Fishy, fishy, fishy

So we've already established in a previous post that fish oil consumption is generally a great thing. And as shown in this article, consuming actual fish (as opposed to fish oil supplementation) is likely the best way to absorb the omega 3 fats that are so necessary and desired. But if you don't like Fish Chowder, what do you do?

Well, first lets take a step back. Fish versus supplements. Who wins? I am a "whole food" guy----if and whenever possible I prefer that I (and my patients) get their nutrients from actual foods rather than in a pill form. Fish oil, however, may be a little different.

Oily fish--albacore, herring, mackerel, salmon, tuna, et al.--are also predatory fish, meaning they consume smaller fish. Those smaller fish consume smaller organisms which consume even smaller oceanic flora. A drawback to being a "big" fish is every time you eat, you're not just eating the fish in your mouth, but you're eating every fish that it ever consumed (sorry for the flashback to high school health class!).

In ocean-going fish, this means a lot of mercury accumulates in the predatory, oily fish varieties. In farm-raised fish, the problem is more often one of PCBs, dioxin and chlordane. In either case, overconsumption can lead to a lot of health problems for people hoping to improve their health.

In California, Prop 65 does offer some safeguards to the consumer. And supplement industry tradegroups, both the Council for Responsible Nutrition and The United States Pharmacopeia, set voluntary standards that are actually more stringent than Prop 65 or the EPA. So then, for starters, see if the manufacturer/distributor of your fish oil supplement is listed here, here, or adheres to the European Pharmacopoeia Standard.

Once your supplement has passed those standards, time for your nose to do some work. Smell the capsule and container in which it was sold. A lightly "fishy" smell is acceptable. But a powerful fish smell (think being along a bay near murky, mucky water) is a good indicator of rancidity. And rancidity means that the oil has begun to oxidize and is now actually MORE harmful than taking nothing at all. Color is a good indicator of rancidity, too. Your supplement should be translucent and very light colored. Orange and brown are bad, bad, bad!

Finally, what to do for the vegan in search of omega 3 fats. There are sources of non-animal omega-3 fats, namely in the form of alpha linolenic acid. This fat is found largely in flax, walnuts and canola oil. An 18 carbon, essential fatty acid, alpha linolenic acid can be converted in the body to EPA and DHA, but this conversion appears to be around 10% efficacy. Another choice is stearidonic acid, found largely in hemp seed oil. This fat has a nearly 50% conversion rate to EPA and DHA in the body, but is a very difficult fat to find in foodstuffs.

There are currently several companies working on increasing the levels of stearidonic acid in more easily grown crops. Hopefully this will someday become a viable option for the omega 3 consumer. Until then, enjoy your fish oil!