DHA Supplements

Fish oil pharmaceutical grade – Buyer Beware

In the United States, there is no such thing as the oil pharmaceutical grade fish. In some parts of Europe, the supplement is prescribed and there are provisions governing the potency and purity. But in the U.S., we rely on the ability of manufacturers to provide an additional insurance.

Laws passed in the 1990s placed the responsibility for providing a safe supplement solely on the shoulders of the manufacturer. If a supplement shows to be unsafe, the Food and Drug Administration to intervene and remove the product from the market. But that's all.

There are regulations for health claims that may include on the label. Complaints can be made to the FDA or the Federal Trade Commission, if a manufacturer makes misleading statements about what a supplement can and can not do.

Independent evaluations have shown that most brands are safe. Surveys conducted by the Environmental Defense Fund have shown that most manufacturers to follow guidelines created by the watchdog group the supplement industry, "The Council for Responsible Nutrition." But there are exceptions.

If there were such a thing as pharmaceutical fish oil in the U.S., would be free of mercury and cancer-causing chemicals like PCBs PCB. were banned in the 1970s, but they are "persistent" in the environment, which means that even in our oceans and even in our fish.

Several years, Greenpeace paid for the testing of "Omega Pure supplements, manufactured by a Houston company called Omega Protein. The organization decided carry out the tests after seeing the bad fishing practices Omega Protein for several years. Basically empty menhaden, a fish filter, the delicate bay Chesapeake, affecting ecosystems in many ways.

Tests showed that "Pure Omega" does not qualify as pharmaceutical fish oil grade, because it contains high levels of PCBs and dioxins cause cancer. That's not surprising, as the Chesapeake Bay, the rivers that flow into it and the ocean Atlantic have been damaged by industrial pollution for decades.

Therefore, there are some bad supplements. There are many good, too. The Consumers can easily identify the best, looking for a manufacturer that is a copy of an independent laboratory test on their websites. They are usually called COA (Certificate of Analysis).

A COA list of common contaminants such as lead and mercury and cancer-causing chemicals such as PCBs and dioxins. Also a list of omega-3 content.

If there were such a thing as pharmaceutical fish oil in the U.S., it would probably be no regulations concerning the minimum amount of omega-3 that may be present in order to "pass." Most capsules contain 1000 mg of oil or fat, but only a part of that is omega-3 fat. The rest is the omega-6 or 9. We have more than enough omega-6 in our diet. That's why we need a supplement of omega-3 fatty acids in the first place. It helps to counteract the negative effects of omega-6 in the diet.

If you look at the COA and buy a supplement that is certified to provide a minimum 500 mg of omega-3 fatty acids per capsule, you will be getting as close as possible to fish oil pharmaceutical grade. That is a fact.

About the Author

Lauren Casey is a consumer advocate and a dedicated researcher who has been on a search to find the best nutritional supplements available. After extensive research, she has found an exceptional nutritional supplement that is now a part of the foundation of her own health program. Visit her website at http://www.omega-3-guides.com to discover what she personally recommends and why.

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