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Theres something thats nagging at me lately. Here in the UK there seems to be a major drive to get every parent to make sure their kid takes omega 3 supplements and fish oils. This is presumably another daft tactic sold on the premise of trying to make children smarter, and that in someway is being employed as yet another panacea for the general crisis in errant childhood behaviour that britain is so obsessed about at the moment.

This perhaps wouldnt be a problem if people just ate a range of fish, but I strongly suspect that a limited range of fish will be heavily exploited , thusly damaging the populations of these fish. I was wondering if anyone knew if these omega 3 products are sourced from a particular species, and if the industry is causing increased demand for fishing, and has a lot of bycatch waste, or if indeed, they are cleverly managing to use the offal from fish that are already being caught?

I will of course look into it myself, but I wanted to know if anyone has looked into it yet?

Omega 3 can also be obtained from pressed flax oil, so I would love to know where the nutritional and pharmaceutical companies are sourcing the stuff.

You get alot of Omega 3's from fatty fish, like mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna, and salmon. I am taking a nutrition class and my teacher said to not eat the same types all the time. Variety is better because alot of fish contains mercury.

Omega 3's also can come from flaxseed oil, canola oil, walnut oil, wheat germ oil, and soybean oil, as well as nuts (walnuts are good), seeds, and soybeans. These are the Alpha Linolenic Acids and not as great as the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) types which come from fish and fish oils. EPA and DHA types can be synthesized from Linolenic Acids.

I'm not sure how they get the fish oils though. My nutrition teacher did say that the supplements really don't help that much. Actually eating food with the Omega 3's in it is more effective.

Hope that helps a little.

Info came from my nutrition notes and Americanheart.org.

*Kristin*

As an experment I took myself of Omega 3 for three months. I stopped immediatly after my regular blood tests. The next blood test showed the medical problem was rising. I immediatly went straight back to the Omega and the problem was reduced. All I can say it works for me.

I'm not sure how they get the fish oils though. My nutrition teacher did say that the supplements really don't help that much. Actually eating food with the Omega 3's in it is more effective.

It would depend on the amount of Omega 3 capsules taken. To get it naturally you would have to have a very good regular supply of "Fresh" suitable fish. Also know what fish to eat. I eat fish at least three times a week but I still must have the suplement Omega 3

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Keith

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I work for a long term care pharmacy, we service nursing homes and a adult foster care facilities. Some doctors swear by omega 3 and others shy away from it. Right now the doctors have been suggesting taking Omega 3 such as fish oil capsules and alternating them with a flax seed oil cap. Also Omega 3 is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure, high lipid (fat) levels in the blood (hyperlipidemia), certain skin/scalp conditions (atopic dermatitis, psoriasis), ulcerative colitis, or certain blood circulation problems (Raynaud's syndrome).

I was on both Omega3 and fish oil for 3 years for my CFS, and they did make a difference to some symptoms. I'm pretty certain that its cheaper to get Omega 3 from flax etc and that didn't have a fishy flavour (although it was processed to within an inch of its life) and the fish oil, well, I'm not sure if it was standardised to anything in particular, because if it wasn't i'm sure they'd use a variety of fish byproduct to get it.

I'll ask around.

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

Blackmores (manufacturer) explained to me that the fresh fish they use is seasonal.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

thanks everyone