Fish Oil - Three Keys To Finding The Best Supplement

I've been buying nutritional supplements for many years. From the beginning, I was looking for the best quality at the lowest price. Let's face it, most people are not rich. They want a good quality product at an affordable price.

When looking for the best fatty acid capsules, I discovered that there are three key distinctions one has to make about the products:

1. The level of DHA in the product. Most fish-based omega 3 supplements contain significantly more EPA than DHA. This is because EPA is a much cheaper ingredient. It is DHA, however, that is the key ingredient in fish fat and it is DHA that has the most important effect on brain function. DHA is responsible for most of the health benefits of a diet high in fatty fish. Additionally, DHA can be converted into EPA by our bodies, whereas EPA is not so easily converted into DHA. So we must look for fish oil capsules with a higher level of DHA than EPA.

2. Purity. With our oceans being so polluted and the fish being so contaminated with mercury and other toxic substances, we must assure that the capsules we buy are made with fish from clean waters and that they are molecularly distilled. Make sure that the company you buy from has a certificate of analysis available to the public. The certificate of analysis is the independent assessment of the amount of contaminants in the product. The contamination in good quality supplements is negligible.

3. Cost. It is important that we work out the cost in dollars per gram of DHA and not the cost per capsule or tablet. In my long experience with omega 3 products, I've tried many of the better fish oils on the market. I used to pay over three US dollars per gram of DHA, when I was taking a good, quality European fish oil. For the past six months or so, I have been taking a very special fish oil from New Zealand made specifically to contain a very high amount of DHA. My cost per gram of DHA has dropped from $3 to $1.

There are many supplements available on the market today. Some very good and some not. My experience shows that it is possible to find a great, pure, effective product at a price that is affordable for everyone. I believe that this is one of the best investments one can make in one's life: truly an investment in health and longevity !