The vast majority of Americans get nowhere near enough omega-3 in their diet which is why omega-3 supplements have become so popular. But… which one should you chose? One of the best omega-3 supplements on the market is a fish oil supplement offered by a company called Brandless. This assessment is based on both the QUALITY of the product and the LOW PRICE POINT compared to other omega-3 supplements of the same quality. Let’s delve into the details of how to choose the best omega-3 supplement and why Brandless Fish Oil Supplements are one of the best deals on the market.
Choose an Omega-3 Supplement With High Levels of EPA and DHA , not ALA
There are many different forms of omega-3 and the human body processes each one differently. The three main forms of omega-3 are:
ALA (alpha-linolenic acid)
EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid)
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid)
ALA is the type of omega-3 found in many plant foods. Examples of foods high in ALA include flax seeds, walnuts, and leafy green vegetables. While ALA is considered healthy, as are the foods high in ALA, the human body cannot utilize ALA directly. Instead, the body must first convert ALA into EPA or DHA before it can derive a benefit. Further, the conversion efficiency from ALA to EPA and ALA to DHA is quite low, according to multiple published scientific reports.
For example, according to a study put out by the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, the conversion rate of ALA to either DHA or EPA in healthy young men is only 8 to 12 percent! In healthy young women, the ALA conversation rate rises to about 30 percent. However, even though the ALA conversion rate in woman is about three times higher than in men, a 30 percent ALA conversion rate is still a quite low. This low ALA conversion rate indicates that in young healthy women about 70 percent of the ALA ingested is wasted. In men, about 90 percent of the ALA is wasted. Thus, while it can be said that ALA is good for you, DHA and EPA are far better for you because the human body can immediately put 100 percent these two types of omega-3 to good use!
The conversion factor gets even worse as we age in both sexes. In fact, the conversion rate differential flattens out later in life because estrogen levels drop in woman and this is the primary reason we see a higher ALA conversion rate in young women versus young men. Regardless, both men and women see their ALA conversion rates start to plummet after the age of around 25. This is also why it’s even more important to supplement with a good omega-3 supplement like those offered by Brandless after your mid-twenties.
So, back to “how to choose the best omega-3 supplement.” You want an omega-3 supplement that has high levels of both DHA and EPA. ALA is basically an afterthought and ALA supplements should only be considered by those with a fish and seafood allergy or by those who are strictly vegan and don’t eat fish, no exceptions. Most omega-3 supplements are fatty fish oils because fatty fish contain very high levels of EPA and DHA in their oils. You can also find omega-3 supplements made from krill and green-lipped mussels. Much ado has been made about the “advantages” of the omega-3 in krill and green-lipped mussels. However, this is overblown, to say the least, if you look into the details. A good fish oil, like Brandless offers at a low price, will give you plenty of DHA and EPA that is easily utilized by the body.
In Brandless Fish Oil Supplements, you get 650mg EPA and 450mg DHA in one serving (2 soft gel capsules). That’s a total of 1100mg of omega-3 a day — in a form that can be 100 percent utilized by the body immediately. This is just a little under what the U.S. Institute of Medicine recommends as a daily intake for adults. Assuming you get a little omega-3 in our food and you’re healthy, this is about the perfect amount of omega-3 for most people to take as a daily supplement. If you happen to eat a lot of fatty fish one day, particularly fatty fish like salmon, you can always skip a day of omega-3 supplementation.
You Should Pick an Omega Supplement Made From Small Fish Low On the Food Chain
The sad truth about our oceans is that there is no place on Earth where the waters are pristine anymore! There are toxins like heavy metals and PVC in every ocean basin. Don’t let anyone fool you and tell you otherwise, although some areas are worse than others. Now, here’s something VERY IMPORTANT for you to never forget. The level of toxins in a marine creature’s body depends in large part on where it is on the food chain. Toxin levels get magnified as we go up the food chain so that big fish like tuna and salmon will tend to have more far more toxins accumulated in their body oil than little fish like sardines.
Here’s another highly relevant fact to remember. Toxins are more concentrated in the oil of a fish (and most creatures) than anywhere else in their body. So, when you’re selecting a fish oil omega-3 supplement to take every day, you should look for a supplement that contains fish oil obtained from smaller fish like anchovies, sardines, and mackerel. These are exactly the fish that Brandless uses in their fish oil supplements so they hit the highest quality mark on this factor too.
You Want WILD Fish, Not Farmed Fish
Brandless Fish Oil Supplements are made from wild fish, not farmed fish. This is what you want because farmed fish almost always have more contaminants than do wild fish. This may sound counterintuitive at first because you might be thinking they’re raised outside our polluted oceans. However, the water inside the enclosures for farmed fish in get quite nasty. Brandless also includes natural rosemary oil and lemon oil in their fish oil supplements which makes them taste better in case you belch, as most people do, at least to a minor degree, when taking fish oil.
One Final Point
Brandless is able to offer higher quality products at lower prices, like their DHA and EPA omega-3 fish oil supplements, because they eliminate the “middle man” and sell products directly to consumers. Additionally, they don’t spend any money on branding like most companies do so they can afford to offer lower prices for high quality products.
