Pharmaceutical grade fish oil, what is it?
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Pharmaceutical grade fish oil
is a new highly purified fish oil is that is
more concentrated, free of dangerous toxins, and has been clinically
tested. Because of it's higher potency and purity results are achieved that are
not possible with cod liver oil or typical health food
fish oils. Compared to lower grade oils pharmaceutical fish oil is 2-3 times
as potent and 100's of times more pure.
How can you determine if a fish oil is really pharmacetuical grade? Some manufactures claim their product is
pharmaceutical grade because it is manufactured in an FDA certified
facility. Others base the claim on the purity of the oil, however, in most cases you have to take their word for it. The International Fish Oil Standard (IFOS) is administered by a third party independent laboratory that is not in the fish oil manufacturing or selling business. They have by far the strictest testing and requirements to qualify as pharmaceutical grade fish oil and they publish the 5 star fish oil test results on the internet for everyone to see. The requirements include containing more than 60% total long-chain omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA combined, containing less than 45 ppb
PCB's, dioxin and furan less than 1 ppt, oxidation less than 19.5 meq/kg, and passing all the requirements of the less strict CRN and World Health Organization (WHO) requirements. This means that the oil is high
potency based on the EPA and DHA content, is fresh with very little oxidation and
has had impurities such as PCB's and mercury removed. IFOS
criteria are strict and can be considered the "gold standard". The refining process necessary to produce pharmaceutical
grade fish oil is very extensive and expensive. Typical
health food store fish oil's and cod liver oil are not
pharmaceutical grade, have a lower potency and may contain impurites.
Additional information about fish oil purity can be found on the web at
Nutrasource Diagnostics, Inc.
This company conducts testing of fish oils to make sure they are free of impurites. In fact
they publish the actual test results for every batch of Trilogy Sealogix Fish Oil right on their
website.
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Why take pharmaceutical fish oil?
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Prior to recent times our ancestors
consumed food containing many times as much healthy omega-3 fatty
acids as we do today. The omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil are EPA
and DHA. Scientific evidence reveals a diet rich in long chain omega-3 fatty
acids helps support a healthy brain, a healthy heart, a healthy immune system,
healthy joint movement, healthy kidneys, balanced mood and sense of well
being, strength and stamina* and helps maintain, cholesterol
levels that are already within the normal range.
Unlike lower grade fish oils
pharmaceutical fish oil tastes relatively good
and rarely causes any gastric upset even with high doses.
In addition it contains 2-3 times the omega-3 fatty
acids so it is possible to consume a much higher
dose and get better results. Typical health food fish oil and cod
liver oil often contain toxins and rancid lipids. That is why the lower
grade oils taste like dead fish and cause
many people to feel nauseated or develop an upset stomach after
taking to much. They are reacting to the contaminants
in the oil.
What about eating more fish? You would have to consume a lot
of fish every day to obtain the same omega-3's as in a relatively
small dose of pharmaceutical grade fish oil. Also many fish contain mercury, PCB's,
dioxin and other toxins. This isn't to suggest you shouldn't eat
fish, but, not in huge quantity.
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What is the best dosage?
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Based on the scientific research it is recommended that most people take about 2.5 grams
of the omega 3 fatty acids EPA plus DHA from fish oil per day. For his Sealogix product
that equals 4 capsules or 1 teaspoon/day of liquid. For Nordic Naturals™ the dose would be
4 capsules/day. The dose for Omegabrite requires more capsules/day because of the
smaller capsule size.
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Pharmaceutical grade fish oil product review summary
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Trilogy Sealogix™, Omegabrite™, and Nordic Naturals™ ProOmega are
all high quality pharmaceutical grade fish oils. The main difference is the ratio of the
important omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. Trilogy Sea Logix™ fish oil has an
EPA:DHA ratio of 2:1. Omegabrite™ is mostly EPA with an EPA:DHA ratio of 7:1. Nordic Naturals™ ProOmega has
the least EPA with an EPA:DHA ratio of 1.4:1. Trilogy used this formulation
because most of the studies on fish oil
that produced significant results used a 2:1 ratio like this product.
In addition Sealogix is available at a 20% discount if purchased on autoship. Dr. Stoll
says that higher EPA content works better for certain conditions which is why he
formulated Omegabrite with such a high EPA:DHA ratio. Omegabrite is available at a 10%
discount if purchased on autoship. On the other hand if you were to eat
a lot of cold water fish high in omega-3 fatty acids you would probably consume more DHA than
the supplements contain. Nordic Naturals has the highest DHA so it is closer to the content
you would obtain by eating fish.
