Omega-3 & Cod Liver Oil

Omega-3s are a certain group of fats which are an essential element of our diet. There are two main types of omega-3s - one type called alpha linolenic acid (ALA) and is found in nuts and grains such as walnut, soy and flaxseed (linseed).

 

The other types are only found in the oil of fish and these are called eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and these are the types that have most evidence supporting a unique role in our health.

An enormous amount of scientific evidence now supports the role of omega-3s, notably EPA and DHA in the following areas of healthcare.

 

1) Brain and neural development

2) Reducing risk of cardiovascular disease

3) Reducing severity of inflammatory and autoimmune conditions

4) Improved cognitive function and development in children

5) Reduced severity of many mental disorders

6) Reduced age related loss of cognitive function

There is no RDA set for omega-3, but the UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN)in 2004, advised that a minimum intake of 450mg EPA/DHA per day, and it is generally recognised that there is a tendency for further reduction in risk of some diseases as intakes increase to up to 3g per day.

As a guide, a 4oz portion of lightly cooked oily fish will contain between 1- 2g of EPA/DHA. In contrast, between 32 and 64ozs of cod would need to be consumed to deliver the same level of EPA/DHA.

Yes, taking fish oil supplements is a convenient alternative to eating oily fish as a source of EPA and DHA. Also, because of filtration processes used to produce fish oil, the high quality fish oil supplements contain lower levels of pollutants than the original fish.  

 

The only disadvantage to supplements is that it can be difficult to achieve the desired levels of intake of EPA and DHA, particularly from capsule products.

The livers of animals is the organ which is used to detoxify and pollutants so oil from the livers has a likelihood of containing quite high concentrations of these pollutants. However, in most high quality cod liver oils and other fish oils the pollutants have been filtered out and as such, these supplements actually contain less contaminants than the original fish.

Not really, both EPA and DHA are always found together in natural fish oils but the ratios vary. The only situation where it is clearly important to emphasise DHA rather than EPA is supplementation during pregnancy and lactation, so look for a supplement with high DHA content.

Overall the rule of thumb is to go for the highest level of EPA and DHA collectively and this is how products have been assessed in Supplements Compared.