I get asked all the time for recommendations for the best vitamin or supplement for a myriad of problems, from the best anti-itch cream to the best enema for the family pet.
It seems the last few years the question about the best brand of omega-3 fatty acids has come up the most. It’s a good question. It seems that there are thousands of choices of fish oil liquids and softgels. From Arctic fish oil, to Icelandic fish oil, to Antarctic Krill oil. From triple strength to odorless fish oil. I have seen a ton of brands, and here’s what I’ve learned.
• For a comprehensive explanation of what omega-3 fatty acids are, and studies showing their efficacy read: Everything You Wanted to Ask about Omega-3.
Three Important Omega-3’s
There are 3 different omega-3 fatty acids to be concerned with: Alpha-linolenic Acid (ALA), Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA), and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA).
ALA comes from flaxseed oil, canola oil, soybean oil and walnuts. Although ALA has its benefits, most agree that it is not as effective in lowering cholesterol and helping to prevent heart disease than EPA and DHA.
EPA and DHA come from fish oil. DHA is more concentrated in the brain. In fact, 60% of the brain is made up of fat and about half of that fat is DHA. So, you can imagine what would happen if you didn’t get enough DHA.
Does Your Fish Oil Come with an After Taste?
A lot people say they don’t like fish, because of the fishy taste. That just means they haven’t had fresh fish. The same rule applies to fish oil. If it is old when it is encapsulated, then it will smell old when the capsule breaks apart and can give you that “fishy” after taste. I like my supplements to keep on giving after I take them, but that is not what I had in mind. Open up a capsule of an unfamiliar brand of omega-3. If it smells old, find another brand.
Technically, pure omega-3 oil does not have much of a smell. If your fish oil has been distilled and purified enough, it will be a very light color and not have much of a detectable odor. Although, it too can spoil if exposed to air (oxidation) and light.
If you want to check the purity of your omega-3 brand, put a few capsules in your freezer for a couple of hours.
The more frozen they are, the less pure they are.
Enteric Coating
Many manufacturers of drugs and supplements put an enteric coating on their tablets and capsules so they break down in the intestines instead of the stomach. This cuts down on stomach pain from the medicine, and in the case of fish oil capsules, it lessens the chance of you burping up fishy odors. I don’t usually recommend an enteric coated fish oil capsules for two reasons.
- First, the manufacturers who use enteric coating are often trying to hide their use of old fish oil. I have opened up the enteric coated capsules of Nature’s Made and Omega Care at different times and have noticed that some of them have smelled fishy.
- The second reason is that you are getting a whole slew of extra ingredients that you don’t need, but the manufacturer needed them to make it enteric coated. Just look at the “other ingredients” list some time: Methacrlic acid copolymer and ammonium hydroxide? Do I need those?
Pollution and Fish Oil
There is plenty of pollution in the oceans of the world. Sea food and products that come from it, like omega-3 oils, are exposed to toxins like mercury, Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and arsenic. Some believe that marine life from colder waters, like Arctic fish oil and krill oil, is toxin free, but that is not the case.
Since the major air currents blow west-east (not north-south) and there is much more population and industry in the Northern Hemisphere, there is also much more pollution in Northern waters. Most scientists agree that the Pacific ocean is the most contaminated. However, mercury, arsenic, and PCBs have been detected in every ocean including the Arctic Ocean. Getting omega-3 from sources in the Southern Hemisphere, closer to the pole, is typically less toxic, but not necessarily toxin-free.
Sources of Fish Oil
Not all fish have the same amount of EPA and DHA and some are more prone to contimants. Here’s a rough guide of the best fish sources for EPA and DHA (in order of best to least, depending on species): Herring, Salmon, Sardines, Anchovies, Trout, Mackarel, Tuna, and then Halibut.
Typically, the bigger the fish, the more mercury it has. Mackerel, Tuna, Halibut and the smaller trout all contain more mercury than salmon, anchovies, and sardines. Krill oil typically has even less mercury, but doesn’t contain as high of concentrations of DHA and EPA as the others.
Plant Source of EPA/DHA
If you think that taking DHA and EPA from fish is your only option, think again. Those omega-3 fats didn’t originate with the fish. They took it from something else too… algae. So why doesn’t someone just make an algae oil capsule full of EPA and DHA? They do, and it’s pretty good too. I do recommend vegetarian omega-3 oils. Here’s why:
The Ocean’s source of algae is also polluted like its fish. However, most of the manufacturers of algae oil grow and harvest the algae in controlled environments, away from the toxins of the ocean. The makers of Ovega-3 grow their own in stainless steel containers, so there is no chance of mercury, PCBs, and arsenic.
Three of the most popular brands of algae omega-3 are:
- Dr. Furhman’s DHA Purity- only contains DHA and costs about $3.62 for 1000mg of DHA.
- Deva’s Vegan Omega-3 DHA/EPA costs about 3.59 for 1000mg of DHA and has 70mg EPA/cap.
- Ovega-3 has 320mg of DHA and 130mg EPA/cap. That’s about $1.00 for every 1000 mg of DHA.
Recommendation
If you are a vegetarian, but want a good source of EPA and DHA, OR if you hate the fishy after taste and don’t want an enteric coated capsule, OR if you are concerned with the amount of toxins in fish oil and you don’t want to pay a fortune, I recommend Ovega-3. Just one capsule has enough DHA and EPA for a daily dose, there are no toxins, and it is sold at a decent price.
photo credit: theogeo
fish photo credit: convivial.org