The Truth about the International Fish Oil Standard
Did you know in for you to guarantee that you are getting the purist form of DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acid you have to make sure that the oil taken in meets or exceeds the international fish oil standard? This is a gauge that companies can go by that measures impurity down to the lowest possible contaminant levels that modern machinery can detect. It is not however an official standard which companies need to go by.
The truth is that there really is no ruling body when it comes to outlining the standards that all omega-3 supplements should meet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration lays down the law so far as the contaminant levels for fish as a food source, but omega-3 capsules and other dietary supplements are largely left unregulated. This is somewhat of a problem.
The international fish oil standard was set by a private organization as a sort of unofficial guideline to give companies something to shoot at when it comes to the level of purity in their nutritional supplements. There are other guides such as the Council for Responsible Nutrition, European Pharmacopoeia, and the Norwegian Medicinal Standard, but they allow higher levels of contaminants, and don’t even measure toxins such as PCBs.
The reason that such standards need to be set is because of the state that our water is in. Both freshwater and saltwater fish alike face a tremendous number of contaminants, some of them natural toxins but many of them man-made. These toxins get into the predator fish, which is what oily species are, and continuously build up to higher levels.
There is a set of rules like the international fish oil standard set out for food fish, but the levels of contaminants are too high, and the levels of toxins in fish are not checked very regularly. This is one of the reasons that it is not advisable for you to greatly increase the amount of fish in your diet. The other is that the balance between EPA and DHA fatty acids is off.
In for you to attain the maximum health benefits from a greater intake of fish oil, you have to ensure that DHA levels are at least twice as high as those of EPA. Both are necessary in for you to maintain the highest quality of life, but DHA is just a tad more important. EPA is the most prominent of the omega fatty acids in fish, and the amount of fish you would have to eat in to get enough DHA would have your intake of toxins through the roof.
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. Article Source: