How to Rate Fish Oil

The American Heart Association recommends people eat fish, especially fatty fish, at least twice a week. The omega-3s in fish are good for healthy people, as well as those at risk for cardiovascular disease and those who have cardiovascular disease. Omega-3s are linked to protection from stroke and heart attack, better brain function, less depression, improvement in symptoms of ADHD, and reduced breast, colon and prostate cancer.

Ideally you should get your omega-3s from eating fish, but you can take fish oil supplements. Unfortunately not all fish oil supplements are the same and you should be careful in determining which one rates higher on the purity scale.

Things You'll Need

• Fish oil

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Instructions

• 1

  Research what waters the fish oil came from. Fish oil should come from unpolluted waters such as the Southern Ocean off the New Zealand coast. Avoid fish oil from the Indian Ocean as it is known to be highly polluted.

• 2

  Research what species of fish the fish oil comes from. Make sure it comes from one species of fish as this assures purity and effectiveness. Even when one species of fish is used, there will be unhealthy fish. Make sure the manufacturer guarantees selection of healthy fish.

• 3

  Find out if the fish oil is molecularly distilled. Fresh fish oil will contain some contaminants and molecular distillation is the only sure way to remove any remaining contaminants.

• 4

  Determine if your fish oil is tested. Testing is done by independent laboratories and determines content and contaminants. If the product doesn't meet the standards, it is discarded.

• 5

  Add the omega-3 fatty acids on the label to determine if they equal the total amount of oil contained in the product. If not, there are unlabeled added fillers in the fish oil.