The Truth About Fish Oil Purity – How to Choose a Pure, Safe Supplement

By the time you finish reading this, you will have a clear understanding about how to choose a fish oil that is safe for you and your family. You'll know how to find a supplement that will dramatically improve your health, not harm it. So let me give you the simple facts about fish oil purity.

What do we mean by fish oil purity?

Purity usually refers to whether the product contains traces of contaminants or impurities. It can also refer to the freshness of the product.

Let's look at the impurities first.

The contaminants often found in oily fish are mercury, lead, PCBs and dioxins. PCBs are chemicals that can lead to behavioural and developmental problems in children, as well as cancers. Dioxins can cause cancer too, and heavy metals like lead and mercury can affect the central nervous system and the kidneys or liver.

Most of the oily fish we eat, and that are used to make fish oil supplements, are species such as salmon, mackerel and tuna. These are all excellent sources of the important omega 3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA.

Unfortunately, it's difficult for manufacturers who use these species to guarantee fish oil purity. This is because these species are the fish most likely to contain contaminants.

This is for two reasons. Firstly, they are often caught in waters such as the North Sea, which can contain these contaminants. Secondly, they are high up the food chain, meaning the contaminants get concentrated in their bodies and oil because the creatures they eat are themselves contaminated.

So the type of fish used to make supplements can have serious implications for the purity and safety of the capsules.

Now let's look at freshness as an indication of fish oil purity.

If the fish oil you take is not completely fresh, the oil will start to oxidise. When this happens, you increase your intake of free radicals, the molecules that damage cells and help to cause aging, disease and illness.

To test the oxidation level, a supplement should be tested in registered laboratories. What you are looking for is the COA (certificate of analysis), which should be freely available on the manufacturer's website or promotional material. Two oxidation components should be listed: the anisidine value and the peroxide value. The scores should be as low as possible. A total oxidation score of less than 20 is desirable.

So how do you choose a supplement that can guarantee fish oil purity?

Look for a product made from fish caught in clean waters, such as the New Zealand fish hoki. This is caught in the Southern Ocean, which is largely free of contaminants.

The oil should also be molecularly distilled, not simply filtered. Molecular distillation is a complicated process which removes any tiny trace of contaminant that might find its way into the product.

Next, check out the freshness of the product by examining the manufacturer's COA. If you can't find a COA, don't buy the product! Any good supplier should be prepared to publish the results of tests that prove the purity of their product.

So there's some food for thought when you are shopping for fish oil supplements. If you would like more information about fish oil purity, please visit my website to see more of my research and to find out about the products I use daily myself.