By the time you finish reading this article, you will know how to evaluate and pick a good fish oil out of the many available in the market. The huge variety of choices can be a little confusing. Let's see now how we can make this process simple.
The first thing you need to check is which kind of fish the oil has been extracted from. A good fish oil would ideally be extracted from an Omega 3 rich fish like the mackerel, salmon or trout. An even better choice is the Hoki fish from New Zealand. Not only is it rich in DHA Omega 3(the best kind of Omega 3) , it is also a really clean fish as it is found in the pristine waters of the southern coast of New Zealand. This area is free from industrial pollution. This makes the hoki free from contaminants like lead and mercury that other kinds of fish contain in high quantities.
Vitamin Fish Oil
Secondly, you need to check the amounts of DHA and EPA Omega 3 fats in the oil. Does the oil have enough of these fats? Also importantly, is the DHA content of the oil at least twice as that of EPA? There are two reasons for this:
1) DHA is more beneficial for us than EPA. Latest studies have proved this fact.
2) Our body can internally convert DHA into EPA if required. The reverse process is not possible though. So a high DHA intake will make sure the body will get enough EPA too.
A 50-50 mix of hoki oil with tuna oil can provide the perfect ratio of DHA and EPA in the resulting oil. If you can find a good fish oil with this mix, nothing like it.
The refining process of the oil is also important. As discussed earlier, fish can contain impurities that they absorb from the polluted ocean waters. Even an area free from industrial pollution may contain natural pollutants - like the ones from a volcanic eruption. A proper refining of the oil is necessary to remove all these impurities from the oil. Molecular Distillation is the process which can do this effectively. So make sure to check if your oil has been molecularly distilled.
So there you have it. You can easily find a good fish oil by checking for these factors mentioned here. Go now and put this to the test.