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Best Omega 3 fish oil supplement

You would have to be living under a rock to have missed all the attention that has been given to the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids the past few years. There have been numerous studies and research is still ongoing because it seems the more the scientists find out, the more beneficial these nutrients turn out to be. These vital nutrients have been discovered to provide health benefits in more areas than any other nutrient.

Omega-3 fatty acids come from several sources in nature but the richest source is from fish, with some fish containing more of the oils than others. Unfortunately, in many modern diets, we simply do not get the amount of fish that we need to give us all the omega-3 fatty acids that our bodies require. That’s why fish oil supplements are proliferating on the market but we must remember that not all fish oil supplements are the same. Xtend-Life’s Omega 3 / DHA Fish Oil has consistently beat it’s competitor’s on every level.

Omega-3 fatty acids are classified as a type of polyunsaturated fat but this is one of the good for you fats, not the kind that clogs your arteries or makes you gain weight. These nutrients are absolutely vital for proper brain development and ongoing brain functioning. Deficiency in omega-3 has been associated with attentional deficits, memory loss and cognitive impairment. This is one of the first things that were learned about omega-3 fatty acids when the nutrients were first identified. However, further studies continue to reveal even more health benefits from these wonder nutrients.

The fish oils contain natural anti-inflammatory properties that rival that of aspirin. Studies have shown that it helps with gout, arthritis and even irritable bowel syndrome because of the anti-inflammatory properties. Those same properties can help improve certain skin conditions such as psoriasis and help to repair sun-related skin damage.

Fish oils rich in the omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to prevent or reduce symptoms of various allergy-related conditions such as hayfever, sinusitis, asthma and eczema. Studies have even shown that mothers who take omega-3 during pregnancy reduce the chances of their infants developing allergies.

Several substances found in fatty acids have been shown to increase brain function and improve mood disorders, dementia and attentional difficulties. These benefits begin in the womb since 70% of a baby’s brain develops in the last trimester of pregnancy. If the mother does not get enough omega-3 during that time, the baby will actually draw from the mother’s brain, killing up to 3% of her brain cells. If the baby doesn’t get enough omega-3, brain development can be hindered.

Ongoing studies have shown that supplements of fish oils can improve all aspects of brain function and reduce deficits caused by dementia and other brain impairing disorders. People with attention deficit disorders can find relief from the symptoms of poor short term memory, loss of concentration and lack of focus by using a fish oil supplement.

As you can see, omega-3 fatty acids are important to many aspects of health and more functions are being discovered all the time. That just may make these nutrients the most important ones of all so many doctors are recommending taking a fish oil supplement every day to maintain good health. However, as we mentioned earlier, all supplements are not created equal.

Nutritional supplements are not as stringently regulated as the drug industry so there are no standards of efficacy, purity and strength that go across the board. There are some agencies that have set some standards to go by, but it is not mandatory for the manufacturers to do so. The first thing to check on any supplement label is if the company conforms to any of the standards set.

These standards are quite loose but at least it’s a starting point. Xtend-Life goes by much stricter standards than any of the agencies set as they feel that they must offer the purest and most effective fish oil supplement possible. They use the purest possible form of fish oil, derived from fish near New Zealand, where the ocean has not been contaminated like the northern oceans have. Therefore, the levels of heavy metals are non-detectable in their supplements.

Xtend-Life combines the pure hoki oil with concentrated oils from South Pacific tuna. Tuna has lower levels of the omega-3 fatty acids than the hoki but somehow reacts synergistically with the hoki oil to enable it to work better than on its own. Although they are studying this effect, they have not yet scientifically proven why this occurs, just that it does occur for whatever reason.

DHA is one of the fatty acids that has been shown to be the most important part of omega-3. Any fish oil supplement should be listing the percentage of DHA to be found in its capsule, although it is not the law so all manufacturers do not do this. Xtend-Life has a huge 28% ration of DHA while competitors range from as little as 8% up to 23%. This factor alone makes Xtend Life’s Omega 3 / DHA Fish Oil one of the best health bargains in the supplement industry.

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Last updated on Oct 21st, 2009 and filed under Health Supplements. Both comments and pings are currently closed.