There is now little doubt about the health benefits of omega3 fatty acids. These have been well publicised recently and more and more people are becoming aware that the vast majority of us are deficient in our Omega3 fatty acid intake. Of course these essential fatty acids are found in fish oil which comes from fish, but how do we increase our intake of omega 3 when fish is contaminated with Mercury?
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’96 to 2006.
And as well is this it also found that around 40 percent of Mercury found population of US can be traced back and tuna that they have eaten which has been caught in the North Pacific.
This is seriously worrying, because you do not want to be eating too much Mercury. It is a neurotoxin and it has serious health implications for adults, but in particular for the fetus and for infants.
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.
Much more cost-effective than eating fish and also safer is to increase your Omega3 intake levels by daily supplementation with omega3 supplements. These are much more cost-effective than buying fish and the very best fish oil supplements are free of Mercury contamination and are safe to be taken daily. As a result of these fats the sales of fish oil supplements are increasing faster than any other nutritional supplement in history.
If you like eating fish then by all means increase your intake and this improves your dietary intake of omega3. However by doing so you are also increasing your intake of Mercury, as well as affecting your budget. But if you’d prefer to avoid the cost of buying fish as well is the risks of eating Mercury then omega3 supplements are certainly a much more cost-effective and are safer way to do so.
However it’s also very important to note that the different brands of Omega3 capsules available have widely differing levels of the essential omega3 fats and for this reason it’s difficult to compare those available to find out the most effective and those which offer the best value.
If you’d like to find out how to compare the different omega3 supplements available then you can do so on 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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