The Truth About Omega 3 Supplements
Posted on December 19, 2009
Filed Under Uncategorized |
If you have spent any time investigating ways to fortify your body against the aging process, then you have certainly run across omega 3 fatty acids a few times in your research. After all, not only do they help with infant brain function and visual development, but they also fortify your cardiovascular system against many ailments and are believed to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease and senile dementia.
Because in order to get these benefits from omega 3 fatty acids, you need to take them in fairly high doses, most people prefer to get their omega 3 in a daily supplement rather than trying to eat the pounds of fish or flax seeds that they would need to consume daily in order to get their omega 3. However, many people do not know that there are a wide variety of pitfalls that accompany omega 3 supplement selection.
1. Fish Oil does not equal Omega 3 Fatty Acids.
Many unscrupulous manufacturers have caught on to the fact that nearly all omega 3 supplements are made from fish oil. To make a quick, cheap buck off unsuspecting customers, they have created “Fish Oil Tablets” that are placed in the supplement section. These tablets are made from low grade fish like sardines, and do not have much – if any – beneficial omega 3 in them. If you take these capsules, you are taking fish oil, not omega 3. Look for supplements made from salmon oil to insure that you are actually getting omega 3 as well as just sardine juice.
2. Some Omega 3 is bad for you.
Not all omega 3 fatty acids are good for you. Some can make you smell funny, give you gas, make you belch or even cause chronic nausea. And most supplements do not bother to remove these forms of omega 3. Make sure that your supplement contains only molecularly differentiated omega 3, which means that the forms of the fatty acid that are either useless or that actually can hurt your health have been removed.
3. Your supplements could be bad for your kids.
If your family takes omega 3 supplements made from tuna or mackerel, then while you are getting omega 3 because these fish are high in the fatty acid, you may also be accumulating toxins in your system like mercury. While this will not likely affect an adult (though it can if you accumulate enough), mercury poisoning is a serious concern in children – so serious that pregnant women and young children are discouraged from eating tuna in particular because it is permitted by the FDA to have a certain, “harmless” level of mercury in it. To insure that your supplement is safe, look for one certified toxin-free and endorsed by organizations like the World Health Organization or members of the American College of Toxicology.
To learn about a safe, honest company making high quality omega 3 fish oil as well as some great omega 3 sources, visit www.omega-3.us.
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