Fish Oil Effectiveness
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
How to Choose the Best Fish Oil Soft Gels
Thursday, May 3, 2012
What Are Omega Three Fatty Acids?
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
What's The Best Child Dose of Omega Three Fatty Acids?
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
How To Determine What Is The Healthiest Dose of Omega Three Fish Oil
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
How to Find the Ultimate Omega Fish Oil Product
Let’s face it. There are tons of supplements out there claiming to be the ultimate omega fish oil product. But how can you be sure these claims are true? Well, it’s not difficult to locate what you need if you have some basic guidelines.
First of all, you want to be sure that whatever you are planning to take is not going to make us sick. Suppliers wouldn’t be allowed to promote fish oil supplements that have been shown to cause serious. However, that doesn’t mean some brands won’t cause digestive discomforts.
The truth is, there are a variety of brands that contain marine liquids, also known as “fish juice.” The problem with this stiff is that they are unfiltered and consequently, can spoil while they sit on the shelf of the store or the cabinet where you keep your medicines.
So, if you’re shopping for the ultimate omega fish oil product, be sure you avoid any supplement which contains “marine liquids.”
The next thing you want to look for in an omega three fish oil product will be potency. You need adequate amounts of DHA and EPA to get the desired benefits for brain and cardiac health, as well as, keeping inflammation in check.
Some brands offer 300% of the desired EPA and DHA. You can expect them to cost more, but even at twice the price, you’re getting a good deal.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the prices of more commonly-used brands sold in the U.S.
You will find the price range of a bottle of omega-3 essential fatty acids derived from fish to be about $7.00 for 150 capsules of Spring Valley Fish Oil, available at Walmart, to approximately $245.00 for a 30-day supply of the prescription version known as Lovaza.
The recommended minimum daily dose is 1000 mg. The price breakdown comparison range of this dosage is $0.20 for the Carlson brand to about $32 for the prescription, Lovaza.
Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega Soft Gels will cost you $49.95 per bottle. While this sounds more expensive than the $7 brand you get at Walmart, it is actually less expensive when you take the fatty acid content into account.
The next factor to consider when looking for the ultimate omega fish oil product is freshness.
It’s difficult to know how long a product has been sitting on the shelf of your favorite drug or health food store. You also can’t be sure if these products have been protected from heat and light. That’s why it you may want to consider ordering your fish oil capsules directly from the manufacturer. This is an excellent way to ensure freshness.
Contamination from toxins is the next factor to be aware of. Many omega three fish oil products are made from anchovies and farmed salmon. You may find these sources to contain high levels of PCBs. Other potentially-problematic sources of fish oil are herring, sardines and albacore tuna which have a tendency to absorb mercury.
Fish sources, such as hoki, which are harvested from the cold waters of the South Pacific, are known to have especially low levels of contaminants.
The last factor to consider is whether or not the product is “natural” as opposed to artificial. Artificial fish oil products are made in an attempt to prevent attacks from bacteria during storage. While the fish oil starts out “natural” it is then turned into artificial esters through a process of boiling in alcohol.
There are two problems associated with artificial esters: 1) they are difficult to digest and, 2) as much as 45% of the healthful DHA an EPA essential fatty acids are lost during the boiling process. When in doubt, “natural” is always better.
So there you have it! Some simple guidelines to follow when looking for an ultimate omega fish oil supplement. If you’d like a short cut, I’m happy to give you my well-researched recommendation for the quality brand I take my self.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Omega Three Gel Caps for Health and Fitness
Most people believe that omega three gel caps of fish oil are perfect for getting the essential fatty acids the human body needs to keep inflammation in control, and they are absolutely right. However, most people don't know that omega-3 gel caps of the highest quality fish oil can also help them build muscle and lose weight.
One of the coaches of the Canadian Olympic hockey team is former University of Texas physiologist named John Berardi. Dr. Berardi tells his athletes to take fish oil capsules practically like tiny snacks, between every meal and after workouts.
