Health & Fitness Blog

The health benefits of omega3 essential fatty acids are becoming more and more mainstream, and gradually the population is becoming aware that most of us are deficient in their Omega3 intake and that increasing our intake of essential fatty acids may help improve a number of health outcomes for all of us. Omega3 fatty acids are found in fish oil and this obviously comes from fish, however fish is generally contaminated with Mercury. So what do you do increase your intake of healthy fats if the source, namely 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 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.

The major causes of Mercury contamination in the Pacific were found to be atmospheric Mercury production as well as Mercury leakage from parts of Asia. The Mercury is in the form of methylmercury, and this works it’s way from the bottom of the food chain to the major fish at the top of the food chain such as tuna and shark, both of which feature largely in our intake of fish.

So there is a dilemma here for anyone wishing to increase their intake of omega3 essential fatty acids from eating more fish. If you eat more fish you get more Omega3 oils in your diet however you also increase your level of Mercury consumption.

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.

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.

To find a comparison of the different fish oil capsules available visit my website

Want to know more about the health benefits of Fish Oil? Or more about Omega3 Fatty Acids? Visit Peter’s Website Healthy Omega 3 Fish Oil.