Where and how to get the best Omega-3s for your body - My Report from ISSFAL 2008

I finally made it back to CT at midnight Friday and had a lot of catching up to do in my lab. I was actually in the lab until 9pm on Saturday night working on an experiment that I really need to get done soon for my PhD. Being at the lipids conference in KC for the past week though was very inspiring and made me excited about science again – that’s why I’m being a lab nerd this week as much as I can. Science is COOL!


Anyhow, no one wants here about science, they want to hear about FISH OIL!

The bottom line that I learned from this conference is that the fats in fish oil (omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA) are something that EVERYONE should be taking. If you’re not taking some form of fish oil though (liquid, capsules, pharmaceutical grade, whole salmon), you’re really hurting your body. Fish oil fats are useful for almost every ailment and can prevent (and even reverse) many common diseases. During this week and weekend, I’ll get into some specific studies I learned about regarding fish fats, but for now, I’ll tell you about WHICH TYPE/BRAND of fish oil you should be using to get the most benefits without added chemicals.

First off, as I said before, not all fish oil brands are created equal. The cheaper brands are more than likely to contain leftover chemicals in them or be treated improperly in manufacturing.

Most fish oils are extracted from fish in a process known as molecular distillation. Most of the time, this process requires that the fish fats be raised to very high temperatures (200C) several times, which increases the risk of destroying the fats and/or creating oxidative products. Also, this process does not always remove the harsh chemicals that can be associated with fish fats, and therefore some are left in the final product you buy off the shelf.

You’ve got to remember, when research facilities do investigations with fish fats, they also only obtain the highest quality products that are extremely pure and much more concentrated than what you usually buy off the shelf. You should be able to buy these same quality products, and now you finally can.

I’ve learned about two companies that are highly reputable and provide extremely pure and very concentrated fish oil products that you can buy either online or in a store. More concentrated means less capsules have to be ingested. Also, these companies provide fish-free omega-3 products that are derived from the source that fish obtain their omega-3s from: algae. Some are also derived from yeast, which is another report I’ll tell later this week for those that know there is a concern with over-fishing due to the popularity of fish oil products.

The first brand you will look for is an oil brand called PUREMAX. Puremax is created by an European company (Europe always has great product lines) called Croda, but which also has a division here in the US. When you shop for fish oil, you want to look for the PUREMAX label on brands of fish oil to be sure that your fish oil is pure and concentrated in the omega-3s that you want and need. Puremax has a unique purification and distillation process that minimizes impurities, selectively concentrates EPA and/or DHA (depending on which one you want more), and is GMP manufactured. To learn more about Puremax and order samples and product, go to: Croda Health Care USA.

Then, the next company that has a unique and patented way to manufacture fish oil WITHOUT using molecular distillation, avoiding any high temperatures is Minami Nutrition. In this European-based company, also available here in the US, you will get concentrated, toxin-free fish oil that is created from an exclusive EFP supercritical carbon dioxide (instead of hexane) distillation process that extracts the EPA and DHA from fish at low temperatures (35C) avoiding oxidation or rancidity. Minami Nutrition is also backed by a reputable team of scientists who use these exact products in their research projects and site Minami as their source. Minami has a wide range of products that have varying amounts of EPA and DHA at very high doses, depending on your target goal (i.e. depression, cardiovascular, brain development (babies)). They even have vegan products for those who are vegan or are allergic to fish.
To learn more about Minami and how they produce exceptionally high quality products, please visit their site at: Minami Nutrition

I’ll post more about fish fats, specific diseases, and how we’re becoming more skilled at producing omega-3s that do not come from fish to be more friendly to our water-loving counterparts. For now, I’m back in the lab all day tomorrow, with the goal of PhD in site!

If anyone goes out to buy either of these recommended products, let me know what you think. I love them both!