Medical journals and mass media swear by it, so it’s easy to get the idea fish oil is something any sensible person should use. Yet, certain supplements use industrial solvents, don’t contain “a single milligram” of the omega-3s found in fish, and may cause more harm than good. STORY AT-A-GLANCE A chemical process leaves many fish oil supplements lacking in actual EPA and DHA omega-3s.
Trans-esterification transforms most fish oil into a synthetic product that’s far removed from the natural fish oil you’d get when eating sardines or other fatty fish.
A class-action lawsuit filed against The Bountiful Company and its subsidiary Nature’s Bounty alleges consumers are being misled, as the supplements contain “not a single milligram” of the omega-3 fats found in fish.
In fish, DHA, and EPA occur in the form of triglycerides, which are the most bioavailable; in most fish oil supplements, the omega-3 fats are in ethyl ester form.
Ideally, consume omega-3 fats by eating fatty, cold-water fish such as wild-caught Alaskan salmon, sardines, anchovies, mackerel, and herring—if you choose to use a supplement, krill oil provides a superior alternative to fish oil. Reading medical journals and following the mass media, it’s easy to get the idea that fish oil is something any sensible person should use. It’s rare to see anything suggesting that it could be dangerous….