Omega-3 fatty acids are also called essential fatty acids (“EFAs”). As with some vitamins, the body cannot synthesize Omega-3s so therefore they must be introduced with the diet.
Recently published clinical literature has shown that Omega-3 fatty acids can:
- Lower total cholesterol and increase good cholesterol “HDL”, helping to keep the heart healthy
- Reduce triglycerides to 40%
- Improve memory, concentration and learning
- Keep skin healthy and vital and fight aging
- Fight the formation of thrombi
- Reduce the risk of heart attack
- Lower the risk for some cancers
- Decrease symptoms of angina and heart palpitations
- Improve mood and fight depression
- Strengthen the immune system
- Improve the symptoms of psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s Disease, ADD, ADHD, Crohn’s disease or lupus, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, premenstrual syndrome and painful periods
- Reduce the risk of macular degeneration of the eyes
- Make cell membranes more fluid, prevent stiffness and deterioration (replacing saturated fats)
- Be useful for the hormonal system
- Help the body to maintain its temperature
The best diet is one that is rich in fish, preferably small in size, at the bottom of the food chain. This will help prevent contamination from mercury, PCB’s and other toxins in medium to large fish.
The minimum daily requirement of Omega-3s as recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (“FAO”) is 1.5% of daily caloric needs. For example, if you consume 1,800 kcal per day of food, you should ingest at least 3 grams of Omega-3s. This amount is hard to reach because foods rich in these fats are not very attractive, and not everyone wants or can eat fish every day. If you cannot reach the recommended daily amount of Omega-3s from food, it then becomes crucial to choose an Omega-3 supplement.
Is It Enough to Buy Pills at the Supermarket?
It seems easy to maintain health and prevent many diseases by just supplementing daily with a capsule or more of Omega-3s purchased at a supermarket.
Buyer Beware : 90% of products sold by supermarkets, herbalists, pharmacies and online stores are at the least ineffective, if not harmful to one’s health!
A highly publicized brand sold in pharmacies has 17 grams of Omega-3 (also referred to as EPA and DHA) per 100 grams of product…in short, only 17%!
In another brand sold at the supermarket, there is only 12%…
This means that to receive the minimum recommended amount of Omega-3s (an average of 3 grams daily), one would have to supplement with at least 27 capsules!
You Only Have 1 Health: I then tried checking the 2 brands on their respective websites (try it yourself) to find an independent Certificate of Analysis to find out what was in the remaining 90% of the capsule, and especially to understand the quality of the fish oil used, but without results…
How To Choose A Quality Supplement :
Fortunately, there are high quality fish oil supplements that contain a high percentage of Omega-3s (minimum of 60%) and are tested by an independent institution recognized by the world’s leading manufacturers of Omega-3. This institute is called the International Fish Oil Standards (“IFOS”) based at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. On its website under Consumer Reports you can find the updated list of companies that receive 5 stars for their fish oil product as well as their product analysis.
A high quality fish oil with a minimum of 60% Omega-3s is virtually 100% pure. In fact, it takes 100 gallons of health grade fish oil to make 1 gallon of pure oil. This type of pure fish oil is commonly referred to as Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil (“PGFO”) which is an anecdotal term and not a medical or scientific term. Harmful substances such as PCBs or DDTs are reduced to very low levels by using an advanced molecular distillation. The superior distillation process also excludes the possibility of suffering a gastrointestinal upset which is often associated with lower quality fish oils containing contaminants and saturated fat.
A less purified fish oil causes an accumulation of toxic impurities that have been proven to damage the hormonal system, causing annoying intestinal disorders such as gas formation, abdominal pain and diarrhea and, in some cases, even cancer!
Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil Standards Are As Follows:
PURITY
If the fish oil has not been subjected to a multiple molecular distillation process, there is a high probability of the presence of PCBs, mercury, dioxins, furans and heavy metals.
Only a pure fish oil can be taken for long periods of time and at high dosages.
CONCENTRATION
At least 60% of the fish oil should consist of Omega-3 fatty acids containing a ratio of 40:20 EPA/DHA or a minimum of 400 mg. EPA and 200 mg. DHA, with a low percentage of saturated fatty acids to be digested QUICKLY. In the economic supplements the concentration is between 15% and 30% and contain an high percentage of saturated fatty acids.
