Saturday, July 25, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Choosing an Omega III
This post is for the many of you, who already realize the value of taking Omega 3 fish oils. I was in the store yesterday, when a display of supplements caught my eye. Particularly, the Omega 3 fish oil products. Being the label reader that I am, I had to stop and compare. It made me sad to think that people are spending their money on this stuff and believing that they are getting the benefit they expect. Maybe you have fallen into their marketing trap and don't even know it.
Do you know...
The answer is...ta da!...3 grams (3000mg) for therapeutic purposes; 1.5 grams (1500mg) for maintenance. (You can, and may need to, take more, but only under your doctor's supervision, please.)
What are the essential omega-3 oils you should look for in your supplement?
They are EPA and DHA. Look for the separate and total amounts of these. In the total of these two, there should be about 60% EPA to 40% DHA.
How much are you getting in your supplement?
Great, so the bottle says you are getting a total of 1000mg of EPA and DHA in that supplement. Does that mean then, that you should take 3 servings to get your 3 grams needed for the day? Well, no. It has to do with the % of purity. (By the way, this alone would mean that the cost of that supplement just tripled.)
So what is % of purity?
First, this does not indicate the amount of toxins in the product. That is a different concern, addressed by the source and manufacturing process of the oils. The percent purity refers to the fish body oils, EPA and DHA. 50% is the highest quality OTC fish oil available at this time The other percent are assorted fatty acids contained within the fish body oils. Most OTC fish oil supplement are at about 20 - 25% purity. (For referrence, there is a prescription Omega 3 fish oil available at a cost of around $150/month. It has a %purity of about 84%)
So now, how many doses would I have to take to get the benefit I need?
Now, assuming your product has 1g per dose and a 25% purity, you will need to take 12 doses to get your 3 grams. The cost of your product has now increase 12 fold!! Hopefully, this gives you the idea, and you can figure the value of other products.
So what is a good choice?
There are a few high quality fish oils on the market; you just needs to read the labels and do the math. I'll talk later about quality assurance and the risk of toxins in the oil. There is one product I know and trust, with a high value for the price - Heart Health Essential Omega III with vitamin E. My family and I use it daily.
To your health!
Do you know...
- how much omega 3 fish oil you need to take, or are you just guessing?
- what the essential omega 3 oils are?
- how much you are really getting in the supplement you're choosing?
- the % of purity of your product, or what that even means?
- the true cost of the product you are taking?
The answer is...ta da!...3 grams (3000mg) for therapeutic purposes; 1.5 grams (1500mg) for maintenance. (You can, and may need to, take more, but only under your doctor's supervision, please.)
What are the essential omega-3 oils you should look for in your supplement?
They are EPA and DHA. Look for the separate and total amounts of these. In the total of these two, there should be about 60% EPA to 40% DHA.
How much are you getting in your supplement?
Great, so the bottle says you are getting a total of 1000mg of EPA and DHA in that supplement. Does that mean then, that you should take 3 servings to get your 3 grams needed for the day? Well, no. It has to do with the % of purity. (By the way, this alone would mean that the cost of that supplement just tripled.)
So what is % of purity?
First, this does not indicate the amount of toxins in the product. That is a different concern, addressed by the source and manufacturing process of the oils. The percent purity refers to the fish body oils, EPA and DHA. 50% is the highest quality OTC fish oil available at this time The other percent are assorted fatty acids contained within the fish body oils. Most OTC fish oil supplement are at about 20 - 25% purity. (For referrence, there is a prescription Omega 3 fish oil available at a cost of around $150/month. It has a %purity of about 84%)
So now, how many doses would I have to take to get the benefit I need?
Now, assuming your product has 1g per dose and a 25% purity, you will need to take 12 doses to get your 3 grams. The cost of your product has now increase 12 fold!! Hopefully, this gives you the idea, and you can figure the value of other products.
So what is a good choice?
There are a few high quality fish oils on the market; you just needs to read the labels and do the math. I'll talk later about quality assurance and the risk of toxins in the oil. There is one product I know and trust, with a high value for the price - Heart Health Essential Omega III with vitamin E. My family and I use it daily.
To your health!
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