Should You Get Your Omega3 Oils From Mercury Contaminated Fish?
Author: Peter Clark Date posted: Nov 30, 2009 Article views: 92 Wordcount: 528 Ezine Ready
The health benefits of Omega3 essential fatty acids are becoming more and more mainstream, and gradually the population is becoming aware that most of us are deficient in their Omega3 intake and that increasing our intake of essential fatty acids may help improve a number of health outcomes for all of us. Omega3 fatty acids are found in fish oil and this obviously comes from fish, however fish is generally contaminated with Mercury. So what do you do increase your intake of healthy fats if the source, namely fish, is contaminated with Mercury?
A new study published this year has shed some light on the Mercury contamination of fish. The study examined Mercury contamination of fish in the North Pacific and found that levels of Mercury in that ocean had increased by 30 percent over the last 10 years.
Not only that but it also concluded that around 40 percent of all Mercury exposure of people in the US came from tuna consumption from tuna caught in the Pacific.
This is a serious concern. You do not want to be eating Mercury. It is an environmental toxin and has serious implications for the health of adults, and in particular for the developing fetus and infants. It's a neurotoxin.
It was found that Mercury made its way into the oceans because of atmospheric Mercury production as well as Mercury leakage from Asia. It was present in the oceans as methylmercury, and works its way up the food chain to the fish at the top of the food chain, commonly shark and tuna. And shark and tuna make up a large percentage of our fish intake.
So there is a dilemma here for anyone wishing to increase their intake of Omega3 fats from eating more fish. If you eat more fish you get more Omega3 oils in your diet however you also increase your level of Mercury consumption.
Fish is expensive and is also a declining resource. Is there a better way of increasing your intake of essential fatty acids other than eating expensive fish? Yes there is.
A much better way that is both more cost-effective and safer than eating more fish is by daily supplementation with omega3 supplements. These can be called fish oil supplements, and the best fish oil supplements are much more cost-effective than eating fish and are also free of contamination with Mercury. Large numbers of people now recognize this and the sales of omega3 supplements are increasing faster than any other nutritional supplement in history.
Of course if you like fish and wish to increase your intake of omega3 then you can do so by eating more fish, but this is expensive and increases your intake of Mercury. That's fine if you understand this, however if you merely wish to increase your dietary intake of essential fatty acids without the cost or the risk of Mercury contamination fish oil supplements offer a safe and cost-effective way to do so.
But it's worth saying that there are big variations between the different brands of omega 3 supplements, with the best fish oil capsules having more than 2 1/2 times as much omega 3 fats as average fish oil supplements.
Want to know more about the health benefits of fish oil? Or more about Omega3 fatty acids? Visit Peter's Website Healthy Omega 3 Fish Oil.
