Fish Oil Capsules - Three Basic Issues To Consider Before You Buy

Fish oil has been in the news a lot lately. Most people who are interested in their own health and well-being have heard at least something about it. But what is the basic information beginners should know with regards to omega-3 fatty acids? After being a health researcher for many years, I believe that there are three basic issues you should consider before beginning your research or making choices:

1. Nutritional: Fish oil contains omega 3 fatty acids, also known as essential fatty acids. These polyunsaturated fatty acids, known as DHA and EPA, are not produced by our bodies. They have to come from our diet. With the advent of supermarkets, processed and packaged foods and our modern, stressful way of life, many of us have increased the quantity of food that we eat; but what about the quality? Most people in the Western world are actually deficient in the essential fatty acids provided by fish oil, leading to many of our modern-day ailments. We are over-fed under-nourished! Why? The answer lies in our history: Many years ago, our ancestors were hunter-gatherers who ate large amounts of fresh fish. As a matter of fact, Swedish researchers have recently found that Europeans used to consume many times more fish oil than they do today. In fact, up to 20 times more! Fish fat should be a part of our daily nutrition, without a doubt.

2. Disease Prevention: It has been known since the 1970s from research done by Danish scientists in Greenland on the native populations, that EPA and DHA, the main beneficial constituents of fish oil, protect people from heart disease, stroke and other diseases. As a matter of fact, it was shown that eating a lot of fatty fish actually protected the Greenlanders from the heart disease normally associated with very high meat consumption. As a matter of fact, DHA and EPA have been shown to help prevent and treat many of today's modern "diseases," including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, high cholesterol, rheumatoid arthritis and cognitive decline.

3. Purity: With our waterways so polluted with mercury and other heavy metals, supplements have actually become the cleanest and most effective way to get our fish fat. The evidence is clear. It is the very fish that contain the highest amount of omegas that also contain the highest amounts of heavy metals and other pollutants.

So, in summary, I would say that taking a fatty acid supplement is a great way to improve our nutrition and give our bodies a chance to stave off many of the ailments that have become so common, but were so rare among our great-grandparents! It's an easy, inexpensive way to increase your chances of living a long, healthy life, well into in our old age. I take several grams of fish oil every single day and I consider it one of the best investments in myself that I have made.