Is Your Fish Oil Rancid and Filled with PCB's?

The United States does not adhere to the same high standards for manufacturing fish oil products that Europe requires. This makes for a serious problem in the quality of the products found on the store shelf. Fish oil supplements can cost anywhere from $3.00 to $20 some dollars for the top brands. Why is there such a difference in price? Is there a valid reason for paying the higher prices? No matter what price you pay for fish oil, there can be purity problems. So if you can't tell by price, how do you tell? As with all supplements and herbs, this is the most difficult part for you the consumer.

Fish oil standards, testing and why it's so important:

The difference in the quality of the fish oil is dependent on these factors: the kind of fish the oil was extracted from, where it was caught, what method was used to extract the oil, what tests did the product undergo to ensure purity, and overall what manufacturing processes were used on the product. The above factors are what make fish oil a quality product or a junk supplement.

The best fish to extract oil from:

There is a huge problem with heavy metal poisoning in all our sea creatures including the fish we eat. The problem is growing more severe every year. The safest fish to eat are the fish lowest on the food chain which includes the Artic Cod, the Sardine, and Anchovy. These fish naturally contain high amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA as well.

The most unpolluted areas to catch the fish from is the Pacific Ocean, sardines from the Sea of Japan, anchovies and mackerel from the waters around Peru and Chile.

The fish highest in Mercury include shellfish, farmed fish, shark, swordfish, Tilefish, King mackerel, fresh and canned tuna, Red Snapper, and Orange Roughy.

Avoid farmed fish, which have been shown to be 10 times more contaminated. Farmed fish do not have as good a diet and are fed dye to give their flesh that pink color. Farmed fish live in a more contaminated environment and are fed antibiotics. They often get diseases from the overcrowding.

How was the fish oil extracted?

The manufacturing process used by the company to extract the oil is extremely important to the end quality of the product.

Molecular distillation is one term that is important here and is used to deodorize, purify, and concentrate the Omega 3 fatty acids. It is the process that up until now was used by the best manufactures of fish oil products.

One company has a new patented process called the EFP (Environment Friendly Purified) CO₂ distillation process. It is proclaimed by the company who uses this new method that it is the most advanced extraction method.

The company gives this description of the process,"This hexane-free extraction is innovative as it removes the 2 essential fatty acids, EPA and DHA, without altering their quality and maintaining their chemical integrity as essential dietary fats in the body."

I researched various links and did not come up with any third party independent testing to prove that the new EFP process is significantly better than the molecular distillation process that has been used for a number of years. The molecular distillation process has been considered up to now to be the most superior process for extracting fish oil.

It is my opinion, that either process is going to render a good quality fish oil product. Remember, that many of the cheaper fish oil products have not been through either one of these processes. These process methods are expensive and raise the cost of the product. Knowing this means that the quality of cheaper brands may be questionable.

Why is the testing of fish oil even important?

There are fish oil products sold that have been proven to be rancid and contaminated with PCBs, Mercury, and lead just to name a few of the big ones. How can these products be sold to consumers? The standards given to US manufacturing companies is far below the standards of Europe. There are companies out there that adhere instead to the stringent standards set up by Norway and the European Pharmacopeia. These companies have their products tested by independent laboratories to assure the quality of each batch of product.

The best fish oil is considered pharmaceutical grade fish oil. There is an agency called, The International Fish Oil Standard, which is administered by an independent laboratory. They have strict testing and set requirements to give fish oil a rating called the "gold standard". They publish their 5 star fish oil results here at this website, http://www.ifosprogram.com/IFOS/default.aspx . For your own education, you should spend some time at this site.

The IFOS's stringent requirements include, "containing more than 60% total long-chain omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA combined, containing less than 45 ppb PCB's, dioxin and furan less than 1 ppt, oxidation less than 19.5 me/kg, and passing all the requirements of the less strict CRN and World Health Organization (WHO) requirements."

Read Labels on all your supplement products:

The most important thing you can do is to read the label on your fish oil product. Do not buy on price first. Buy first based on the quality of the product and then price. If the label says nothing, then in many cases you will get what you paid for.

Here is a label sample from a well known specialty store, "(store name) Omega 3 fatty Acid supplement is made from the body of wild caught anchovies and sardines. These oils are molecularly distilled to remove contaminants such as PCBs, mercury and other heavy metals. In addition, each batch is tested by a third party laboratory to ensure that the supplement meets the stringent quality standards that our customers have come to expect."

Even in their ingredient list they state again the product contains anchovies and sardines. This gives you a lot of good information on the product. This label is an excellent example of a product. Their label states what kind of fish, that the fish are wild-caught, that the oils were extracted by molecular distillation, and that the product was tested by a third party laboratory for PCBs, mercury and our heavy metals. Your supplement label should include a similar description on its label. Unless you buy a product whose label contains the statements above, you may be buying an inferior product with questionable quality and results.

I have to state here that just because a particular companies' label states these things, does not mean it is so. ConsumerLab has proven repeatedly that in many cases when the product is tested by their laboratory, the product fails their testing. This is the reality of the problem. This is why the reputation of the company is so important. I won't buy any supplement, unless I know who manufactures the product. In some cases, the product is manufactured by a quality manufacturer. That manufacturer then sells it to a chain store who relabels it. The problem is you have no idea with that chain store label, who the actual manufacturer is. Therefore, you can tell nothing about the quality.

Other tips on keeping fish oil fresh:

Keep your fish oil product in the refrigerator to insure that it does not turn rancid. Keep the product away from heat of any kind. Don't buy fish oil in bulk where it will take you months to use the product. You have no idea, how long that bulk product may have been sitting on the shelf or in the wholesale house. If it has a fishy odor that is not a good sign either. It is also advised¸ if you burp up the fish oil cap afterward, the freshness of the product may be questionable.

Research the company first if you are not sure of the quality of the product. Call them and ask them the questions above. If they are one of the superior manufacturing companies, they will be happy to give you the information. They can tell you of any clinical studies that have been done on their product to back up their statements.

These are all questions you need to know the answers on before using a particular product. If the product does not state the information given above on the label, then there is no guarantee that it is a quality product. You may be wasting your money and precious time. What is even more serious than wasting money, is that you may be taking a questionable product that is worse than not taking anything at all. It could contain PCBs, mercury, lead, and rancid oil.

http://www.discount-vitamins-herbs.net/about-us.htm

http://www.nutrasource.ca/NDI/DiagConsumer.aspx

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Benefits-of-Pure-Molecularly-Distilled-Fish-Oil&id=2425478

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