The story of finding the perfect 1000mg fish oil soft gel supplement reads like a suspenseful novel where you simply don't know where the story will eventually end. In fact, the idea of consuming fish oil for achieving optimal health was virtually put on the dusty shelf along with all of the old wives tales after it was discovered that cod liver oil could be dangerous due to vitamin A and D toxicity risk along with the possibility it contained high levels of mercury and other toxins.
Actually this was quite welcome news for most of us who disliked the taste that those giant 1000mg spoonfuls of foul tasting cod liver oil that left an aftertaste like none other. But as with so many things science evolved, the understanding of the many health benefit of omega 3 fatty acids became clearer, and advances in both purifications and encapsulation made fish oil more palatable, as well as safer.
But fish supplements didn't really enter the mainstream until an editorial was published in the American Journal of Cardiology stating that fish and fish oil supplements should be added to the list of standard treatments for coronary heart disease. This was closely followed by the American Heart Association suggesting that two serving of cold water fatty fish weekly were recommended for cardiovascular health. After that it was off to the races.
But there was one problem, the purification process used to transform fish into fish supplements was still very expensive to perform correctly, thus purchasing oil derived from cold water fatty fish that was virtually free from toxins, mercury, PCBs, and other poisons was very, very expensive.
Today we are faced with a much different scenario when determining what the perfect 1000 mg fish oil soft gel supplement really is.
There are a number of real positives. A few of these would be very reasonable pricing, the molecular purification process in most cases is quite good, encapsulation procedures have done away with the awful aftertaste, and availability has never been better due to the internet and distribution.
Nevertheless, the demand for supplements derived from cold water fatty fish has created a whole new set of problems with manufacturers trying to provide the lowest price while turning a blind eye to quality.
Most have started using the cheapest fish available. These are almost always anchovies and sardines. This has lead to the average 1000 mg fish oil soft get containing around 300 mg of the omega 3 fatty acids.
Omega 3 fatty acids are the substances that provide the numerous health benefits linked to fish supplements. To make matter worse very rarely do they these products contain more than 180 mg of DHA which is considered by many to be the single most important omega 3 fatty acids.
But despite the temptation to produce lesser quality, low cost options, there are a handful of manufacturers who have stuck to their guns and figured out a way to formulate what many consider to be the perfect 1000 mg fish oil soft gel supplement.
One of these manufacturers is Xtend Life. Xtend Life uses only hoki and tuna in their premium quality product. This formulation has resulted in a high DHA product, which contains almost twice the amount of essential omega 3 fatty acids (500 mg) for virtually the same price as most brands found on the shelves of your favorite pharmacy, superstore, or health food venue.
About the Author:Rob Hawkins has spent the last 20 years as an enthusiastic advocate promoting the benefits of natural lifestyle supported by the use of complementary herbal and natural medicines, with much of the last ten dedicated to spreading the word online.
