Should You Get Your Omega3 Oils From Mercury Contaminated Fish?
The health benefits of omega3 essential fatty acids have been well publicised recently and it is becoming well known that most of us are deficient in the omega3 oils that are so important to our good health. Omega 3 essential fatty acids are found in fish oil, which obviously comes from fish. But if fish are contaminated with Mercury then what should we do?
A recent study published this year has examined the levels of Mercury contamination in fish and in the north Pacific Ocean. According to the results of the study the levels of Mercury in the North Pacific has increased 30 percent from 1996 to 2006.
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.
Atmospheric production of Mercury as well as Mercury leakage from Asia were the major ways that it was found that Mercury made its way into the oceans. It is found in the oceans as methylmercury, and is found in our tuna because it starts at the bottom of the food chain and works it's way up right up to fish at the top of the food chain like shark and tuna. And we eat shark and tuna.
So the conundrum for anyone that understands the importance of increasing their intake of omega3 fatty acids, and who also understands that the vast majority of our population is deficient in Omega3 fats, is that by increasing your intake of fish to increase your intake of Omega3 fats you are also increasing your intake of Mercury.
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 omega3 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.
To find out how to compare the various omega3 supplements available to find those that are safe and cost effective visit my website.
Want to know more about the health benefits of Fish Oil? Or more about Omega3 Fats? Visit Peter's Website Healthy Omega 3 Fish Oil.
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