Best Fish Oil Supplements: Generic Versus Premium Brands
Due to the growing awareness about the need for omega-3 essential fatty acids and other important nutrients, the market is now saturated with a number of fish oil supplements. Most people think that all supplements are the same and feel no need to be discerning about the food supplements they purchase. However, it is important for you to find the best fish oil brands and be aware of the difference between Supplement A and Supplement B – especially if one is cheaper than the other.
Premium quality omega-3 fish oil supplements are more expensive than generic brands because of the refining processes they use. As you may be aware, our oceans are polluted by toxic waste and other heavy metals, and most deep-sea, omega-3-rich fish tend to be contaminated by these toxins. Quality omega-3 fish oil supplements use a special refining process called molecular distillation. This ensures the bio-availability of the long-chain omega-3 essential fatty acids while removing the toxins that may have been in the fish’s system before extraction. Generic omega-3 brands, on the other hand, use inferior refining methods that not only fail to remove the toxins entirely; they end up damaging the fragile long-chain omega-3 essential fatty acids. Omega-3 essential fatty acids are notorious for getting easily oxidized, which means they expire and no longer provide the health benefits they originally contained.
One other thing you need to consider is the presence of two important omega-3 essential fatty acids: DHA and EPA. High quality omega-3 essential fatty acids contain these two types in high percentages, whereas generic brands only contain these in small amounts mixed with other oils. A quick look at the nutrition information should tell you how much EPA and DHA it contains; a good ratio is 7:1 EPA to DHA. Another way for you to verify its quality is to see the species of fish were used to manufacture the supplements. Beware of manufacturers that claim to use “mixed species.” Quality omega-3 fish oil supplements use fish species like herring, mackarel, and salmon, which swim in cold deep waters and have fats that are rich in omega-3s.
In the end, generic omega-3 fish oil brands might be easier on the pocket. But wouldn’t you be getting more out of your money by paying extra for quality omega-3 fish oil supplements that work?