Having worked in R&D at a vitamin company for over eight (8) years, I can tell you that a lot of nutritional advice is hogwash and most nutritional supplements are totally unnecessary for most people leading a healthy lifestyle that involves not smoking, exercise, and a good diet (which does exclude a significant number of people, actually). In fact, some nutritional supplements, like beta-carotene, can even do more harm in smokers than in regular people. But there are exceptions. One of them is that essential omega-3 fatty acids are important in the diet for maintaining optimal health. We can only get them from the diet, and they are called "essential" because they are essential for good health. So we must eat them.
But guess what? The American diet is severely lacking in omega-3 fatty acids. This is because omega-3 fatty acids are found primarily in fatty marine fish (salmon, tuna, cod, mackerel, etc.), flaxseed oil, and raw nuts. Occasionally you will find them added to other foods like soy milk or the eggs from chickens fed on a diet rich in omega-3s. But for the most part Americans don't eat enough of any of these foods. People are told to avoid fatty fish because of mercury poisoning, and nuts because of the calories. In both cases, the benefits of eating omega-3 fats far outweigh the other risks. But people are inherently fearful.
Even when people do eat nuts, they tend to be processed (roasted), which destroys some of the essential fatty acid content. The same goes for cooking fish, although cooking at lower temperatures is better. Flaxseed oil is not a mainstream food in the American diet at all. To get enough omega-3 fatty acids from fish would require eating fish almost every day. Also, farmed fish are quite variable in their omega-3 fatty acid content, depending on where they are farmed and what they are fed (increasingly, a corn-based diet, lacking in omega-3s).
Before agricultural meats became grain-fed (thus, lacking omega-3 fatty acids), grass fed livestock was rich in omega-3 fatty acids (which are found in grasses, but not grains), so people could get a balance of omega-3s and other fats eating other meats besides fish. It is still possible to obtain 100% natural grass fed beef if you look for it, but it tends to be quite a bit more expensive than the crappy, chemical-laden, nutrient devitalized meats you will find in most conventional grocery stores.
So what is a person to do? Well, you can supplement with fish oil, like I do. That's the simplest strategy. You can also use flaxseed oil, if you prefer a vegetarian source of omega-3 fats. But keep in mind that the omega-3 fats in flaxseed oil are in an inactive form and your body has to metabolize them into the long-chain fatty acids needed by the body. Most people can do this easily, but some people have a genetic inability to convert flaxseed oil into the essential omega-3 fats EPA and DHA (these fats are already present in fish oil, because the fish has already done the metabolic conversion from eating omega-3 rich algae in the sea).
So, if you decide to supplement with fish oil, the question is, "What is the best source?"
From my years in R&D at the vitamin company, working closely with a lot of practicing nutritional health professionals, I am fairly convinced the best fish oil is cod liver oil. Norwegian Salmon Oil is very good also.
However, the reason I favor cod liver oil is because it is also the richest source of natural vitamin D3. Notwithstanding the fortification of some foods with low levels of vitamin D, the American population is chronically deficient in vitamin D, which has been attributed to risk for several diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and even multiple sclerosis. Most people (but not all) get enough vitamin D for healthy bones and teeth, but not enough to protect against other vitamin D linked ailments. The problem is, most people never know they are deficient.
The deficiency results from a lack of natural vitamin D in the body. People make vitamin D whenever direct sunlight contacts unprotected skin. UV light causes the skin to manufacture vitamin D and circulate it in the blood. This is why it is called the "sunshine" vitamin (it is actually more like a hormone than a vitamin). A healthy dose of sunlight is great for most people to get their vitamin D (i.e., not staying in the sun so long as to get skin damage).
But again, people are fearful. They are so afraid of all the warnings against direct sunlight exposure, because of the skin cancer risk, that they avoid getting ample sunlight on their skin by staying indoors or wearing sunscreen and protective clothing. There is an increased risk of skin cancer from exposing oneself to damaging levels of sunlight, but the benefits of a healthy exposure to sunlight in terms of getting enough vitamin D far outweigh the skin cancer risks.
Also, it has been shown that the recommended daily allowance of vitamin D is far too low. It is high enough to prevent known bone conditions like osteopenia (in adults) and rickets (in children), but not high enough to maintain a fully healthy human metabolism.
So that is why I recommend cod liver oil as the best source of omega-3 rich fish oil. It contains high quantities of both DHA/EPA and vitamin D3 in active forms that are readily metabolized by the body.
Does that make sense? If not, please E-MAIL ME or comment below.
REFERENCE: Vitamin D Health: Why You Shouldn't Shun the Sun by Dr. Frank Lipman.
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