If you’ve been taking fish oil supplements you’ve probably heard of “super” omega 3 fish oil supplements. But it’s difficult to know exactly what “super” omega 3 supplements really are.
Part of the reason is that there are big variations in the quantity and quality of the Omega 3 fatty acids found in many of the fish oil capsules available for sale, and it’s important that you learn a little bit about Omega 3 capsules before you buy.
One of the biggest variations between the fish oil supplements available is the amount of active ingredient found in them. Most fish oil capsules are what is known as 18/12 capsules. This means that you should be getting 18 percent EPA and 12 percent DHA in each capsule, or 180 milligrams of EPA and 120 milligrams of DHA in a 1000 milligram capsule.
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is considered to be the most important omega 3 fatty acid. To give you an example of how much the quantities of the Omega3 fats vary from brand to brand, the quantity of DHA in the capsules that I take is 2 1/2 times greater than in your average 18/12 capsules, but the ones that I take are not described as “super” omega 3.
It would seem fair to assume that if any capsules are described as super Omega 3 capsules they would at least contain a much higher percentage of DHA than would be contained in regular capsules and this is the case for these ones.
But when you’re buying you need to consider a little more than just how much active ingredients you are getting in each of the various fish oil capsules available. Manufacturers are now starting to produce a new generation of omega 3 supplements that include a range of other ingredients which offer health benefits on top of the health benefits offered by the fatty acids.
To give you an example just this week a new “premium” omega 3 range was released. These contain 28 percent DHA but as well as that they also contain some new ingredients which have not been previously available. These ingredients will benefit your health and even your skin.
A good example is something found in tomatoes called lycopene. If you read the health literature you may know about lycopene already. There is growing evidence that increasing the intake of lycopene can reduce the risk of breast cancer for women and prostate cancer for men.
On top of that there is new research that shows that more lycopene can naturally protect our skin from the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation from sunlight. UV exposure, over time, can seriously age your skin, and this is what is known as photo-aging. Protecting your skin from photo-aging is one of the best things you can do for the health of your skin. Not only that but the research is showing that lycopene can actually start to reverse some of the effects of photo-aging.
Modern science is getting better and better and our scientists are now starting to uncover some of the hitherto unknown health benefits of natural substances such as lycopene. And top quality health companies are now able to incorporate these types of ingredients into new products such as the new generation of omega 3 supplements now becoming available.
When you’re buying your Omega 3 capsules you need to know exactly what you’re getting. Price is not the only determinant of the quality of the capsules you’re buying. It is now possible to buy fish oil supplements with dramatically more active ingredient (DHA) than you would normally expect to find in regular fish oil supplements. And new cutting edge technology is also introducing extra health benefits for all of us by producing new products combining omega 3 fatty acids with other natural health giving ingredients like lycopene.
If you’re interested to find out a little more about this new generation of “premium” Omega 3 capsules then please visit my website.
March 14th, 2010 at 9:13 am
[...] Should You Really Be Buying “Super” Omega 3, Or “Premium” Omega 3 Capsules? [...]
March 15th, 2010 at 1:27 am
[...] Should You Really Be Buying “Super” Omega 3, Or “Premium” Omega 3 Capsules? [...]