regulation – Regulates many processes in the cell such as oxygen use, electron transportation and energy production.
Increase Testosterone- Required for healthy testes function.
Improve insulin action- Helps to balance blood sugar levels.
Increase fat burning- Many studies have shown that test groups taking EFA’s lose more fat and retain muscle as opposed to the placebo group.
Lower cholesterol- Helps transport cholesterol in the blood stream.
Anti inflammatory- Low grade inflammation (type people cannot feel) increases the risk of diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity and many other conditions.
Strengthen Immune system- Promote syntheses of hormones that are responsible for a healthy immune system.
Shorten recovery time- Help reduce fatigue by helping nutrients pass through cell membranes.
Brain development and function- Needed for proper nerve transmission in the brain. As you can see EFA’s are extremely important for overall health.
EFA’s are also referred to as Fish Oil as a majority of the food sources are obtained from fish and shellfish. You can also find EFA’s in small amounts in food sources such as flaxseed, hemp oil, soya oil, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, leafy vegetables. Widespread food processing has reduced the amount of Omega 3′s that are available from these food sources so it is important to supplement with EFA’s in to get the recommended daily amount of 1,000-3,000 mg a day.
Conclusion
None of these products contain dangerous hormones or any substances that are not already in your body. These supplements contain nutrients that help your body release muscle building chemicals naturally and safely. By supplementing these nutrients, you’ll be sure your body is working at 100% capacity even if your diet it not perfect.
These 4 supplements will not replace hard work, but combined with a good diet and a workout routine you will be sure to see great results. Like I mentioned earlier, you don’t need supplements in to gain muscle, but they will help you achieve your goals faster.
wants to educate people that supplements are not just for body builders or athletes, but for anybody who want to live a healthy, happy life. At StayFitNutrition.com we have . Lowest Prices, best service and fastest shipping is our commitment to you.
The facts are out. Medial science has proven that the use of fish oil has many benefits for our health. From heart health to skin health, there is even a fish oil brain connection that isn’t left out.
One of the most astounding finds is that the intake of omega 3 can promote a healthy brain. So if you are currently in a stage of your life where you are thinking about brain health…read on. Discover the fish oil brain connection that may make a difference in your life.
I never thought that I would ever be concerned about my brain. But, as you get older, you start thinking about how to provide your body with the best nutrients possible.
Nutrients found in food sources rich in omega3 like flax oil, various nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts and cashews) and seeds (pumpkin and sesame), farm fresh meats and eggs and greens which are found to have higher levels of essential fatty acids.
And then I soon realized, the best and most available sources of omega3 are cold water oily fish. For instance, fish like herring, mackerel, salmon and lake trout.
Because after all, it all starts with a healthy brain. Otherwise how can everything work.
Scientist from around the world are beginning to realize the importance of omega 3 to the brain. And have they ever found out some remarkable facts.
A group of scientists at Louisiana State University have found that fish oil may aid in protecting the brain from cognitive problems. This would include groups of people who have Alzheimer’s disease. With a discovery like that who needs any other motivation.
I found it hard to believe but the omega 3 in fatty fish has many other benefits for the brain. It seems to make people happier. Studies have shown that there is less depression and suicidal tendencies in people who have adequate amounts of omega 3 in their system.
There may not have been a more important medical discovery in our times than the connection between omega 3 and our mental health. The many benefits that DHA has on our brain functions cannot be over stated. You now realize the benefits of the fish oil brain connection so there is no time to lose.
If you are interested in learning more about the fish oil brain connection and searching for a high-quality , visit my website today.
Marcia Kruger is a researcher, editor and believer in a natural healthy lifestyle that includes quality nutritional supplements and skin care. Marcy enjoys introducing people to quality she uses daily.
Visit her latest site today to learn about the benefits of omega3 fish oils.
Most people don’t realize this but there are a number of things to eat, both animal and plant, that are foods high in omega 3. But some have more of the important fatty acids, DHA and EPA, than others. Here’s a quick guide to omega 3 foods to help you choose.
Omega 3 fatty acids are vital for the proper functioning of the heart and brain, and can help prevent cancers. But our bodies cannot manufacture them. We must get all the fatty acids we need from our food.
You can get omega 3s by eating oily fish, grass fed beef and eggs from chickens fed on greens.
