The Good Oil on Fish
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A client recently asked me about fish oils. Here is the conversation.
I'm interested to know more about Fish Oil in particular, Omega-3 and Docosahexaenoic (DHA). We were told that Omega-3 is supposedly very good for health. We bought a particular brand od fish oil because it can be consumed by both adults and kids. However one of our friends told us we to be careful which brand to give the kids because of the mercury content. All Australian made and approved supplements have to pass stringent health laws because they are treated the same way as medicines. For fish oil this means that levels of mercury and PCBs (plastic biproducts) must be below a medically safe standard. As long as you choose an Australian brand you should not have to worry about mercury. However, this is not the case for US and overseas products which are treated as foods and hence may have a lower quality standard. |
Someone told us that its better if the oil is extracted from deep sea fish (eg salmon) so he recommended another brand. He also recommended a practitioner only brand which his naturopath supplied him as it has a higher concentration of DHA for the children. DHA apparently is good for the kids' brain development.
Naturopath (or practitioner only products) generally have a considerably higher concentration of EPA and DHA than a health food or supermarket brand.
DHA is vital for development of the brain - but you also need to cut down on bad fats (trans fats as found in margarine, baked goods, pies, donuts etc.) in order to get the full benefit of the good fats.
Someone mentioned that her child took DHA for a short period to help with reading and school work. Does this mean that DHA is not to be taken for a long period of time? All this information is so confusing!
The only side effect that I am aware of is that fish oil can thin the blood in susceptible individuals. If you or your children notice increased bruising or cuts taking longer to heal then maybe stop the fish oil. Otherwise it is very safe (think about Eskimos whose diet is almost exclusively fish).
As well as being good for the children, what other health benefits does fish oil have?
Fish oil is one of the best natural anti-inflammatories available which makes it great for relieving swelling, certain types of joint pain and it may be beneficial in auto-immune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. Recent research has also shown that fish oils are extremely beneficial after a heart attack and may be as effective as statin medication that your doctor prescribes. Of course you should NEVER stop taking any medication prescribed by your doctor until you have discussed it with him or her.