| It is a fact that, as of now, there are no defined | | | | with the content breakdown of the omega 3 fish |
| enforceable fish oil specifications regarding | | | | oil. What distinguishes high quality reputable |
| maximum allowable levels of pollutants. Different | | | | manufacturers from the rest is that they can |
| government and third party agencies stipulate | | | | readily provide in their documentation the percent |
| their own recommended specifications. | | | | concentration of at DHA and EPA. Among the |
| Therefore, it's up to us, as consumers, to | | | | several omega 3 essential fatty acids, these two |
| become better educated and learn to assess | | | | are the most important. |
| what is top quality and what is not. | | | | The issue with fish oil specifications gets a little |
| By doing a review of the different fish oil | | | | more complicated when we consider the fish |
| specifications published, we see that the Food and | | | | species that the fish oil was extracted from and |
| Drug Administration (FDA) is the least strict. | | | | the part of the world where they were caught in |
| Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has | | | | the first place. |
| relatively more stringent standards, while the | | | | You see, depending on the extent of pollution in |
| Council of Responsible Nutrition (CRN) which is the | | | | the area they live in, some fish may be more |
| most reputable non-government body comprising | | | | contaminated than others. In addition, some types |
| of fish oil manufacturers, has standards that are | | | | of fish may be richer sources of DHA and EPA |
| even more stringent than the other two. | | | | acids than other types. |
| The sad truth is that numerous studies indicate | | | | Environment conscious people should also care |
| that a significant number of fish oil supplements | | | | about the protection of fish. Fishing of some |
| which are now available in the market, contain | | | | species facing extinction should be banned at all |
| unsafe levels of contaminants, mercury being the | | | | cost, or at least be under government regulation. |
| most serious. | | | | I don't know if you are aware of this, but a |
| Molecular distillation processing technology is now | | | | product which complies with the highest fish oil |
| by far the most efficient method of extracting | | | | specifications, both in terms of contamination and |
| purified fish oil from fish and complying with the | | | | content in DHA and EPA, uses a fish species called |
| most stringent fish oil specifications. | | | | hoki. |
| While this technology is widely available and has | | | | This lives in the southwest Pacific Ocean near |
| proven results, many manufacturers do not use it. | | | | New Zealand, one of the least polluted parts of |
| The obvious reason is cost cutting. It saves them | | | | the world. Because its existence is very crucial for |
| money and makes them more price competitive. | | | | the ecosystem, the New Zealand government |
| Therefore, it is imperative that consumers should | | | | imposes strict regulation for its fishing and takes |
| become aware of this and avoid buying from any | | | | measures to protect it. |
| manufacturers that do not provide documentation | | | | On top of this, the manufacturers of this fish oil |
| that their fish oil has been molecularly distilled. | | | | use advanced molecular distillation technology to |
| Another issue I would like to mention has to do | | | | ensure the best possible purity for their product. |