Plant foods high in omega 3 include walnuts, flaxseed, pecans, hazelnuts and soybeans.
But before you choose foods high in omega 3 from these lists you need to know a little about which types of fatty acids they contain.
The most important fatty acids are EPA and DHA. These have the greatest health benefits and are the ones you need to target in your omega 3 foods. EPA and DHA are mostly found in animal sources, such as fish.
ALA is another important fatty acid. Its benefit is that your body can use it to make EPA and the DHA. ALA is mostly found in plants, such as walnuts and flaxseed.
But our bodies are not very good at converting ALA to EPA. It’s a quite inefficient process – it requires about 11 grams of ALA to create just one gram of DHA.
Depending on what else you eat, the conversion process can get even worse. For example, if you eat a lot of margarine, bakery products or fast foods, you will be eating a lot of transfats, which interfere with the conversion of ALA to EPA.
Your age can be a factor too – the conversion process slows down even further as we get older.
So it seems that the foods high in omega 3 that will deliver the greatest benefits for your health are animal-based products. Fish oil is generally considered the best source as it is particularly high in DHA and EPA.
But it’s not all bad news for vegetarians and vegans. It is possible to find some microalgae products (seaweed) that have been produced in bioreactors to concentrate and increase their natural levels of DHA.
Eating animal foods high in omega 3 such as oily fish is an excellent way of increasing your intake of the crucial fatty acids but people sometimes find it difficult to eat enough fish each week to get a good dose.
It’s not only quantity though – you need to eat the right kind of fish, such as salmon, mackerel and tuna. Unfortunately, these fish are often caught in waters that are contaminated by heavy metals, PCBs and dioxins.
This is why it has become popular in recent times to take fish oil supplements instead. The oil in the capsules can be filtered and treated to remove all traces of impurities and contaminants. You can take as little as one capsule a day and experience great benefits for your heart and general health.
Need to know more about foods high in ? Do you have any questions about fish oil supplements? Visit my website today, where I have more information and research, as well as news about products I use daily myself.
My name is Therese Samson and I promote natural approaches to health and well-being for the whole family at , where you’ll find out about the many ways omega 3 fish oil can improve heart, brain, skin and immune system health.
Have you been wondering whether fish oil for kids is a good idea? After all, just because it has numerous health benefits for adults doesn’t mean children should take supplements too. But there is good news about fish oil for kids – particularly if they suffer from ADHD.
First of all, recent studies have shown that an increased intake of the omega 3 fatty acids contained in fish oil can be of great benefit to unborn babies and young children. Omega 3s are essential for the growth and development of the brain and eyes in babies.
Taking omega 3s during pregnancy can reduce the risk of having a pre-term baby. Also, the children of mothers who eat the most fish tend to have higher intelligence scores and better communication skills.
So the benefits for mothers and babies are clear but what about fish oil for kids themselves?
It has been known for some time that the most important fatty acid, DHA, helps brains to function and develop properly.
It now seems that children who have low levels of DHA tend to be more likely to suffer from ADHD.
A 2005 Australian study showed that children with diagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who took supplements for 15 weeks had increased attention and reduced hyperactivity, restlessness and impulsivity. The children also performed better on attention tests and improved their vocabulary.
A 2007 US study also showed a marked improvement in ADHD children who took omega 3 supplements. In that study, a psychiatrist reported significant improvements in inattention, hyperactivity, oppositional/defiant behavior and conduct disorder.
So it’s clear that fish oil for kids can be helpful as a treatment for hyperactivity, as well as learning ability and general mood.
What about sources of omega3s?
We can’t make omega 3s in our bodies so we must get them from our diet. Fish remains one of the best sources of omega 3s because it has the two most important of these fatty acids, EPA and DHA. Other sources, such as walnuts and flaxseed, contain another fatty acid, ALA, which must be converted by the body into EPA and DHA. The process is not very efficient though, so fish remains the best source of these important fatty acids.
As with adults, children should not be given supplements if there is any known reaction to fish oil, or if they have a bleeding disorder or are taking anti-coagulants.
So, go ahead and give your child fish oil supplements if you feel they could benefit. is safe and effective at the right doses and you could be doing your child’s health and behavior a great favor.
If you would like more information about fish oil supplements, and the products I use daily myself, feel free to visit my website where I publish more research and facts about omega 3 fatty acids.
