When it comes to taking nutritional supplements, there are a lot of opinions. That being said, there’s one that seems to be universally accepted and recommended. Which one is it?

Omega 3 fatty acids…better known as fish oil.

Here’s some information and facts about Omega 3 fatty acids that you might not know.

1) Omega 3 fatty acids are absolutely essential for your health, hence the term “essential fatty acids”. Your body does not produce them so you have to get them from your diet.

2) There are two main sources for omega 3 fatty acids: animal (primarily fish) and plant.

3) There is a big difference in how your body handles plant Omega 3′s and animal (fish) Omega 3′s. Our bodies are designed to use these fatty acids exactly as they come in fish oil. The two main omega 3 fatty acids are called EPA and DHA. The human brain runs on DHA and can make it from EPA. Although the human body prefers EPA, both should be present in any fish oil supplements you take because that is how Mother Nature delivers them and how they are intended to be consumed. Plant Omega 3′s can be converted to the “human form” (EPA and DHA) but the conversion is done poorly by the human body. It’s estimated that about 5% of plant Omega 3′s wind up as EPA and DHA. This makes the plant form of omega 3’s less effective.

4) Omega 3 fatty acids are being added to foods which claim to be rich in Omega 3′s. There is a big marketing push is to sell you these foods. The problem is most of these foods contain plant omega 3, like flax seeds, and your body can’t use plant omega 3 fatty acids effectively. This makes fish oil the best way to get the essential omega 3 fatty acids in your diet.

5) Almost every study on the benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids has been done with fish oil or fish. These studies number in the tens of thousand and span three decades.

Plant Omega 3 studies have produced questionable benefits, however. In fact, in one or two cases, these plant fatty acids have been linked to cancer.

6) Fish derived fatty acids have been shown to have beneficial effects on heart health, joint health, Alzheimer’s disease, osteoporosis, breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, and skin cancer as well as many skin conditions including acne, Rosacea, and wrinkles. This is not the case with plant derived Omega 3′s.

7) Eating fish is often recommended but all fish contain mercury and other toxins. The government allows a certain degree of mercury in the human diet but many fish contain far more than the recommended level when they are randomly tested. Mackerel, cod, tuna and even salmon, pulled randomly from grocery store shelves, have failed these tests routinely.

8) The American Cancer Society recommends fish oil capsule supplementation under certain circumstances. Although it encourages that people just “eat healthy”, fish oil remains the only supplement they recommend.

9) Properly manufactured and purified fish oil contains no detectable mercury, lead or other toxins, but it is not generally available in large chain stores and costs more than unpurified fish oil.

10) Scientists venture that today’s typical Western diet contains 30 times less fish oil than it should relative to other fatty acids. Recent studies in multiple scientific journals have suggested that using fish oil and correcting this nutritional deficiency could save hundreds of billions of dollars in health care costs and reduce many of the diseases we now consider common to people getting older.

Because of the amazing health giving properties of these Omega 3 fatty acids, you will continue to see, hear, and read more about them.

If you are not currently taking a pharmaceutical grade, purified fish oil, then I recommend you start. It’s important that you choose your fish oil wisely. In our office we offer an excellent brand of fish oil, so if you’d like to start adding it to your diet, just call our office and tell us you’d like a bottle, or pick one up at your next adjustment.