Choosing the right fish oil supplement may not always be easy. One of the
things to consider is that one should know about what makes such
supplements valuable to health, which is its omega 3 fatty acid content.
There are various sources of such essential fatty acids. It can be easy to
question if there is indeed a difference between getting this nutrient from
different sources.
Three Types Of Omega 3 Fatty Acids
One of the things that people should know is that there are three known
types of omega 3 fatty acids, the essential nutrient found in fish oil
supplements. The three types of omega 3 fatty acids include EPA, DHA and
ALA. ALA, or alpha-linolenic acid is a short chain omega 3 fatty acid that
is usually found in plant sources such as flax seed, walnuts, canola and
soybean oil. DHA or docosahexaenoic acid and EHA or eicosapentaenoic acid
are considered as long chain omega 3 fatty acids. The latter two are those
found in fish oil supplements.
The difference between short chain omega 3 fatty acids such as ALA and long
chain omega 3 fatty acids has to do with how the body processes them. In
order for the body to make use of such essential fatty acids, it has first
to convert the short chain types into its long chain form. This does not
usually happen readily. That is why fish oil supplements are considered
more effective in providing the omega 3 fatty acids that it needs because
it is already the long chain form which does not require any more
conversion before the body can use them.
Effectiveness
One of the other things to consider when choosing between fish oil
supplements and ones that are sourced from plants deals with their
effectiveness and benefits. Experts believe that the long chain omega 3
fatty acids being sourced from fish oils prove to be more effective in
terms of health benefits. These essential fatty acids have already been
known to offer some benefit in preventing heart disease. With the short
chain fatty acid ALA however, experts are not too sure if ever it does
provide the same benefit because it may still require additional conversion
before it can be used by the body.
Fish Oil Source
Now that one already knows the difference between omega 3 fatty acids
sourced from fish as well as those from plants, it seems that fish oil seem
to have the upper hand. But this time there are some other things to
consider. In order to get the type of fish oil supplements that offer the
best source of long chain omega 3 fatty acids, people should know where
they are being sourced from.
One important thing for consumers to look at when buying fish oil
supplements is the label. It should contain information of where the fish
oil used in the supplement is being sourced from. Because there can be more
than just one fish species to source out such supplements, it is important
to clearly know what types of fishes these may be.
Certain labels may contain information of the fish oil being sourced from
salmon, tuna or anchovies. This might be considered safe. But if labels on
the said supplements only tell of fish oil or marine lipids, this should
ring some warning bells. It may be possible that fish oils in such
supplements may not be too sure where the source may come from, which might
also cast some doubt on the purity of the fish oil being used