My name is Therese Samson and I promote natural approaches to health and well-being for the whole family at , where you’ll find out about the many ways omega 3 fish oil can improve heart, brain, skin and immune system health.
For years when someone would mention that they had found the best fish oil people would just roll their eyes believing that the messenger was simply some kind of health nut pushing another brand of snake oil. But a strange thing happened to this fellow on his way to the natural health funny farm; science started to support his enthusiasm for finding the best fish oil.
Nevertheless, still omega 3 rich supplements such as fish oil and flax oil are being met with a great deal of skepticism. I know this because just the other day I happened to hear a conservation between a couple in their late 40’s or early 50’s that was quite enlightening. The man who was in somewhat poor health, who had a history of heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis, had paid a visit to his long time doctor for his annual checkup. Expecting a new wiz band medication he was shocked when the doctor asked him if he had considered supplementing his diet with the best fish oil he could find. I don’t know what was said between doctor and patient after that but what I do know is what this man said to his wife. Rather than embracing the new side effect free supplementation ideas he rebelled, and was furious that his physician had suggested something like this after all this time. After all he needed help, not some natural fish oil that couldn’t possibly produce any noticeable results. He then mentioned that the doctor must have found this information on the Internet because he had run out of ideas.
The truth here is that this gentleman probably has a very good doctor that keeps up with current research trends rather than staying stuck in the past. Many top cardiologist have are embracing omega 3 rich foods and supplements due to their ability to quell general inflammation.
This benefit found in the best fish oil supplements is thought to be produced by two essential omega 3 fatty acids; docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). DHA is essential for the proper functioning of our brains as adults, and for the development of our nervous system and visual abilities during the first six months of life. In addition, omega 3 fatty acids as a part of a healthy diet plan have a positive effect on existing heart disease, help lower triglycerides, lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of blood clots, improve artery health, and reduce the amount of plaque in the arteries.
So the doctor was really trying to tell this man what they were doing wasn’t having the desired effect and that perhaps trying the best omega 3 rich fish oil he could find just might improve his overall prognosis.
What Next? Finding or best fish oils involves both purity and high DHA levels. Generally the best fish oil is considered to be pharmaceutical grade and contains fish body oils from cold water fish such as salmon, herring, hoki, and/or tuna. Also, make sure molecular distillation has been used to separate the toxins (mercury etc…) from the fish oil based on molecular weight fractionation.
Rob Hawkins is an enthusiastic advocate for the use of natural health products and natural living with over 10 years experience in the field of natural health and wellness. Learn more about natural remedies and natural health at Purchase Remedies.com
You’ve probably heard it a hundred times. Fish and seafood are arguably the best omega-3 sources in the world. But, for many reasons, people may be concerned about eating fish and seafood on a regular basis.
That’s probably one of the reasons that so many people take fish oil supplements. It is the biggest selling dietary supplement in the US, according to surveys. It’s more popular than green tea, ginkgo biloba or ginseng. Only standard multi-vitamins are better sellers.
But, are people really getting what they are paying for? Are they getting the best value for their money? Would it make more sense just to eat a little fish every day?
As long as you stay on top of the consumption advisories for fish that are high in mercury or other contaminants, then including seafood in your diet is a good choice. It is usually lower in total fat than other meat choices and it provides a variety of different nutrients. But, if you want to be sure that you are getting enough EPA and DHA to meet your body’s daily needs then a fish oil supplement is the best choice.
The amount of total omega-3s in seafood varies, as does the DHA and EPA content. Although you need both and some ALA, too, the best omega-3 is probably DHA.
DHA or Docosahexaenoic acid is found in large quantities in the brain and in the back of the eye. Numerous studies have shown that fish oil lowers total blood triglycerides and increases the blood content of HDL (good) cholesterol. At least one study has shown that DHA has a greater effect on those two health factors than EPA.
In studies concerning depression, DHA has been more effective than EPA, but the greatest benefits have been seen when both DHA and EPA are given to depressed individuals. So, the best omega-3 for depression is a fish oil supplement rich in DHA and EPA.
What about other types of supplements? Well, flax seed provides only ALA, which means it is not a “complete” supplement. Marine algae provide only DHA. So, it’s not complete, either.
