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Omega3 Capsules – A Beginners Guide to Buying Omega3 Capsules
Lots of people are now starting to buy omega3 capsules, and given all the health benefits to be had from them that is no surprise. Initially people thought omega3 capsules would just help with things like arthritis and joint pain but it has since been found to have a lot more benefits than that, especially for the heart. The problem is though that manufacturers are aware that people are looking to buy these omega3 capsules and have flooded the market with some quite inferior products which can be bought cheaply; and while these products may appear to be cheap and saving you money, they may not be doing you any good in the long term. So with that in mind here is what I think you should be looking for when buying omega3 capsules.
The first thing I would do is make sure that my tablets were made from oily fish. You can get omega3 from other sources but there are two fats found in oily fish that have all of the health benefits, they are DHA and EPA. Most tablets you will find will tend to be higher in EPA, and while that is not necessarily a bad thing, ideally you want it the other way around. The reason for this is that research has found that it is DHA that has the most benefits for the body as it high in anti inflammatories and is also nutrition for the brain, amongst other things.
One of the problems with oily fish though is that they can contain mercury, and if it is a cheap tablet it will come from heavily fished waters which will mean it will be high in pollutants too. There is a method of purifying the oil though that is called molecular distillation. Unfortunately not all companies carry put this process, so you need to check because as a consumer you will be consuming all of these pollutants, and if that includes mercury then over the long term that could be bad for your health.
One final area to check on when buying omega3 capsules is that the fish has not been frozen at sea. This is common practice because it allows the fishermen to stay at sea longer and catch more fish, which keeps their costs down and means they can supply cheaper fish. The problem with this is that it makes the fish go rancid and if you have one of these tablets it will repeat on you giving you lots of fishy tasting burps. One way to check for this is to cut an omega3 capsule in half and if there is a strong fishy smell then it is made from rancid fish.
By: Danny Lewis
The first thing I would do is make sure that my tablets were made from oily fish. You can get omega3 from other sources but there are two fats found in oily fish that have all of the health benefits, they are DHA and EPA. Most tablets you will find will tend to be higher in EPA, and while that is not necessarily a bad thing, ideally you want it the other way around. The reason for this is that research has found that it is DHA that has the most benefits for the body as it high in anti inflammatories and is also nutrition for the brain, amongst other things.
One of the problems with oily fish though is that they can contain mercury, and if it is a cheap tablet it will come from heavily fished waters which will mean it will be high in pollutants too. There is a method of purifying the oil though that is called molecular distillation. Unfortunately not all companies carry put this process, so you need to check because as a consumer you will be consuming all of these pollutants, and if that includes mercury then over the long term that could be bad for your health.
One final area to check on when buying omega3 capsules is that the fish has not been frozen at sea. This is common practice because it allows the fishermen to stay at sea longer and catch more fish, which keeps their costs down and means they can supply cheaper fish. The problem with this is that it makes the fish go rancid and if you have one of these tablets it will repeat on you giving you lots of fishy tasting burps. One way to check for this is to cut an omega3 capsule in half and if there is a strong fishy smell then it is made from rancid fish.
By: Danny Lewis