Most of us realize that the health benefits of many nutritional supplements are largely overstated.  The media has as much to do with generating hype as the advertisers do.  Rarely does a supplement live up to the hype.

Over the years, I’ve looked into many of these advertising claims and tried to help make people aware of the facts, the unknowns and the real benefits.  Omega-3 fish oil is one of the few supplements that live up to the claims.

The health benefits of omega 3 fatty acids are recognized by the mainstream medical community and alternative practitioners, as well.  That itself is unusual.  Mainstream practitioners usually attempt to downplay the importance of “preventative maintenance”.

Many natural healthcare proponents believe that there is some sort of conspiracy.  If people learn how to prevent disease and chronic health problems, with nutritional supplement or herbs, then the demand for prescription drugs might go down.

“Get Natural Fish Oil from New Zealand”

There can be mountains of supportive research concerning the benefit of a nutrient or an herb, but conventional practitioners will still be leery of recommending it to their patients.  That is not the case with omega3 fatty acids.  Almost all doctors will recommend that their patients increase the amount of omega3 fats in their diet and the easiest way to do that is with fish oil.

Omega3 fatty acids are essential to human life, yet they are largely absent in the modern-day diet.  Researchers and health experts believe that this deficit in the diet plays a major role in the increased incidence of heart disease, cancer and degenerative brain diseases.

Research has shown that many chronic, seemingly “age-related” diseases improve when omega3 intake is increased.

In a moment, I’ll tell you about some specific conditions for which omega3 supplementation is strongly recommended.  But, first, you might be interested in why this nutrient is so important.

In order to function properly, the human body requires an enormous amount of this nutrient to function properly.  60% of the weight of your brain comes from fat.  Over half of that fat is a specific omega3 fat called DHA or Docosahexaenoic Acid.  Where does DHA come from?

The sole source of DHA in the human diet is fatty fish.

Fish get their DHA from marine algae, but people don’t eat algae.  Some of the fruits and vegetables that we do eat provide one kind of omega3, but it is not DHA.  The brain can still work without it, but it functions very poorly.

Other omega3 fatty acids are important to our health, as well, including EPA and DPA.  Like DHA, those are found only in oily or fatty fish.  Obviously, fish is the element that is missing from the modern-day diet and its absence causes disease.

How Do We Know?

We know because researchers have proven that omega3 fish oil supplements are beneficial in many diseases and disorder.  The ones you will see below are just a few of them.

For the Brain…

Low levels of DHA and EPA in the bloodstream have been linked to depression, suicidal behavior, anxiety, bipolar disorder, aggressive behavior, post-partum depression, Alzheimer’s and Attention Deficit Disorders.

Some researchers believe that the cause of the “depression epidemic” in industrialized societies is the absence of omega3s in the diet.  Millions and millions of people take anti-depressant drugs, every day, despite the unwanted side effects.

Research has shown that omega3 supplementation is beneficial for relieving depression and for all of the other conditions mentioned above.  Researchers in Canada are currently conducting a large scale study concerning how omega3s can help protect the brain from Alzheimer’s, a degenerative disease that ultimately ends in brain death.

Even for people that don’t have a disorder, the supplement has been shown to improve memory and focus.

For the Heart…

Free 19 Page Fish Oil Guide

According to the American Heart Association, “Omega 3 fatty acids benefit the heart of healthy people, and those at high risk of — or who have — cardiovascular disease.”

The benefits to the heart are numerous and well known.  It is because of the heart benefit that most conventional practitioners recommend the supplement.

Age related heart diseases are one of the biggest killers in modern societies.  The risk factors for heart disease include:

• High blood pressure
• High blood triglycerides
• High levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol—low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol
• Oxidation of LDL cholesterol particles
• Inflammation of the coronary arteries

Believe it or not, omega3 fish oil addresses all of those issues.  Studies have shown that it lowers blood pressure and total blood triglycerides.  It increases the level of good HDL cholesterol in the bloodstream.  It can help prevent oxidation of LDL cholesterol, because of its antioxidant activity.

