What Does Fish Oil Do?
So what does fish oil do exactly, and why should we consider incorporating a high-strength omega-3 into our day-to-day regimen?
First of all, it’s worth pointing out what fish oil is: a fatty acid derived from the tissues of oily fish. The primary omega-3 fatty acids are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). They are known as ‘essential’ since the human body is unable to produce them on its own.
Together, EPA and DHA contribute to the maintenance of:
• Normal blood pressure (obtained with daily intake of 3g EPA & DHA*)
• Normal blood triglyceride levels (daily intake 2g EPA & DHA*)
• Normal function of the heart (daily intake 250mg EPA & DHA)
Independently, DHA contributes to:
• Normal brain function (daily intake 250mg DHA)
• Normal visual development of infants up to 12 months (daily intake 100mg DHA)
• Normal brain development of foetus and breastfed infants (maternal daily intake 200mg DHA, in addition to 250mg EPA & DHA)
• The maintenance of normal vision (daily intake 250mg DHA)
Emerging research underlines the value of omega-3s. According to one 2017 study by Harvard Medical School, omega-3 fatty acids (OFAs) found in flax, hemp and fish oils can both prevent and treat inflammation and oxidative stress caused by air pollution, delivering a 30-50% reduction in harm.
The next time you’re asked ‘What does fish oil do?’ you can confidently reply, ‘Rather a lot!’
To see the great difference between our products and other similar products on the market, click here.
What to consider when chosing a pure fish oil supplement
Purity is just one of the factors you should consider when shopping for fish oil or omega-3 supplements in the UK. Take a look at the video below where Water for Health founder Roddy gives you more insight into what you should be thinking about when chosing a fish oil supplement.
Q. What is fish oil?
A: Fish oil is a nutritional supplement made from the fats of small fish such as mackerel, sardines, herring etc. Fish oil contains the beneficial fatty acids EPA & DHA, which carry many scientifically proven health benefits. Fish oil is commonly used to raise the Omega-3 intake and maintain healthy vision¹, heart² and brain³ function.
- DHA helps maintain normal vision with a daily intake of 250 mg DHA.
- EPA and DSHA contribute to the normal functioning of the heart with a daily intake of at least 250 mg EPA+DHA.
- DHA helps maintain normal brain function with a daily intake of 250 mg DHA.
Nowadays many types of fish oils are available on the market. However, they are not all the same!
- ORDINARY FISH OILS only provide 30% omega-3, 18% EPA and 12% DHA. Taking into account that one capsule only contains 30% Omega-3, which means that the remaining 70% of the capsule consists of unnecessary or even unhealthy fats and frequently impurities such as heavy metals and PCBs.
- MOST CONCENTRATED FISH OILS are made as ethyl esters, containing 60% to 80% omega-3. Although the omega concentration is somewhat higher, these fatty acids are not in a very bioavailable form and still contain up to 40% unnecessary or even unhealthy other fats.
- HIGHLY CONCENTRATED FISH OILS such as UnoCardio®, on the other hand, are extremely rare and contain 90% to 95% Omega-3. These fish oils are not made as ethyl esters but in a better, more bio-available form, r-triglyceride (rTG). These oils supply the greatest amount of EPA and DHA per softgel and are of the highest purity available.
Q: Why has WHC-Nutrogenics developed a range of Omega-3 Fatty Acids such as UnoCardio®?
A: Ever since Jo Wyckmans founded Nutrogenics, his passion has always been to supply the “best of the best” Omegas on the market. Naturally sourced from the cleanest waters on earth -the South Pacific Coast - and purified via an environmentally friendly distillation process, our Omegas contain the highest amounts of essential fatty acids DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid).
The health benefits of these essential fatty acids have been scientifically proven in many studies. WHC’s UnoCardio® supplements contain 90-95% Omega-3 and therefore provide the required Omega-3 in a single softgel, which is equivalent to 3-10 softgels of standard fish oil.
Whereas most concentrated fish oils on the market are in the form of ethyl ester, a synthetic fat, UnoCardio® formulas are produced in true r-triglyceride (rTG) form. Research has shown that the bioavailability, body's absorption rate of fatty acids, of the r-triglyceride form is of great significance – up to 70% greater than ethyl esters.
Not surprisingly, UnoCardio® 1000 has been nominated #1 for higest purity in the United States.
Q: What are the Omega-3 Fatty Acids EPA and DHA?
A: EPA AND DHA: THE MOST IMPORTANT OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS The two most important Omega-3 fatty acids are EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Our body synthesizes EPA and DHA highly insufficiently, which is why they need to be obtained from food or Omega supplements. Both EPA and DHA play a vital role in the maintenance of overall wellbeing. In order to function properly the body usually needs 500-1000 mg EPA and DHA per day, but a healthy consumption level of EPA+DHA may vary from 250 mg up to 3 g. DHA is one of the most important fatty acids in the brain and the retina of the eye, which explains why DHA contributes to the maintenance of cognitive health and vision when consumed at 250 mg per day. DHA is one of the key fatty acids, as a building block, in the cell membranes of brain and retinal tissues.
