Oxidation Negates Fish Oil's Many Benefits
A team at New Zealand's Crop & Food Research Institute
believe that a failure to control the oxidation process of fish
oil could be putting consumers of supplements at risk. The team
tested fish oil samples from the UK and Asian markets and found
many of them to contain oxidation byproducts, even before the
sell-by date.
The Opposite Effect
This could lead to the products having the opposite effect from
the one intended. Fish oil supplements help with
atherosclerosis, among many other uses.But oxidized oils have
been shown to increase the risk of atherosclerosis in some human
trials.
Fish oil begins to oxidize as soon as it is exposed to oxygen,
metals, light, and heat. At late stages,oxidation will make the
fish oil smell rancid, but early stages have almost no aroma,
and are still harmful.
Not the Best Vitamin E
Vitamin E is sometimes added to fish oil to prevent oxidation,
but many producers use alpha-tocopherol, a less expensive but
also less potent form.
The New Zealand team is investigating whether antioxidant plant
extracts could be added to fish oils to make them more stable.
Nutra Ingredients.com/Europe October 20, 2005
Dr. Mercola's Comment:Without question, omega-3 fats from fish
or cod liver oilis one ofthe most important food choices you can
includein your diet.
At this time of year most people in the northern hemisphere will
benefit from cod liver oil rather thanfish oil as the extra
vitamin D in the cod liver oil will be an excellent practical
substitute for lack of sun exposure.
Practical Problems With Most Fish and Cod Liver Oils
Remember that most fish are contaminated with mercury and other
toxins and should be avoided, so you will want to find a
high-quality fish or cod liver oil supplement. When searching
for a brand, it is important to find a source that is
independently tested by a lab and found to conform to the
highest purity guidelines.
But how do you know which fish oil is best for you? Here are
three quick tests:
Make sure that your brand is free of mercury and PCBs. This will
not be on the label so you will need to: -
Contact the manufacturer for their analysis
-
Review an independent third party that has analyzed the product
-
Hire a company to test the product yourself
Confirm that there are very low oxidation products in the fish
or cod liver oil.
It is important to understand fish oil and cod liver oil have
long-chain unsaturated fats (primarily EPA and DHA), and they
are very susceptible to oxidation or damage. If the oil is not
processed properly damage will occur. Many years ago nearly all
the fish oils were oxidized. That is why when you mention cod
liver oil to most anyone they turn up their nose in disgust.
Typically, they only taste bad when they are oxidized.
Make certain that your fish oil or cod liver oil has therapeutic
levels of vitamin E in it.
Nearly all manufacturers insert a small amount of one unit per
teaspoon. This is sufficient to prevent oxidation of the fish
oil in the bottle. However, after you consume it this is
woefully inadequate. Your body will tend to oxidize the fish oil
and much larger doses of vitamin E are needed to prevent the
fish oil from going rancid in your body.
Those of you who read the newsletter regularly know I'm a fan of
the Carlson's brand of fish oil and cod liver oil, as I have
seen clear and often substantial improvements in my patients who
use it.
Carlson's fish and cod liver oil is one of the few brands that
put the extra vitamin E in it for you straight from the get-go,
so you don't have to take extra vitamin E if you don't want to.
This extra vitamin E will help protect against the oxidation
concern discussed in the study above.
You can find the Carlson's fish oil or cod liver oil at your
local health food store, or, for your convenience, in my
Recommended Products section.
But Wait ... A Safe Source of Fish?
While fish would be an excellent omega-3 source, mercury levels
in almost all fish have now hit dangerously high levels across
the world, and the risk of this mercury to your health now
outweighs the fish's omega-3 benefits.
However, after searching for a safe source of fish you can eat
without having to worry about mercury levels and added toxins, I
finally discovered one: Vital Choice Alaskan Wild Red Salmon. I
had the salmon, which are harvested in Alaskan waters, tested
through an independent lab and it was found to be free of
toxins. I also tasted it in a variety of recipes, and I can now
confidently and enthusiastically recommend this source to you.
The fish is certainly a far more expensive way to obtain your
omega-3 fats, but it may be the best as there is absolutely no
processing involved and you are obtaining the fish oil in its
completely natural state.