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Fractionated Vs. Molecularly Distilled Fish Oil

Evidence is mounting that fish oil with its omega-3 fatty acids may be the ultimate superfood for cardiovascular health and a strong immune system. However, according to MayoClinic.com, caution must be taken with fish oil supplementation and dosing. Methylmercury contaminants can be high, depending on the fish used to make the oil. When selecting a supplement, consumers should look for the most purified formulas; specifically, ones that have been fractionated, to concentrate the oil dosage, and molecularly distilled, which removes the saturated fat and filters out some of the contaminants.

  1. Early History

    • According to CBN.com, fish oil was first separated out and sold as a liquid supplement in late 1700s England, in the form of cod liver oil. It was considered a cure for arthritis. It wasn't until the 1980s that fish oil's cardiovascular benefits from omega-3s were realized and that oil from the whole fish, a superior grade, was tapped. However, there was the problem of toxins such as mercury, DDT and PCBs found in the rendered oil.

    Fish Oil Today

    • Along with the problem of toxins, fish oil capsules of the 1980s had a vile taste, not unlike the notoriously bad tasting cod liver oil. Also, many people suffered gastric effects in the form of indigestion and diarrhea. But with the advent of distillation, in which many of the saturated fats were removed, formulas had an increased level of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, providing a more potent, better tasting and symptom-free supplement. There was and still is the problem of purity, however, in these so-called health-food-grade fish oil capsules. Fish oil would have to reach pharmaceutical quality to deliver a truly low-toxin formula.

    Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil

    • More recently, ultra refined eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) omega 3 make for an extremely safe product that can be taken in high doses should a person choose to do so. In this pharmaceutical grade process, chemical engineering of an advanced type is carried out. Fractionation extracts most of the cholesterol from the oil, and then an advanced molecular distillation technique removes nearly all of the PCBs, says Dr. Barry Sears, former research scientist at Boston University School of Medicine, quoted on CBN.com.

    Effects

    • MayoClinic.com reports that a number of studies indicate taking DHA and EPA as supplements can lower the incidence of stroke, heart attack and arrhythmia in individuals suffering from cardiovascular disease. There's also evidence that fish oil decreases blood pressure, triglycerides (or fats) and atherosclerosis (artery narrowing).

    Considerations

    • It should be noted that bleeding becomes more of a risk with higher doses of fish oil. Heart patients who are on blood thinners should not take fish oil supplements without first talking with their doctors. Also, when choosing a fish oil supplement, be aware of the species of fish used in the formula. Smaller fish, like sardines and mackerel, are a better choice, as they harbor fewer contaminants given their shorter life cycles.

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