Fish oils are all the craze in natural medicine and for good reasons. The list of studied benefits of these omega 3 fatty acids is impressive indeed. Included on this list are benefits for brain function, depression, reduction of heart disease risk, reduction of inflammation and pain, and better control of blood sugars. When patients ask me what one thing they can take to best benefit their health, I tell them to take a high quality fish oil first. Notice that I said a “high quality” fish oil. Let me emphasis to you that it is imperative for you NOT TO TAKE cheap fish oils.

As I write this, I can hear some of you thinking to yourself, “Of course he is going to say buy only high quality products because that is what he sells.” Although this is true, those of you who know me well know that selling product has never been a motivator for me. In fact, I despise people who exaggerate or mislead the public in order to sell products. No, my motivation is to give you information about improving your health and to give you the reasoning behind my position. If you end up buying products from www.ZimmerNutrition.com, I say Yippie!

I guess the first thing I need to do is to tell you how to determine if you have a cheap fish oil product. If you bought your fish oil from any store or from any large internet vitamin company, you have a cheap fish oil. The second thing I need to do is to tell you why you may be taking a supplement that is actually hurting your health.

One of the most commonly talked about concerns with regard to fish oils is the topic of mercury poisoning. I can tell you that I do not think that this is all too big of a concern when it comes to fish oil supplementation. I recently saw a study where they took samples of numerous store-bought products and tested them for heavy metal contamination. None of the samples had any appreciable amounts of heavy metal content. Although mercury contamination is a hot topic, I am unconvinced that it is of major concern in the fish oil supplement industry.

What is of concern, though, is pesticide contamination in fish oil supplements. Many of the cheaper brands of fish oils source their oil from farm raised fish. The high quality fish oils all use deep sea fish as a source. The difference is the over-spray of pesticides and herbicides into the water used to grow these fish. You do not get pesticide over-spray deep in the ocean. The high quality fish oil manufacturers test for both heavy metals and pesticide residues. The cheap ones do not. Now, think of this in the good old American way. Do you really think that the profit-minded companies selling large volumes of cheap fish oil spend the money to buy the more expensive raw material and then perform tests that cost even more money when they can get away without doing either? I won’t insult you by typing the answer to this question. When you take cheap fish oil you are significantly increasing your risk of getting a dose of pesticide with your supplement.

As far as I am concerned, this is reason enough to not buy cheap fish oils. But, another and even more disturbing reason exists. Like any oil, omega 3 fatty acids can become oxidized. The term you are probably more familiar with is “rancid”. Rancid oil is not good oil. Anyone who has ever accidentally used a rancid oil to cook with knows that it imparts a horrible taste into your food. Another example you can relate to is getting served a piece of fish that is not fresh. A piece of fresh fish has a mild fishy odor and pleasant taste. If you get a piece that has a strong fishy odor and pungent taste, you know that it is not fresh. One of the causes of this fishy odor and taste is the oxidization of its oil. In other words, the fish oil has become rancid.

There is a good chance that you have heard of the benefits of taking an “antioxidant”. An antioxidant is something that protects from the damaging effects of oxidation. The biggest problem with fish oil is that once it becomes rancid it actually becomes the exact opposite of an antioxidant. It becomes an oxidant, itself. In simpler terms, if you are taking a rancid fish oil; you are taking a PRO-oxidant instead of and antioxidant. This, in my opinion, is the major problem with taking cheap fish oils. You are dosing yourself every single day with a pro-oxidant and are not getting the benefits from taking omega 3 oils. But, you got such a deal getting one bottle free when you bought the first!

An analogy I like to use to illustrate the difference in fish oils is to imagine if you were going to buy a car. You look at two cars that are the same model, the same color, have the same extras, and are in similar condition. One is being sold for at a price that is 33% lower than the other. The way many of us buy our supplements would be like purchasing the lower priced car without asking any questions. Can you just assume that they are the same since they look the same? No, you would want to know how many miles each car had, if it had been in an accident or you would even like to know a little about what kind of person drove the car. The answers to these questions would give you a better gauge as to whether the cheaper car was actually the better buy. It is time for you to graduate from the improper thinking that cheaper is better when it comes to buying supplements. You are more than likely doing your health a disservice.

What Fish Oils Do You Recommend?

One of the benefits of shopping on www.ZimmerNutrition.com is that I am not married to any product. If I find a similar or better quality product at a lower cost, I will switch in a heartbeat. I currently suggest OrthoMega Fish Oils by OrthoMolecular Products and EPA/DHA 720 by Metagenics. There are a number of other quality fish oils out in the market. The problem is that they are WAY more expensive. Read the article: “Comparing Supplement Prices. Are You Being Taken?” to see a great example comparing OrthoMega with Nordic Naturals.