Read REAL Super Nutrition Academy reviews from REAL members! CLICK HERE

  • Call now 1-888-529-9541
  • Help
  • Prefer to speak to someone?

    1-888-529-9541

    9am-5pm EST

    Monday-Fridays


  • Not a fan of the phone?

    Send us an email 


  • Need answers right away?

    Search our online FAQ 


Close
  • Home
  • Why SNA?
  • The Modules
  • Special Reports
  • About Yuri
  • Blog

How to Choose the Best Fish Oil Supplement

Posted: April 4th, 2013 @ 1:39 pm | By:
7 comments

Categories super nutrition academy health class



Everyone knows a healthy diet is important. Diet and weight loss gurus have made us believe that a low fat, high protein diet is the key to being fit, but in reality, a balanced diet must include some form of fat.

Your body needs fat! The best kinds of fats are omega-3 fatty acids. While the body doesn’t have the mechanism to digest these fats, they are very important for maintaining regular metabolism.

A lot of marine life and plants are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids include salmon, bluefish, anchovy, sardines, trout, and mackerel. According to the National Institute of Health, you can get one gram fatty acids from 3.5-ounces of fish.

Fish oil supplements are a great way to add much needed fatty acids to your diet, especially for people who don’t eat or don’t like fish. Fish oil supplements are usually made from tuna, salmon, mackerel, cod liver, seal blubber, or whale blubber. Most fish oil supplements also contain a small amount of Vitamin E and are sometimes also combined with other vitamins and minerals.

Why you need omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids, in combination with inflammatory agents that are present in the body, improve immunity by speeding up the healing process in damaged or infected tissues.

In fact, the human body converts omega-3 fatty acids into several enzymes that are very important for maintaining an optimal metabolic rate. In the simplest of terms, the metabolic rate can be defined as the rate at which the body breaks down or metabolizes food. An optimal or high metabolic rate is required for losing weight.

Other omega-3 fatty acid derivates are also responsible for reducing the risk of asthma, arthritis, stroke, and other immune deficiencies such as Alzheimer’s.

The National Institute of Health also reports that fish oil is used for post-surgery healing in the case of heart transplant surgery to prevent high blood pressure and kidney damage. It’s also used during bypass surgery.

Doctors also recommend fish oil supplements for high blood pressure patients to reduce the risk of heart disease or stroke.

Fish oil supplements are also known to be beneficial in the case of painful periods or pregnancy related complications, such as high blood pressure during pregnancy or the risk of premature birth.

What are the uses of omega-3 fatty acids?

While omega-3 fatty acids have numerous health benefits, let’s discuss three of the most common uses –

Cancer: Eating a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, or taking supplements in the form of fish oil, seem to greatly reduce the risk of breast cancer, colon cancer, and prostate cancer. These results have been found through a number of clinical trials and studies.

Eskimos eat a very high fat diet, but most of the fat comes from fish. Studies have shown that they have a very low risk of colon cancer. Some studies have also suggested that fish oil supplements may prevent colon cancer from progressing.

Menstrual pain: A clinical study found that taking fish oil supplements reduced menstrual pain and menstrual cramps when taken regularly. Women who took fish oil supplements reported significantly lower pain than women who were given a placebo.

ADHD: In a clinical study of over 100 boys, it was found that children with severe behavioral and learning problems had a lower percentage of omega-3 fatty acids compared to children with normal omega-3 fatty acid levels.

How to choose a fish oil supplement that’s best for you

ALA, EPA, and DHA: There are 3 main forms of omega-3’s – eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and alpha-linoleic acid (ALA). When buying a fish oil supplement, you want to make sure it has EPA and DHA. A pure fish oil supplement will always include these two.

ALA is mostly found in plant based supplements like flax seeds and walnuts.

Your diet is important: Before buying a fish oil supplement, you must always take your current diet into account. Fish oil is best taken as part of a healthy, balanced diet. This doesn’t mean you can eat burgers and fries throughout the day and then take a fish oil supplement in the hopes that it will make you healthy.

Know if the supplement is good: Always check the purity of your supplements. Buy them from reliable sources, not websites that are selling snake oil.

Do not consume more than 3 grams of the supplement. A lot of people are also concerned about the presence of mercury in supplements since most fish have these deposits. Companies that make fish oil supplements follow stringent checks to remove all traces of mercury.

Algae and plant supplements: Algae and plant/nut supplements contain ALA, not EPA or DHA. EPA and DHA are especially important to reduce the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.