Fish oil helps build muscle by stopping inflammation at just the right time. Athletes work out hard to build muscle. The fibers in the muscle that give it power are broken down when they are stretch to their limit. The muscle itself uses the energy it has stored in the form of glycogen as it performs maximum output.
Building stronger muscle requires replacing the fibers that have been broken down by resistance exercise, but the fibers can't be breaking down and building up at the same time. Omega-3 essential fatty acids from fish oil put the breaks on inflammation so the muscle can rebuild itself with stronger fibers. They also help the muscle absorb the right amount of water to make "pump you up" material glycogen from glucose, but not so much water that the muscle is inflamed.
Fish oil also fights fat.
The human body is hard-wired to seek fat. Once we finish growing and reach physical adulthood, we don't need quite as much protein or quite as much of certain amino acids. We do need at least a little fat as an energy supply and to cushion muscles. At least a little fat is necessary to fill in the curves and contours of an attractive body.
There are lots of different ways to get enough fat to satisfy your appetite for fat. One could eat a stick of butter. Or down a double order of fries. Or maybe just pop a couple of capsules of fish oil.
A double order of fries might have 1,000 calories. A double dose of fish oil has about 20.
Omega three gel is the supplement most people who are serious about exercise overlook. It helps pump up muscles the same way creatine does. It helps prevent soreness and inflammation after workouts. And it helps serious exercises overcome the appetite that can set diet plans awry.
I, personally, take 3 to 5 omega three gel caps every day to extend the benefits of my daily exercise routine and boost the effectiveness of my weight loss efforts.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
The Interaction Between Omega 3 Fish Oil and Digestion
There is a common side effective produced by the interaction between omega 3 fish oil and digestion that many people are familiar with: flatulence and fishy burps. But what these people may not know is that these unpleasant digestive side effects can be eliminated if the supplement they are taking is free of commonly-occurring impurities. These impurities are generally classified as "marine liquids."
These liquids are created when the fish are steamed as a way to extract their oil. As everyone knows, oil and water don't mix and if the manufacturer is too hurried to separate and eliminate the unwanted liquid, you end up with a "fish juice" that tends to ferment once its placed inside a capsule.
It's not just the fermentation that causes problems. These sealed liquids also become rancid. Some of the cheapest brands of fish oil will have a noticeable odor...something similar to dog food.
If you are taking a normal dose you won't need to worry about becoming sick with vomiting and diarrhea as a result of the contamination. However, it's likely you'll experience fish burps and farts.
Now, not all brands of fish oil will be tainted by "marine liquids." It will depend on how the fish oil has been processed.
One of the more powerful methods for preventing the contaminating mixture of marine liquids and fish oil is to soak ground-up fish in a bath of solvent called hexanol. Then the contents of the solvent bath are put through an evaporative process which leaves behind generally-pure omega three essential fatty acids.
While there is usually no danger of contamination from the toxic solvent, there is a much better process for extracting unwanted marine liquids.
A method known as CO2 extraction is now being implemented by several fish oil supplement producers.
One company, Xtend-life of New Zealand, subjects their catches of cold-water fish to pressurized carbon dioxide. Under extreme pressure, CO2 becomes a liquid which is capable of dissolving the essential fatty acids known as EPA an DHA. At the same time, mercury and other heavy metals, along with water, are left behind.
So what happens to the CO2? Well, The carbon dioxide is extracted into a holding chamber and the pressure returned to normal. Once again under normal pressure the liquid CO2 returns to a gaseous state, leaving behind the purified fish oil.
Not only does this process result in the highest quality fish oil, but the carbon dioxide can be retained and utilized again at a later date.
This is a highly-sophisticated process that not many producers have mastered for their production. Fortunately, for those that do, they are able to provide their customers with a burpless product with a high concentration of beneficial nutrients. In the end, you get more value for your dollar and don't have to deal with the results of a bad interaction between omega 3 fish oil and digestion.
Ultimately, if you want the best outcomes, you have to select the right product.