Fish Oil Side Effects

Vegetarian Omega-3

Vegetarians enjoy many, well documented health benefits such as a reduced risk of osteoporosis, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer. Compared to the standard, Western diet of fast food and junk, the vegetarian lifestyle can be considered a much healthier alternative. However, although vegetarianism can be great for one’s health, vegetarians may be prone to omega-3 deficiency due to the fact that omega-3 is mainly found in fatty fish, meats and shell fish.

This article will look at several key pieces of literature focusing on vegetarian omega-3.

There has been much past and present research indicating that vegetarians may be severely lacking in omega-3. If you do not already know, omega-3 fatty acid is an essential nutrient that cannot be manufactured in the body- it must be consumed in the diet. Omega-3 is vital for optimal bodily function. Various scientific research has noted that due to the complete lack of animal fats in vegan-ism diets, vegans have greatly reduced values of omega-3 fatty acids compared to their animal fat eating counterparts.

On the other hand, Vegetarian omega-3 can be obtained from grass-fed milk, DHA fortified milk and free range eggs. Notice how I specifically noted grass-fed and free range for milk and eggs. Mass produced milk and eggs simply do not contain much, if any, omega-3. Before the industrial revolution and the mass refinement of foods that followed, the omega-3 fatty acids that were once found in unrefined vegetable oils, green leafy vegetables and free-range animal products are no longer viable sources of this essential nutrient.

The big problem regarding vegetarians and omega-3 is that the major sources of omega-3 fatty acids are fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, mackeral and tuna or the oil derived from the aforementioned fish (known as fish oil). Flax seed oil is also a source of omega-3 but it does not utilized as effectively in the body compared to the aforementioned fish oils.

Another big problem regarding vegetarians and omega-3 is that many vegetarians seem to consume a diet very high in omega-6, which is an omega-3 fatty acid antagonist. Oils such as safflower, nut oils, palm oil, canola oil all contain high levels of omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-6 fatty acids compete against omega-3 fatty acids and throw off the optimal balance which the body needs to function properly. While this does not sound like a big deal, a disporportionate balance of omega-6 to omega-3 can lead to an increased risk of arthritis, cancer, heart attack, diabetes and stroke.

Implications stemming from lack of Omega-3 found in Vegetarian Diets

While no one is arguing that vegetarianism is an unhealthy lifestyle, due to a lack of vegetarian omega-3, vegetarians could be at a higher risk for several ailments such as:

• Depression
• Dry hair, skin or nails
• Arthritis or aching joints/ muscles
• Inability to concentrate or forgetfulness
• Suppressed immune system (frequent sickness)
• Fatigue
• Poor digestion
• Lack of motivation

Are you a vegetarian? Does this sound like you? It may be time to consider vegetarian omega-3.

Omega-3 fatty acids are considered essential for the reason that the body cannot manufacture this nutrient- it must be consumed in diet. Not only that, omega-3′s role in the body is essential as well. Not only does omega-3 supply the body with energy, it is needed for optimal functioning and repair cellular membranes, hormones, nerve cells and other responsibilities including:

• Producing and regulating important hormones
• Optimizing immune system functioning
• Regulating joint and muscle inflammation, swelling and pain
• Preventing blood clots

and a host of other benefits as well!

The Solution For Vegetarian Omega-3

Alright, you finally get it. Being a vegetarian, while providing many great health benefits, leaves you susceptible to an omega-3 deficiency that could be causing you a host of problems. So what can you do about it? While besides forgoing your true vegetarian principles and just taking fish oil capsules, there are some products out there that may help your quest for eliminating your omega-3 deficiency. Here are some suggestions:

• An algae derived vegetarian omega-3 supplement. Not the greatest solution, but will provide some omega-3 without compromising vegetarianism.
• A fresh, high quality flax seed oil. Make sure to get a fresh, high quality oil and keep it cold. This stuff goes rancid fast. While flax seed oil does have omega-3, it does not contain much EPA or DHA, which are the main omega-3 fatty acids responsible for all the goodies listed above. The omega-3 acid found in flax seed oil must get converted to EPA and DHA, and depending on your health, may not be converted effectively.
• Grass fed milk and free range eggs. Not only would you be helping your local farmer, you would be consuming two foods that are very nutritious, provide omega-3 fatty acid and a host of other vitamins and nutrients. Win win!

Like with any change to your diet, I highly encourage you to consult with your doctor before making any changes to your current dietary habits. If he or she is good, they will certainly encourage and provide helpful insight regarding omega-3.

Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil

Pharmaceutical grade fish oil is relatively new but becoming more and more popular. In fact, I recently saw a commercial advertising for it. Like many, I wondered how prescription fish oil measured up to fish oil purchased over the counter or online. Is pharmaceutical grade fish oil better than the stuff we can buy at the store? Or is this just another attempt of a big company trying to make money on a supplement that has a boat load of health benefits.

I decided to seek out these answers. This is what I found:

Fish oil has come a long way since the early days of fish oil supplementation, in particular- the purification process. As you may have read in my article Fish Oil Side Effects, cheap fish oil can contain harmful toxins such as mercury that are greatly harmful to the body. As the benefits of fish oil continued to be discovered and the popularity of fish oil soared, the purification process began to advance. Fortunately for us, many companies now offer very pure and high quality fish oil supplements.

Recently, pharmaceutical companies have recognized the popularity of fish oil and decided it would be profitable to create a pharmaceutical grade fish oil.

The main difference between pharmaceutical grade fish oil and over the counter fish oil, is that pharmaceutical grade fish oil contains about 80% EPA/DHA compared to approximately 30% found in over the counter supplements. Pharmaceutical companies are able to achieve this highly concentrated blend through a patented purification process that changes the molecular structure of EPA and DHA. More specifically, they turned EPA and DHA into ethyl esters as opposed to triglycerides. This highly concentrated blend of EPA and DHA is extremely pure.

EPA and DHA ethyl esters were studied extensively with a large study group of over 18,000 people. From this study, the FDA approved pharmaceutical grade fish oil for the treatment of high triglycerides.

So what does this mean exactly?

While the purity and ratio of EPA/DHA found in pharmaceutical grade fish oil cannot be argued, there has been no research to suggest that pharmaceutical grade fish oil is superior to regular fish oil. In addition, the price for pharmaceutical grade fish oil can cost an upwards of $200 per month.

Two studies which looked at how the body treats pharmaceutical grade fish oil compared to regular fish oil found that omega-3 (EPA/DHA) ethyl esters found in pharmaceutical grade fish oil may be absorbed less optimally than regular fish oil. While the differences were not statistically significant, the research did not support the fact that the omega-3 ethyl esters found in pharmaceutical grade fish oil were more effective than over the counter fish oil.

Summary

Pharmaceutical grade fish oil offers a safe, highly pure and concentrated form of fish oil. However, compared to a high quality, over-the-counter fish oil, pharmaceutical grade fish oil may not offer any extra benefits. Pharmaceutical grade fish oil will also cost more money than regular fish oil, unless of course your insurance company will pay for it.