Which Fish Oil Is The Best?

Which fish oil is the best? That’s a good question that deserves a good answer, so here goes.

To begin with, eating almost any fish is good for your health. Fish is an excellent low saturated fat source of protein, iron and vitamin B12.

But not all fish are created equal, so which fish oil is the best?

Salmon and other fatty fish, such as sardines, herring and tongol tuna contain more than 20 to 30 times as much omega 3 DHA and EPA fatty acids than leaner fish such as cod, halibut, shellfish and fresh water fish. And it is the omega 3 DHA and EPA fatty acid content of a species that determines which fish oil is the best for your health.

Why? Fish oil omega 3 DHA and EPA fatty acids help reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and certain cancers. They’re also extremely effective at preventing and reducing the severity of such inflammatory conditions as arthritis, bursitis, emphysema, irritable bowel syndrome and colitis, to name just a few.

Let’s just look at heart disease, for example. Research has proven fish oil omega 3 DHA and EPA fatty acids significantly help lower blood pressure and triglycerides, reduce blood clots and arterial plaque and reduce risk of arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death by as much as 50%.

That’s why the American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health recommend everyone eat fatty fish at least twice a week. But very few people in the U.S. do. In fact, studies show that as much as 85% of the population is deficient in omega 3 DHA and EPA fatty acids.

And, when Americans do eat fish, they almost always eat pollock, which is very low in omega 3 content. Pollock is used in almost all store bought fish sticks and fish filets at fast food restaurants. As a result of processing, commercial pollock also has very high amounts of unhealthy saturated fat and sugar.

If you’re looking for which fish oil is the best, pollock shouldn’t really be counted as one of your two or three weekly servings of fish.

As far as fish toxicity is concerned, don’t get caught up in the hysteria about mercury toxicity. Despite the negative press, research by the Harvard University School of Public Health proved the enormous health benefits of fatty fish far outweigh the risk of toxicity by more than 300 to 500 to one. That true as long as you avoid eating large predator fish such as shark, swordfish, tilefish and king mackerel.

And, if you’re going to take fish oil supplements (and I highly recommend you do), know that all fish oil supplements are not created equal either.

Many processors use whatever fish comes up in the net, including predator and trash fish, as their source of omega 3 fatty acids. And don’t be fooled by the term “pharmaceutical grade fish oil.” There’s no such thing. It’s only a marketing term used to sell inferior, highly processed fish oil.

Once again, if you’re looking for which fish oil is the best, look for supplements that are sourced from a specific species such as wild caught, health screened, disease free food grade salmon, which is the richest source of omega 3 fatty acids. Also look for a product that contains not only DHA and EPA fatty acids, but the entire family of omega 3 oils, including DPA, ALA, SDA, ETA, ETA(3) and HPA.

Choose the best fish oil and you’ll get the best fish oil health benefits. And you deserve the best.

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