Remember that it takes 100 gallons of health grade fish oil to make 1 gallon of PGFO.
The oil should be in the form of natural triglyceride (“TG”) to ensure bioavailability up to 250% higher than the synthetic form of ethyl ester (“EE”) that is common in other concentrated Omega-3 products.
QUALITY CERTIFIED
Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil (“PGFO”) must be certified by an independent institution using the most stringent parameters in the world like International Fish Oil Standards (“IFOS”) based at the University of Guelph in Ontario Canada. The Certificate of Analysis should have the highest rating of 5 stars which confirms the exceptional quality. These parameters set by IFOS are hundreds and even thousands of times below the limits allowed by law in the United States.Only the best brands of fish oil in the world have a 5-star IFOS certification. The list of companies and Certificates of Analysis are available here at the IFOS.
A-M B-Well™ Omega-3 Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil:
Of the 15 companies or so that sell Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil certified by IFOS, the best buy is Omega-3 PGFO from A-M B-Well Inc. because:
Prices are discounted up to 40% compared to its competitors. This is because it is cheaper to buy by the case (12 bottles) rather than 1 bottle and the wise customer is buying directly from A-M B-Well Inc. without any additional costs to increase the price as a result of dealing with intermediates or the “middle man”.
It produces the purest form of fish oils. Its traceability amounts of PCBs (toxic pollutants like dioxins) are significantly lower than its competitors, and thousands of times lower than the parameters established by the World Health Organization (“WHO”). Even with such harmless and very small amounts, the presence of PCBs in an Omega-3 supplement can help one to understand the purity of raw materials (fish caught in low polluted oceans) and the quality of the production process of refining. A-M B-Well Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil oil is sourced from anchovies, sardines and mackerel caught off the coast of Peru in the clean Pacific Ocean.
If one analyzes the IFOS Certificates of Analysis over the past 12 months, one can establish a ranking of the PCBs (ie the purity of the product). The first fish oil is A-M B-Well™ Omega-3 PGFO. The limits of traceability are 0.32 parts per trillion. Between the first and last fish oil product listed on IFOS, the PCBs are 116 times less for A-M B-Well Inc. All batches of A-M B-Well Omega-3 PGFO are certified by IFOS, so the consumer can feel secure that he or she is purchasing the purest fresh fish oil that will not endanger his or her health.
A-M B-Well™ Omega-3 PGFO is produced in the form of natural triglyceride (40:20TG) to ensure bioavailability up to 250% higher than the form of ethyl ester in (40:20EE) products. In short, you take less capsules to achieve the same results).
The TG form of PGFO which is sold by A-M B-Well Inc. achieves the same great benefits but with smaller quantities of a natural form versus the synthetic EE form. In other words, 3 capsules of a 40:20TG PGFO achieve the SAME results as 4 capsules of a 40:20EE PGFO! Thus, one is also getting more “Bang for their Buck” , not to mention a superior product that costs more money to manufacture than the 40:20EE PGFO.
The latest 5 Star Certificate of Analysis (virtually free of pollutants with a 66% concentration of Omega-3s) from the prestigious international Institute IFOS can be found here: Certificate Omega-3.
I am proud to say that all of the batches produced by A-M B-Well Inc. since 2005 scored the highest rating of 5 stars by International Fish Oil Standards, under the classification of “Outstanding Product”.
Further, A-M B-Well™ Omega-3 PGFO is one of the few products in the world to have been verified by the Pharmacopoeia of the United States (“USP”), the American public entity that establishes stringent quality standards worldwide. It has also been approved by the Natural Health Products Directorate of Canada (Health Canada) and has been issued a Natural Product Number (“NPN”) 80002607, which is verifiable on its website .
Cons? A Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil has a higher cost in comparison to generic supermarket supplements. However, if one decides to supplement with Omega-3 to improve or maintain one’s health, it would not make sense to buy a poor product.
Please note that supplementing your diet with Omega-3 PGFO has a daily cost lower than buying a cup of coffee.
Visit the A-M B-Well Order Page.
Posted by Graeme 
Omega-3 Fatty Acids - the benefits 