If your family is eating fish to get the benefits of the omega 3 oils in the fish, and you want to keep them safe and healthy, this is one of those articles you'll want to read all the way to the end.
News about the superb health benefits of omega 3 fish oils are everywhere. Medical science proves they help you think faster, improve memory, protect your heart, eliminate or diminish many symptoms of Autism and ADD/ADHD and even help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol.
BUT-- Are the fish oil supplements you take safer than eating fish?
There's growing concern in the medical community about the dangerous chemicals found in fish (both wild and farmed), like mercury, PCB's, dioxins and other toxins.
So, after a thorough review of the medical literature, here's the skinny on the "smart fats", whether the fish oil supplements you take are safe, and, if you eat fish, which type is safest for your family?
1. Is Your Tuna Safe?
On August 1, 2005, a Wall Street Journal article, talking about the failure of the FDA to warn about the high levels of pollutants in fish, told about a 10 year old boy suffering from mercury poisoning because his parents thought eating tuna fish was safe.
Sadly, the boy had recently acquired severe learning difficulties and neurological tests revealed he had nearly double the mercury levels in his blood than the EPA deems safe.
Finally in March 2004, the FDA issued a mercury advisory recommending limits on tuna and other fish consumption for pregnant and nursing women and children, but it was years too late for the 10 year old boy.
2. Mercury Levels In Some Common Fish.
Note: Albacore, the most expensive type of tuna, has nearly three times more mercury than other tuna. The source on this information is the FDA: Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management.
Average Mercury (parts per million)
Salmon .01
American Lobster .31
Catfish .05
Cod .11
Pollock .06
Swordfish .97
Chunk light tuna .12
Albacore .35
Note: There are no safe levels of mercury, PCB's, dioxins for your body and brain.
3. What Are These Pollutants, and What Are The Dangers of Mercury, PCB's and Dioxins?
*** Mercury ***
Mercury is released into the air from coal burning power plants and solid-waste incinerators. When it gets into the water, it converts into a dangerous neurotoxin which destroys nerve tissue.
The largest fish, and predatory fish, naturally have the highest levels of mercury. But, watch out, when you eat the fish, methylmercury accumulates into your bloodstream. Although it can be removed over time, it takes more than a year to drop to safe levels.
If you are in your child bearing years, pregnant, nursing or have young children, your risk of mercury toxicity is even higher. Further, it can be passed from the mother to the unborn baby. It gets worse.
According to the June, 1998 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at Dartmouth College found that children exposed to even low levels of methlymercury (evidenced in hair samples) perform more poorly in cognitive tests.
Since 8% of US women of childbearing age have unsafe mercury levels, this means that more than 300,000 babies are born at risk for memory, language, physical and attention span impairments. A scary thought isn't it?
Every time I go to the supermarket, I want to stop at the tuna fish aisle and warn the moms buying all that tuna their kids are going to eat every day.
*** PCB's ***
Although PCB's, which were once used as insulating tools in electrical transformers, were banned in 1977, they are fat soluble and still in the fatty tissue of marine and animal species. PCB's are linked to impaired memory, certain cancers, and learning problems.
The New England Journal of Medicine reported on Sept. 12, 1996, that a study of 212 children born to women who had eaten PCB contaminated fish from Lake Michigan, were three times more likely to lag two years behind in reading comprehension and adversely affected intellectual function.
*** Dioxins ***
Dioxins are by products of industrial chemicals and also accumulate in the fatty tissue of fish. In various animal studies, dioxins have been found to cause birth defects, nerve damage, changes in immune function, and higher levels of miscarriages.
4. Can You Get The Health Benefits Of Omega 3 Fish Oils Without The Risk?
If you're a conscientious consumer and pay attention to third party quality assurance programs, you can be absolutely assured that the fish oil supplements you take are safe.
BUT BEWARE - Not All Fish Oils Are Created Equal.
Recent medical journal studies show that most "off the shelf" fish oils were rancid, even before their expiration date, and had high levels of mercury, PCB's and dioxins. So before you run to your local store or warehouse shopping center for the least expensive fish oils, read on...
5. Who Are The Third Party Fish Oil Quality Assurors and Which Fish Oil Supplements Have The Highest Rating?
There are several organizations that independently insure the quality of fish oils and attest to the fact that there is no mercury, PCB's, dioxins, or other toxins in the fish oil.
These labs are highly regulated and rigorously test the fish to make sure that any contaminants are molecularly distilled out through many steps.
a. The IFOS - International Fish Oil Standards program.
IFOS measures quality of omega 3 products through more stringent global standards than that of the World Health Organization and the Council for Responsible Nutrition. Interestingly, the FDA standards for contaminants in fish oil are the least stringent of all the organizations.
IFOS program uses a lengthy series of dissolution rates, gas chromatography, and cold water vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy, etc., to determine contaminants and omega 3 content as a percentage of weight. Further their program tests product levels at higher parts per trillion than any of the others to insure greater safety.
Products which have received the highest IFOS Program rating:
Although I am not recommending that you stop eating fish, you would have to consume many pounds of possibly contaminated fish to obtain what you could get in even one capsule of the purest omega 3 supplement.
So here are the omega 3 supplement products which have received the highest rating from IFOS program:
http://HowToLearn.com/omega3.html/
Remember, fish oil in omega 3 supplements have hundreds of health benefits. If you want to improve your memory, think faster, remember longer, lower your blood pressure, eliminate many of the symptoms of Autism, depression and ADHD, take a look at these valuable supplements.
(Medical disclaimer: no part of this article is intended to convey medical advice. Seek the advice of your health care or medical professional before taking any supplements, and ask your doctor whether you can take fish oils especially if you are currently taking blood thinning medications).