Worried About Dangerous Contaminants in Your Fish Oil Capsules? New Evidence Suggests You Should Be.

For years we have been hearing about the many health benefits of taking omega-3 fish oil supplements. But recent news reports have many consumers wondering where these supplements come from and if they are safe to take. It’s become increasingly important in today’s climate to understand how omega-3 fish oil is processed and to learn how to identify the best fish oil supplements.

On March 2, 2010, a lawsuit was filed in a California Superior Court citing violations of California Proposition 65. Passed in 1986, Proposition 65 requires businesses to notify consumers about significant amounts of chemicals in the products they distribute. The lawsuit claims that six leading manufacturers and two major retailers sold fish oil supplements that contained illegally undisclosed levels of the carcinogenic chemicals known as polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, which were banned in the U.S. back in 1979.

The eight defendants named in the lawsuit are CVS Pharmacy Inc., General Nutrition Corp. (GNC), Now Health Group Inc., Omega Protein Inc., Pharmavite LLC, Rite Aid Corp., Solgar Inc., and TwinLab Corp. The suit calls on the companies named to cease production of the products containing PCBs.

But fish oil manufacturers have insisted that their products are safe, and industry spokespeople have claimed the suit was filed in California in order to take advantage of the state’s conservative Proposition 65, which is not the standard throughout the rest of the nation. While additional support for the $800 million fish oil supplement industry has come from within the legal and medical communities, it has only created increased confusion among consumers.

“Fish oil supplements are among the safest, most beneficial health products on the market,” said Andrew Shao, senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs at the Council for Responsible Nutrition.

“The bottom line is that consumers should continue to feel confident in the safety and efficacy of their fish oil supplements,” he continued. “This lawsuit does nothing to change the strong science supporting the many health benefits of fish oil, and the very low thresholds of PCBs that apparently trigger a labeling requirement in California cannot be extrapolated to demonstrate any actual risks at those levels. The health benefits for fish oil far outweigh any suggested, and unsupported, risks.”

How to Choose Safe and Effective Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplement

While Shao’s sentiments are echoed by scores of scientists, environmentalists, and legal experts, vigilant consumers can further rely on some clearly defined guidelines to help ensure that their fish oil pills are free of contaminants. There are several criteria essential when choosing a potent omega-3 fish oil:

*Pharmaceutical grade – The term pharmaceutical grade was originally taken from the standard of certification of the facilities in which pharmaceutical grade supplements were made. Look for omega-3 supplements that are molecularly distilled to remove contaminants such as PCBs and mercury. Ultra-purified fish oil also provides the highest concentration of EPA & DHA per capsule, providing optimal health benefits.

* Source – Make sure that the fish oil supplement you take comes from small fish like anchovies and sardines, caught at the peak of season in pristine waters and processed in clean facilities with state-of-the-art production techniques. The lower on the marine food chain the fish, the lower the level of contaminants in that fish.

*Purity and Concentration – Pharmaceutical grade also refers to the ingredients in the supplement. For example, Pharmaceutical grade vitamins meet the highest standards for purity and concentration. PharmaNutrients Brand supplements have been ultra-purified to remove contaminants, and are concentrated to prescription strength. PharmaNutrients surpasses all US and EU standards for quality.

Don’t be fooled by cheap knock-offs! When you do the research, the choice is clear. You’ll want to take a safe and effective omega-3 fish oil supplement from PharmaNutrients.