Where do we get omega-3 from?
Added 23.10.2008
There are three major sources of omega-3: fish oil, algal oil and plant oil.
The most common source of omega-3 is fish oil. The fish oil is extracted and refined from the tissues of fatty, cold water fish such as blue hake, herring, mackerel, salmon, tuna, trout, sardines and anchovies.
Why would you buy fish oil supplements instead of eating fish?
First of all, in order to get the health benefits of fish oil, a minimum of one gram should be consumed every day. That would mean eating a lot of fish every day and very few people actually eat so much fish on a daily basis. Secondly, many fish today are contaminated with heavy metals such as mercury or other toxins that are dangerous to our health.High quality fish oil supplements, like Doctor's Natural EPA/DHA, are pharmaceutically graded and have been through a strict refining process that removes all heavy metals, toxins and other contaminants so that you can enjoy the full health benefits of fish oil without contaminating yourself.
The other two sources of omega-3 are algal oil and plant oil. Algal oil, the majority of which is extracted from seaweed, is a concentrated source of DHA and is typically used in children's health. Vegetable-based omega-3 is extracted primarily from flaxseed. Plant oil like flaxseed contains another type of essential fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Scientists on the whole agree that optimal nutritional sources of omega-3 are obtained from fish oil.