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Liquid:
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45 teaspoons / bottle
1.8 grams of EPA and 0.9 grams of DHA / teaspoon
EPA:DHA ratio 2:1
1 1/2 month supply (based on 2.7 grams omega-3 / day)
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Capsules:
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120 capsules / bottle
400 mg of EPA and 200 mg of DHA / 1000 mg capsule
EPA:DHA ratio 2:1
1 month supply (based on 2.5 grams omega-3 / day)
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Website:
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Sealogix fish oil
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Sealogix™ is very high quality and meets the "gold standard" requirements for
pharmaceutical grade fish oil. It is the most cost effective based on the price per gram
of omega-3 fatty acids. Each bottle contains 2 - 4 times as many capsules as competitors
products and the capsules are 1000 mg each. Sealogix fish oil is available in both liquid and capsules. Most people need a dose of 1 teaspoon of the liquid
or 4 of the capsules per day. Based on
the suggested dose one bottle of the fish oil liquid is a 1 1/2 months supply and one bottle of capsules is a
1 month supply. There is a 30 day money back guarantee on Sealogix™. The product may be purchased at
a 20% discount by signing up for autoship.
Pharmaceutical grade fish oil is the most important nutritional supplement you can take. The benefits will be even greater if consumption of high omega-6 oils (soy oil, corn oil, safflower oil, etc.) and hydrogenated oils is reduced at the same time. Sealogix™ was formulated with a 2:1 ratio of EPA to DHA because that was close to
the ratio used in most of the scientific studies that produced significant results. Sealogix is available to the public through the distributor Trilogy.
Sealogix™ Fish Oil is manufactured using a true molecular distillation process to assure
removal of man made pollutants such as PCB's, dioxins and mercury. A rigorous analysis
and certification is made by an Independent Lab (NutraSource Diagnostics, Inc.) before
product formulationd so the product will produce the most omega 3 and fish oil benefits.
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Capsules:
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60 softgels / bottle
375 mg EPA and 55 mg DHA / 500 mg softgel
EPA:DHA ratio 7:1
10 day supply (based on 2.6 grams omega-3 / day)
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Website:
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Click here for Omegabrite™
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Omegabrite™ products are distributed by Omegabrite™ in Waltham, MA. They promote a
program that is explained in detail in the book
The Omega-3 Connection
by Andrew Stoll, M.D. Omegabrite™ is a
true pharmaceutical grade
fish oil based on the highest standards. The softgels are 500 mg each while
the capsules from competitors are 1000 mg. The biggest difference between Omegabrite™
and other pharmaceutical grade fish oils is
that Omegabrite™ is composed almost entirely of EPA leaving out most of the DHA that
is naturally found in fish oil. Dr. Stoll
believes that a higher EPA content is better in some cases.
Based on the comparitive daily dose a box will last
for about 10 days.
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Capsules:
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60 soft gels / bottle
350 mg of EPA and 250 mg of DHA / 1000 mg soft gel
EPA:DHA ratio 1.4:1
15 day supply (based on 2.4 grams omega-3 / day)
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Website:
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Click here for Nordic Naturals™
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Nordic Naturals fish oils are very high
quality, however, most are not high potency. If you purchase their
fish oil be sure and buy ProOmega soft gels. It contains the same
total quantity per capsule of omega-3 fatty acids as Trilogy Sealogix™. The difference is that Nordic Naturals™ ProOmega
contains more DHA with an EPA:DHA ratio of 1.4:1 as compared to
the 2:1 ratio that was used in many studies. Based on the comparitive
daily dose (2.5 g omega-3 fatty acids EPA & DHA/day) a bottle will last for about 15 days.
Nordic Naturals™ manufacture all products in Norway. Their products are
pharmaceutical grade fish oil based on a quality level that exceeds both the Norwegian
Medicinal and European Pharmacopoeia Standards. Their products are molecularly distilled
utilizing the latest distillation technology and
this process guarantees the removal of potential heavy metals (lead, mercury, etc.), PCB,
and dioxins. Low heat and ultra short residence time is used during the distillation process
to ensure positively no damage to the oil. A final enzyme process is applied to ensure a burp free product.
They also utilize a proprietary nitrogen environment to achieve industry leading freshness levels.
More information can be found on the Nordic Naturals™ website at
Nordicnaturals.com.
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Lower Quality Fish Oils
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There are many fish oils that claim to be pharmaceutical grade or that claim to be very pure based on an 'official standard' or 'no detectable' toxins. These claims are not regulated so any fish oil manufacturer can say almost anything about their product. Since the International Fish Oil Standard is administered by a third party lab that is not in the fish oil business it is one of the few sources of objective information. Since they publish on their website all the 5 Star fish oils that gives a level playing field for fish oil manufactures to prove that their product really is pharmaceutical grade. If you don't see a companies fish oil on the IFOS website rated as 5 stars you have to wonder why.
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Statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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