Given the vast and growing body of scientific research proving the many health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, we know that fish oil is important in the diet. However, a recent law suit in California with regard to a state law about proper labeling known as Proposition 65 has cast a doubt in the public’s mind on whether fish oil is really safe because these supplements could contain toxic contaminants. In this law suit, PCBs were singled out as the culprit. To put things into perspective, PCBs are ubiquitous within the environment, which means that all fish, whether they are caught for food from the ocean or a river or are used to make fish oil, will contain at least trace amounts of PCBs. In fact, since whole fish filets are not purified before arriving at the store, there is a much greater chance that our fish dinner is higher in PCBs than our fish oil supplementation.
Fish oil is safe but some fish oil is purer than others – not to mention fresher, better tasting and sourced with greater respect for the environment. But how can consumers know that they are buying a high quality fish oil supplement?
When it comes to choosing fish oil supplements, whether in liquid form, soft gel or effervescent form, there is a wide range of quality markers and standards. Making an informed choice will ensure a better experience in terms of efficacy, dosage, compliance, and planetary impact. Don’t fall prey to marketing language – be it from the supplier or the manufacturer.
There is one simple way for you to be confident that the product you are buying will provide the health benefits you are looking for and deliver the quality markers discussed above: third party testing. Any responsible fish oil manufacturer will commission an independent testing organization who does not benefit financially from the test results to test their product. The test results should be listed on the company website or made available to you by email even if the company is not manufacturing the oil themselves. Sometimes you will find test results on public websites like www.ifosprogram.com. By comparing the test results for purity and freshness levels from different brands, you can differentiate lower quality from higher quality fish oil, thereby ensuring safety and efficacy.
Follow these guidelines to get to the basics:
· Purity from contaminants and toxins is a top priority. Dioxins, PCBs, Mercury and Lead are a few of the contaminants that must be avoided in quantities that are harmful to humans. Though all food substances, including fish oil, could contain some level of these contaminants, look for brands that test to very refined levels and find no detectable levels when tested at 10 ppb for mercury and lead and .5 ppt for PCBs and dioxins. In addition, raw material should be harvested from healthy and abundant waters, processed to eliminate environmental contaminants, and then third-party tested to ensure that the finished product exceeds international pharmaceutical standards. Some internationally-accepted quality standards include: CRN (Council for Responsible Nutrition), WHO (World Health Organization) and IFOS (International Fish Oil Standards). It is important to note that some heat is required to extract the oil from a fish and to remove environmental contaminants. Despite what is being said in the market, fish oil must go through a cleansing process that uses heat. This can easily be done using low heat without injury to the oil. A method such as molecular distillation is effective for ensuring purity levels. Look for product that well exceeds the established limits.
· Exceptional freshness levels are absolutely essential and ensure product integrity and biological efficacy. Oxidized (rancid) oil is not healthy for the body, and is the cause of the fishy smell, taste and burps that many people have experienced with fish oil. Companies have been known to try to mask smell by using flavoring, so check for third party test results for peroxide levels (current oxidation) and anisidine values (past oxidation). Freshness is measured by anisidine and peroxide values, which combine for a TOTOX or total oxidation value. Look for a TOTOX value of less than 26.0 meq/kg -- the lower the number the fresher the fish oil. This value is put forth by CRN, IFOS and GOED. A quality product from a reputable company should come in well below these limits.
· Look for processing methods that do not include the presence of oxygen, excessive heat or chemicals. Processing the oil in a nitrogen environment and without oxygen will prevent oxidative rancidity. Mild heat is necessary, and as long as there is no oxygen present, heat does not pose a threat.
· Dosage is key with fish oil so read the supplement facts panel on the product. For general maintenance, a daily dose would average about 500 mg of EPA and DHA. This can often be accomplished with one soft gel or 1/4 tsp of a high quality concentrated fish body oil or ½ tsp of cod liver oil. Products containing a lower concentration of EPA and DHA mean that you have to take more soft gels to get the required amount of EPA and DHA. That’s why a less expensive bottle does not necessarily mean a good bargain! You must read the label.
· Great taste is important to ensure compliance. Exceptional freshness will ensure good taste. And be sure to choose a supplement with only natural flavorings and preservatives.
· Purchase from a reputable company that has an excellent track record for: environmental sustainability with regards to fishing practices, a strong corporate/social responsibility profile, community involvement, and respect from the medical and health professional community.
· Since most packaging does not give the whole “fish” story, go to the website or call the customer service department to fill in the blanks. A quality company will go out of their way to make sure you have this information.
Compliments of Nordic Naturals (
www.nordicnaturals.com)
Nordic Naturals is dedicated to educating the public on pure, effective, and safe fish oil products. To learn more about this initiative, please request an interview from one our experts:
Stuart Tomc, CNHP, Nordic Naturals Educator and Radio/TV personality
Joseph Maroon, MD, Nordic Naturals Medical Advisor
Reference websites:
GOED -- Global Organization for EPA and DHA
www.goedomega3.com CRN -- Council for Responsible Nutrition
www.crnusa.org WHO -- World Health Organization www.who.int
IFOS -- International Fish Oil Standards
www.ifosprogram.com International Omega-3 Learning and Education Consortium for Health and Medicine
www.omega3learning.purdue.eduA recent lawsuit filed in California has many people concerned about the potential toxins in fish oil supplements. The March 2010 labeling lawsuit alleges that eight fish oil companies violated the California’s Proposition 65 by failing to disclose on the product label that their fish oil supplements contained PCB contamination above the “safe harbor” limits set for human PCB consumption. Proposition 65, also known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, requires companies doing business in California to provide a "clear and reasonable" warning before knowingly exposing anyone to one or more toxic chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defect, or other reproductive harm. As it pertains to fish oil supplements, this means that companies doing business in California are required to disclose this warning on the label. To learn more about this law suit, please see www.fishoilsafety.com.
Writtenby: Shari Hindman
Integral Marketing, Inc.