If you are concerned about “fish burp” after taking a supplement, keep your pills in the fridge.

Fish oil supplements are a great way to maintain a healthy lifestyle and they protect you from many diseases. It’s not possible to keep a check on everything we eat, but it’s definitely possible to add a healthy supplement to our diet that makes our lives better.

Related Posts:
Does Fruit Make You Fat?
Video Games for Brain Health?
The Truth About Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
Magic vs. Science

Tags: algae omega 3, dha, epa, fish oil, flax oil, health food, hemp oil, hemp seed oil, omega 3 fats, omega 3 oils, omega 3 vegetarian, supplements, vegetarian omega 3, Yuri Elkaim

About Super Nutrition Academy

Super Nutrition Academy is the ONLY nutrition course that makes it easy for everyday people to understand the complex relationship between nutrition and health. If you're tired of all the conflicting health information out there and want a clear-cut, evidence-based understanding of the nutrition and health topics that matter you, then get started today.

 

SNA Quiz - Test Your Knowledge

 


Leave A Reply (7 comments So Far)

  1. Cindy

    Thanks Yuri – I have heard that Krill oil is a concentrated version of fish oil. Is that so? My daughter takes the Mega Red, but my little ones and I take the Carlson’s liquid version. If I can get the same amount of efficacy out of that little red tasty capsule that I get out of the spoonful of fish oil – I’m switching when this bottle is empty. What is your opinion?

     
  2. David

    Hey Yuri,

    I just wanted to say I really enjoy your podcast; it helps me think of new ideas for my own blog.

    Have you done any research on DPA? It appears to be the “forgotten” omega 3 fatty acid, but the body may convert EPA to DPA.

    David

     
    • YuriElkaim

      Do you mean DHA? If so, it’s covered extensively in Module 3 of the Academy.

       
  3. David

    No, I am talking about docosapentaenoic acid (DPA).

    http://www.nutritionremarks.com/2012/01/23/omega-3-docosapentaenoic-acid-dpa-what-is-known-3/

     
  4. David

    Thanks, many proven benefits of fish oil.
    Firstly body needs fat! The best kinds of fats are omega-3 fatty acids contain fish oil. Secondly people who don’t eat or don’t like fish, fish oil supplements are for them. Actually it contain a lot of Vitamin E and also collect with other vitamins and minerals.

     
  5. Scott Cwynar

    Fish Oil rocks! I play tennis (and work out as well); I consume fish oil every morning and I notice that I don’t cramp up. If I miss a couple days, I notice it. So here’s my 2 cents…take it in the morning before you eat anything else to avoid ‘fish burp’. If you store it in the freezer, it should not freeze; if it does, it’s probably not fish oil. Btw, I get mine from The Vitamin Shoppe. Blue skies, all!

     
  6. Shelley

    Because of the oxidation of omega 3 oils would that mean that it is wrong to cook fish as well

     
Get your FREE Report
BIG FAT FOOD LIES

Available for a limited time only!






  • Popular
  • Latest
  • Comments
    • The Food Babe Way with Vani Hari Episode #113 The Food Babe Way with Vani Hari Click here to subscribe in iTunes (and download) The Food...
    • Are Raw Cruciferous Vegetables Hurting Your Thyroid? Episode #112 Discover whether kale, broccoli, and other cruciferous are hurting your thyroid. Click here to subscribe...
    • 10 Fat Habits Destroying Your Diet Episode #111 Discover the 10 fat habits that could be destroying you diet. Click here to subscribe...
    • Day Detox Diet with Dr. Mark Hyman Episode #110 Learn how to eradicate sugar cravings and lose weight in just 10 days time...
    • Environment vs. Willpower - Which is More Powerful for Building Good Habits? Episode #109 For years we've been led to believe that building habits is a matter of...

      Available for a limited time only!





      • Super Nutrition Academy

        • Home
        • About
        • The Modules
        • Special Reports
        • Reviews
        • Enroll Now
      • Get Informed

        • Blog
        • Test Your Knowledge
        • SNA Health Class on iTunes
        •  
        •  
        •  
      • Support and Community

        • Student Login
        • Customer Support
        • FAQs
        • Yuri Elkaim on Facebook
        • Yuri Elkaim on Google +
        •  
        •  
        •  
        •  
        •  
        •  
        •  

      © Total Wellness Consulting, Inc. | 460 West Hunt Club Road, Suite 206 Ottawa, Ontario K2E 0B8
      All rights reserved

      Terms of Use    |    Privacy Policy    |    Affiliates    |    Contact Us