At the moment we are in the grip of an omega 3 fish oil revolution, just this week in the uk another scientific trial using high grade fish oil has been completed and the results have been published. The scientific trail in question was performed in the south east of England on a group of random school children.
When the scientific data was published the daily papers in the UK all carried the amazing story of how school children between 6 and 12 were given 6 high grade fish oil capsules per day for a minimum of 12 weeks. Some of the stories that were published showed some remarkable behavioural changes in the children, some papers reported stories of out going sport loving children turning to books and library’s to find inner peace.
A large number of the parents were also interviewed to document their findings to, and the stories all came back the same, the children’s behaviour was far better than it had ever been!
Types of omega 3 fish oil
Omega 3 Fish oil comes in two different formulations, triglyceride and ethyl ester. The main difference between the two is that omega 3 oil in the form of a triglyceride is rapidly absorbed into the body and oil in the form of an ethyl ester is absorbed more slowly.
Both of these different types of fish oils are currently sold on the world market and can be bought in either liquid form or capsule form. Most leading UK doctors who are experts in the field of lipid research state that for people taking fish oil for blood thinning properties or to avoid the risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack) should purchase the oil in the form of ethyl ester due to its slower uptake.
Omega 3 that will and omega 3 that won’t
Omega 3 Fish oil like alcohol has a concentration strength, this has nothing to do with the amount of milligrams the capsules contain, this is the strength of the milligrams.
For example, a fish oil manufacture could make an oil of 90% strength and then inject 500mg of the oil into a capsule. Another manufacture may make a fish oil of 50% strength and then inject 500mg of this oil into his capsule; the results would appear like this.
o Oil 1 500mg of fish oil 90% strength
o Oil 2 500mg of fish oil 50% strength
As you can see from above both the oils are the same in quantity, however, oil number 1 is a fully 40% stronger than oil 2.
How strong is your omega 3 fish oil?
The information that was delivered in these news paper articles would have lead you to believe that this oil would have cured anything from ME to depression, on the face of things this seems very unlikely as the large majority of scientific trials that have been performed using omega 3 fish oil, have been carried out using fish oils of at least 65% concentrate or above, and on the trials where oils of this strength have not been used, then the daily doses given were very high, in some cases up to 12 grams per day.
The oil that was used with the school children in the trial was about 25% concentrate and they were given fairly large doses daily.
Fish oil
One of the easiest ways of ensuring you will feel the full therapeutic effect from a fish oil is to ensure that fish oil has a high concentration strength this should be checked at the point of purchase to ensure any disappointment later on.
Conclusion
Omega 3 fish oil in any strength or form is better than none at all. Will a weak fish oil give any therapeutic effects in small doses? Probably not. Make sure when you are choosing your fish oil to select one that is both pure and strong.
The Author
Jane Stewart: A great resource for high grade omega 3 Ethly EPA fish oil, with a 90% concentrate of EPA and Zero DHA visit http://www.mind1st.co.uk