The better fish oils provide DHA, EPA and the lesser known DPA or Docosapentaenoic acid, which is believed to be important to good cardiovascular health. That’s truly the most complete supplement that you can get. ALA is found in a number of different foods. So, supplementation is really unnecessary.
In terms of getting value for your money, the best omega-3 supplement is one that is rich in DHA. Looking at the grams of DHA per bottle and looking at the cost per bottle will help you determine value for your money.
You’ll also want to be sure that the supplement you choose is free of contaminants, such as mercury or PCBs. The better manufacturers post a copy of an independent laboratory analysis proving the supplement’s purity, freshness and nutritional content.
So, while seafood is the best omega-3 source, a supplement is a better choice for most people. It’s a more affordable and simply an easier option for insuring you are well nourished.
Laurel Cohen is a strong advocate of natural health in all its forms: skin care, supplementation, and farm fresh foods. She enjoys introducing people to the best natural products she can find and uses herself daily. Visit her site to learn about the omega 3 fish oils Laurel uses daily for optimal health.
There is a renewed interest today in organic flax seed oil as the many benefits of omega 3 come to light and are more publicized than ever. So is this a good source?
The answer is both yes and no!
Organic flax seed oil is rich in omega 3 and carries many benefits but is nowhere near as effective as the fatty acids you get from fatty fish so unless you are vegetarian, fish oils are much better. Let me explain why.
Flax seed will give you a short chained fatty acid known as ALA which affect the body in a different way to the other ones and has proven to be far less effective especially as it cannot be converted into the main two, DHA and EPA, very easily.
Many argue that it can be converted but new evidence shows this happens seldom, if ever.
Fish oils provide you with the long chained fatty acids DHA and EPA and it s the DHA that is responsible for many of the health benefits you hear about, especially brain and heart health. It can easily be converted into EPA if required by the body, but you cannot convert EPA to DHA.
As fresh fish contain so many toxins today, your very best source is actually distilled fish oil supplements as you can control the amount and quality of what you ingest.
Look for twice as much DHA as EPA and a minimum of 250mg of DHA per individual fish oil capsule for the maximum rewards like prevention of heart disease, treatment of arthritis and joint problems, lower cholesterol and improved mental well-being and brain health.
A distilled oil will have all the toxins removed like lead and arsenic and is the better and safer option and also you get more omega 3 after this process as it concentrates the oil.
So while organic flax seed oil will provide you with some limited benefits, you should look to fish oils to enjoy the maximum rewards with none of the risks.
If you would like to learn more about the high quality DHA omega 3 supplements I personally take daily, visit my website today.
Discover the best today.
Rich Hawkins is a dedicated researcher of nutrition, diet and the amazing health benefits of high-quality fish oil. Take a moment to visit his site now at and discover the very latest and effective omega-3 fish oil supplements Rich recommends after extensive research.
The flax seed oil benefits pale in comparison with the sheer amount and quality of benefits from the best fish oils. The reason for this is down to the type of omega 3 that flax oil contains.
Alpha-Linolenic Acid or ALA is what gives the flax seed oil benefits and while good for the heart and cholesterol, they work differently in the body, produce much more limited benefits and are rarely, if ever, converted into the two main omega 3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA.
Of these two acids, the best source of which is fish oil, DHA is largely responsible for most of the benefits including prevention of heart attacks and strokes, improved immune system, lower blood pressure and above all, much improved brain health and mental well-being.
It can easily be converted into EPA if the body needs it, but this does not work the other way round, making it far more useful and versatile that any other fatty acid.
When you realize that over 30% of an adult brain is composed of DHA fats, it’s easy to see why they are so vital, especially as we have to get them from our diets as the body cannot make them.
It is estimated today that over ninety percent of the population is deficient in these essential fatty acids and therefore vital that we introduce more of the right kind into our diets.
The best way is via a distilled fish oil supplement with high levels of DHA, at least 250mg per capsule and one that has been molecularly distilled to remove all the toxins like mercury, lead, PCB’s and arsenic.
With more health benefits being discovered all the time from DHA fats, it makes more sense, unless you are vegetarian, to use the best fish oil supplements instead of just settling for the flax seed oil benefits.
If you would like to learn more about the high quality DHA omega 3 supplements I personally take daily, visit my website today.
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