It can soothe and reduce inflammation of the arteries, because of its anti-inflammatory activity.  It also helps to prevent blood clots that can cause heart attack or stroke.

For Arthritis and Other Inflammatory Diseases

Because of its natural anti-inflammatory activity, fish oil has been used in clinical studies that included patients with rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.  The volunteers experienced less pain, less morning stiffness and were able to reduce the amount of anti-inflammatory drugs they were taking.

People that suffer from Crohn’s and other inflammatory bowel diseases may benefit, as well.  One study showed that 69% of Crohn’s sufferers taking a fish oil supplement stayed symptom-free for a full year, while only 28% of those on a placebo were without symptoms.

Skin problems, such as acne, eczema and dermatitis are largely caused by inflammation.  Fish oil has been shown to improve these problems and as an added benefit, it helps to relieve the depression that sometimes accompanies them.

During Pregnancy and for Nursing Mothers

It is a well-known, irrefutable fact that a child’s developing brain must have omega3 fatty acids.

Studies have shown that women with a good omega3 intake during pregnancy are less likely to have children with asthma or allergies.

Supplements have been shown to relieve post-partum depression; “the baby blues”.

DHA is found in breast milk and is now being adding to many infant formulas.  That shows how important the scientific community feels that DHA is to proper development.

If you are pregnant and your doctor has not suggested an omega3 supplement, talk about it.

For Cancer Prevention

Cancer is currently the leading cause of death in the US.  Researchers have shown that omega3s help prevent some types of the disease.  The studies have been conducted using animals and cancer cell lines.  So, more research needs to happen in this area.  Right now, many doctors are using EPA and DHA rich fish oil supplements to help reduce the negative side effects of chemotherapy.

And There’s More…

The health conditions mentioned here are only a few of the ones that have been or are currently being studied.  One of the biggest benefits is the anti-inflammatory activity.  Not just for painful diseases, but also because inflammation is one of the causes of cellular aging.   So, it is not an overstatement that high quality fish oil supplements containing a large amount of DHA, EPA and DPA could help you live a longer, healthier life.  But, why couldn’t you just eat more fish?

Why Supplementation is Necessary, Today

All fish contain some Omega3s.  Fatty fish like salmon contain more.  Cooking fish and other foods reduces the omega3 content.  Eating raw fish is not smart and eating the same kind of fish more than four times per month is generally not recommended due to mercury and other heavy metals, PCBs and other cancer-causing chemicals.

Until farms began to mass-produce beef, chicken, lamb and other meats, they provided some omega3 fatty acids, because they were primarily grass eaters.  They have been forced to eat corn and grains in order to fatten them up quickly and because it’s cheaper feed.

The omega3 fortified foods that you see in the grocery store are not natural sources.  The farmers are able to improve the omega3 content by feeding them fish meal.

In general, foods are just not as nutritious as they once were.  Nutritional deficiencies of all kinds are on the rise in industrialized societies.  Doctors are finding that even overweight people have low levels of specific nutrients in their bloodstream.

The long and short of the story is that everyone needs a good dietary supplement to be healthy and everyone benefits from a good fish oil supplement.

Supplementation is the safest and most cost effective solution.  Manufacturers can have the oils tested for contaminants and other impurities.  In order to remove contaminants and concentrate the omega3s, they can use molecular distillation.

A month’s supply of the very best fish oil on the market is less than $20.  Try to add more wild Alaskan Salmon to your daily menus for $20 a month.  You can’t do it.

I mention wild Alaskan salmon, because it is one of the few species that the Environmental Defense Fund says is safe for kids (over 6) and adults to eat more than four times per month.  Because of moderate PCB levels, they say that kids under the age of 6 should have no more than four servings per month.  But, there is no mercury concern, as there is with tuna and practically anything that lives in the Atlantic Ocean.

But, before you decide to run out and buy a bottle of fish oil, there are some things that you need to know about these supplements.

The Supplement Industry is Not Well Regulated

Of course, there are some regulations in place, but the standards set by government regulating agencies are so low they are irrelevant.

