Take a walk down the aisles of any supermarket and the chances are you will see the words 'enriched with Omega 3' or something similar staring out at you from the packaging of many different types of foods including milk, butter, eggs, juice and even bread.
This is a very clever ploy on the part of marketers to entice you into buying their products because they are well aware that Omega 3 is the new buzz word and that consumers are keen to include more of it in their diets wherever possible. However, is there enough Omega 3 in these items to make a difference to our health?
The truth is, the amounts contained in these foods are much too small to have any beneficial effect on our health and in most cases it is not even the right kind of Omega 3 that's in them. Now you might be thinking that Omega 3 is Omega 3 so what does it matter. This is misleading. Omega 3 basically consists of three long chain fatty acids, two of which are more important than the other.
Alpha Linolenic Acid or ALA can be found in vegetable sources and it is this form that is often added to products. However, Eicosapentaenoic acid or EPA and Docosahexaenoic acid or DHA can only be found in oily fish and it's these two fatty acids which are responsible for all the health benefits we've been hearing so much about.
We need EPA and DHA for the body and the brain to function effectively and remain healthy and what you'll often hear is that ALA can be converted by the body into EPA and DHA so it's perfectly ok to consume Omega 3 in vegetable form. This isn't strictly true.
Yes our bodies are supposed to be able to convert ALA in EPA and DHA but our ability to do so is extremely limited and probably as low as about 5 percent. What we need to do is consume sources of EPA and DHA directly and as we cannot eat too much fish due to the presence of pollutants, another option is to supplement our diet with fish oil supplements.
Now again, take a look at the supermarket shelves and you're going to see many different kinds of fish oil and cod liver oil to choose from, so what should you be looking out for in fish oil?
Which fish oil supplement is best?
It's worth noting that there appears to be a competitive element between DHA and EPA but if we get enough EPA in our diet we can produce DHA as required. This makes EPA the single most important ingredient to check when purchasing a fish oil as the higher the amount of EPA in comparison to the quantity of DHA in a product the better.
Nowadays you can find fish oil that contains only EPA and no DHA at all although you won't find this kind in your local supermarket.
The other question that people often ask is whether there is any difference between fish oil and cod liver oil. The answer is yes there is. Fish oil is extracted from the fleshy parts of oily fish whereas cod liver oil is extracted from the liver. This means that in cod liver oil there is also quantities of vitamins A and D as well as EPA and DHA. This may sound a good thing but as vitamins A and D are fat soluble vitamins they can be stored in the body and over time can build up to unhealthy levels leading to vitamin toxicity. Unless you know you are deficient in vitamins A and D, then you should avoid using Cod Liver Oil and opt for fish oil instead.
However, in the northern hemisphere many people choose to take cod liver oil during the winter months when there is a lack of sunlight in order to get the benefit of the vitamin D and if you do this, it's advisable to switch back to fish oil the moment the days get longer.
Finally, you need to make sure that any fish oil or cod liver oil you buy has been purified to remove any toxins.
