Article by CBS5.com
Omega-3 Fatty Acids are supposed to be good for your heart and your health.
But a lawsuit filed last week in California claims certain fish oil supplements are laced with toxic levels of PCB’S. But most options have not been tested, so you’ll need to know what to look for at your store.
So far, the plantiffs have only tested 10 fish oil brands, but there are dozens and dozens more on the market. First understand that no fish oil is completely free of contaminants. Supplement makers use various methods to purify their fish oils in order to reduce the levels, but they do not all use the same methods, and they don’t follow the same standards. Here are some tips on which brands to look for until they do :
-Generally speaking, look for fish oil made from smaller fish such as sardines or anchovies.
-Avoid buying oil made from larger fish such as shark or cod.
-Avoid any fish oil that comes from fish liver, because the liver is the organ where contaminants accumulate.
Here’s another idea – instead of getting Omega 3 Fatty Acids from fish, get them from marine algae supplements instead.
Marine algae is how the fish are getting their Omega 3′s in the first place. The micro algae is consumed by the krill who are then eaten by small fish, and then the larger fish.
The Environmental Defense Fund surveyed 75 fish oil supplement makers.
The survey shows more than 80% use a highly effective purification process for their oils and meet the strictest standards.