Manufacturers can voluntarily insure that their products are fresh, pure and potent.  They can have the anti-inflammatory activity evaluated, to insure that their customers will get the best results.

But, of course, most manufacturers don’t go to that kind of effort.

“Look For A Fish Oil With High DHA Content”

It is obvious that supplements that cost far less than others on the market are not a good value and they could even be bad for your health.  If they contain contaminants or high levels of oxidation (indicating spoilage), then they can cause some of the damage that the supplement is intended to prevent.

On the other hand, there are some very expensive supplements on the market that aren’t worth the extra cost.  Those that are promoted by popular diet doctors and other celebrities cost more because of the marketing costs.

The products that you see in drugstores and department chains cost more because of retail markup.  As with most things, you get the best buy when you go directly to the manufacturer.

The best manufacturers guarantee the following and they can prove it:

• The DHA and EPA content is high
• The oils have been evaluated for contaminants and none were detected
• The anti-inflammatory activity is nearly as high as that of aspirin
• The level of oxidation is very low, which also means no fishy tasting burps
• They also guarantee to provide the best value for your money.

Let’s look at a few products and see how they stack up in terms of value for money:

• Dr Sears Omega RX costs $39.95 per bottle, which provides 12,000mg of DHA.  The cost per gram of DHA works out to $2.16.
• Salmon Oil Plus costs $32.50 per bottle and provides 14,400mg of DHA.  Cost per gram = $2.26
• Iceland Health Max Strength costs $49.95, provides only 6000mg of DHA per bottle.  Cost per gram = $8.32

You would think that the cost per gram of a nutrient would be pretty much standardized.

But when you do a little analysis like that, you can see that manufacturers are charging for something other than the DHA or the total omega3 content.

Here’s My Personal Recommendation…

I have always been interested in the long-term health benefits, but one of the benefits that you notice immediately is improved ability to concentrate.

After a few months, I noticed that my joints felt better and the condition of my skin had improved.  But, I also noticed that the benefits differ from one brand to the next.

Like many people, I was tempted to buy one of the cheap supplements, without fully evaluating it.  The fishy tasting burps were the first thing that I noticed.  When I realized that I didn’t feel as “clear headed” as usual, I took the time to read the fine print on the label, which is what I should have done in the first place.

The manufacturer did not list the amount of DHA, the one that we need for our brains.  Only 30% of the oils in the product were omega3 fats.  Who knows what the rest were!  The content was not broken down on the label.

After that experience, I realized that I needed to learn more about how to find the best quality, before I made a purchase.  That’s how I came up with the criteria above and decided that the best supplement available comes from Xtendlife, a New Zealand manufacturer.

Here’s why…

• The oils are free of contaminants
• They have very low levels of oxidation and are guaranteed to be burp-free
• The anti-inflammatory activity is nearly as high as that of aspirin
• The DHA content is 280mg per capsule
• The EPA content is 120mg per capsule
• The total omega3s provided are 500mg per capsule
• The total DHA per bottle is 17,400mg
• The cost per gram of DHA is 97 cents

That cost per gram is lower than any other brand on the market.  The cost per bottle is $16.85, a lot less than those popular brands that we looked at above.  You might be able to find a bottle that costs less. But, if you determine the cost per gram of DHA, you will find that it is more.

Believe me.  I’ve looked at a lot of different brands and continue to evaluate new information.  There is no better value for your money on the market, today.

My family and I have been taking the Xtend-Life Omega3 DHA fish oil for years, now.  It has greatly improved our overall health and well being.

If you’re like many people, you are spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars per month on gym memberships and health foods.  You may already be taking a variety of different health supplements.  We take a good multi-nutritional supplement, too.  But, I am sure that the bottle of fish oil that we take every month does more for our health than anything else.

Here’s a link to Xtend-Life’s Omega3 DHA.

If you decide to buy it, I know that you will be satisfied. Plus, you can get a free 19 page guide and learn how you can make sure you are taking a high quality fish oil supplement.