You could compare it to building a house: if you think about pouring concrete inthe foundations, DHA is the same basic material as concrete. The structure of a house will have different properties, depending on what type of materials you use in the concrete. If the concrete is not strong enough, all of the components of the house (walls, windows, electrical system, water supply) will be affected. Similarly, the types of fatty acids you consume will define how strong or weak the cell membranes in your brain and retina are, and will consequently define how well, or poorly, they function. In some cases DHA and EPA have combined effects. EPA and DHA contribute to the normal function of the heart (with a least 250 mg per day), and the maintenance of normal blood triglyceride levels (with 2 g/day) and normal blood pressure (with 3 g/day).
When consuming higher intake levels, make sure not to exceed a supplemental daily intake of 5 g of EPA and DHA combined. Hence, the nutrients docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) found in Omega-3 are essential polyunsaturated fatty acids that humans use to maintain a healthy body and mind. But humans can only produce very small amounts of EPA and DHA themselves, and consequently have to obtain these fatty acids via their diet or Omega supplements.
These beneficial fatty acids are found naturally in oily fish such as mackerel, sardines, herring, etc. Only by regularly eating enough oily fish, or taking daily 1000 mg Omega-3 supplements such as UnoCardio® supplied by WHC-Nutrogenics, will we achieve a balanced Omega-3 Index (8% Omega-3 or higher in the body’s red blood cells) and benefit from the health benefits offered by these nutrients.
Q: What is cod liver oil?
When hearing the word fish oil many people automatically think of cod liver oil, because as children they had to take a spoonful of it daily (much against their better judgment). However, the fish oil being discussed here has little or no connection with the fish oil used in days gone by or the fish oil supplements available on the market today. In fact it would be quite harmful to take large amounts of cod liver oil in order to consume enough Omega-3 fatty acids. Even today a lot of cod liver oil still contains too much vitamin A. Cod liver oil and vitamin A can increase risk of osteoporosis. Women who have gone through menopause easily consume 1 gram EPA per day. If you try to achieve this with cod liver oil there is a high risk of taking in too much vitamin A.
Your vitamin A level can rise to the extent that there is a risk of osteoporosis.
Cod liver oil is not recommended for children either because of the vitamin A content. To obtain 500 mg EPA from cod liver oil they would have to consume such quantities of this oil that the vitamin A level would become very unhealthy. You should also know that EFSA, the European Food Safety Authority, clearly stipulates that Europeans already take in sufficient vitamin A via their diet so that this vitamin is no longer appropriate for food enrichment and supplements.
The message is – avoid cod liver oil!
Q: What is krill oil?
Krill oil is a food supplement derived from krill, which are small crustaceans found in the Arctic Ocean. Similar to fish oil, krill oil also contains Omega-3 essential fatty acids EPA and DHA in low concentrations.
However, these fatty acids appear in free fatty acid form, together with a form bound to phospholipids.
Trying to adequately supplement the body’s Omega-3 store with krill oil is very difficult. You could add krill oil to your daily diet on account of the phospholipids, but you would have to take too many capsules to achieve a daily dose of 500 to 1000 mg EPA and DHA. Many consumers are consequently disappointed by the results of their Omega-3 index analysis. The Omega-3 index analysis report for people who use krill oil shows a low EPA+DHA content, even though they consumed 3 to 5 krill oil capsules per day.
This demonstrates that krill oil alone does not suffice and that you would still have to combine it with a highly concentrated fish oil supplement. That is why WHC-Nutrogenics opted not to supply krill but go for ‘the best of the best’ by only offering the safest, purest, highest concentration Omega products on the market, providing the best value for money.
Krill oil only has 12% Omega-3, which is 15 times less Omega-3 than the fish oil used in all WHC products, including UnoCardio®. Daily use of krill oil is very expensive as you need 5 to 6 capsules a day in order to obtain 1000 mg EPA+DHA. Marketers of krill oil claim that krill oil provides better bioavailability compared to fish oil thanks to the phospholipids. This is not entirely true, since the good absorption pattern has been attributed to the presence of free fatty acids in krill oil. Unfortunately, those free fatty acids are only present in small percentages, i.e. 20 to 22%. Is it worth the difference in price as you need a minimum 5 to 6 capsules a day in order to achieve 1 g EPA/DHA?
Q: If oily fish can provide our body with Omega-3, why should we take supplements?
Fish contains mercury and other heavy metals. It is advisable to limit your fish consumption to small amounts. Nevertheless, the average Westerner does not include enough Omega-3 in his diet to obtain any health benefits. There are two main reasons for the lack of Omega-3 in the Western diet.
On the one hand, people are eating less fatty fish, even though health officials recommend at least two portions of fatty fish a week (2 x 100g anchovies, herring or wild salmon, providing 2000 mg EPA & DHA), equivalent to 2 UnoCardio® softgels. On the other hand, you could also say that we eat the “wrong” kind of fish, i.e. white fish such as fish fingers, which barely contain any Omega-3 at all.
As a result, most Westerners do not consume enough Omega-3 via their diet and need Omega-3 supplementation to achieve the Omega-3 levels in vs. via recommended by government and health officials.
Q: What should I look for in a fish oil supplement?
A: When making your fish oil purchase, you should look for a product which contains high levels of EPA and DHA per serving; uses small-species, sustainable fish; is made by a reputable manufacturer who follows good manufacturing practices (GMPs) and has achieved an appreciable rating from the IFOSP (International Fish Oil Standards Program); and which contains no, or barely detectable traces of, contaminants.
If you have a question which is not answered here, do not hesitate to contact us. We are always glad to help!
