The Shipload Of Fishtales - Peruvian Style

I stopped in a South Carolina breakfast joint yesterday while driving cross-country. Best biscuits I've had in a while, and somehow I managed to stop at two. While waiting for the main course I decided to check some email, and guess what I saw? An ad for fish oil - but it wasn't MY fish oil

This one was from a supplement guru who happens to be a doctor too. Funny thing, I know a thing or two about this business, and I didn't just fall off the turnip truck (I just learned that phrase), so the advertisement just made me laugh.

Now I'll be the first to tell you I don't mind a little bragging if the facts are true, but this letter was bragging with no facts to speak of, or as they say in the law, "We're in a highly questionable area here."

This supplement guru says the fish oil comes from Chile and Peru. Apparently they have "non-industrial waters" over there. I guess ocean water never moves.

He makes the claim that fish sourced in European waters contains 8 times more dioxins than fish sourced off Peru and Chile. The information comes from something called the Scientific Committee on Food. I tried looking up this committee, but couldn't find it.

He says he has high quality Peruvian fish oil. I have to say, I don't think of high quality when I think of places where you can't drink the water. That's my common sense addition.

All I saw were lots of supposedly scientific comparisons that were anything but. He even uses the straw man technique, which a chart and everything. And shockingly his oil comes out on top.

But nowhere does it say that the fish oil is pharmaceutical grade. He is comparing his commercial grade fish oil to other commercial grade fish oils. He isn't comparing it to any pharmaceutical grade formula, which has worldwide standards.

Bottom line: Stick with pharmaceutical grade fish oil. You won't get it from Chile.