Important Things to Know When Choosing a Fish Oil Supplement

Things to look for in a good fish oil pill:

• "Pharmaceutical Grade" is printed on the bottle: A fish oil pill company cannot print this on the label unless it truly is just that.  Watch out for companies that allude to it with phony medical symbols, etc. They're trying to fake you out.
• Ultra-Purified printed on the bottle:  Due to mercury in fish, the fish oil must be 50% distilled at the very least. The bottle cannot say "mercury free" unless it is! A way to know if it has contaminants is to squeeze some of the fish oil into a little container and freeze it.  If it gets a crusty top that means it has contaminants--and just throw it out! If it is gel-like, but not crusty, that's a good sign.
• DHA/EPA content is disclosed on the bottle, specifically seeing the DHA/EPA content divided out.  This is based on research findings (see link below).  The basic idea is that DHA and EPA amounts should not be equal to each other (i.e. EPA 370 mg/ DHA 230 mg.)  If they are equal (i.e. EPA 370 mg/ DHA 370 mg), look for another fish oil pill.
• Natural flavoring or prepared so you don't burp up fish oil all day.  The fish oils I've found with this have a picture of some fruit somewhere on the bottle. I doubt this is required--it's just a helpful way to find fish oil pills that don't give you that awful burp-after-the-fact-taste!
• Re-Esterification: This process returns the oil to their natural triglyceride form, which is the most natural form, and most readily absorbed by the body (93% absorbed vs. about 60% for pills not re-esterified.) It may say this on the bottle.  Nordic Naturals uses this as a final step in their fish oils.
• Refrigerate your fish oil pills once you open them! Take with a healthy meal, having plenty of fruits and vegetables.
• Good rule of thumb to know if you need fish oil pills:  If you're ancestors came from a place that consumed quite a bit of fish (i.e. Western or Northern European, etc.) and you have a hunch you could use the supplements, it's probably a good idea. But really, the bottom line is to eat plenty of Omega 3s--that is CRITICAL to every one's health! Dr. Nedley usually recommends a person consume 9000 mgs a day for bipolar disorder, and 3000 mgs a day for major depression. Omega 3 imbalances cause all kinds of health problems!
• If you eat Vegan (aka "Plant-Based"): Evidence shows that vegetarians have a higher conversion process of ALA to EPA and DHA, so it's possible you don't even need a supplement if you're a vegetarian or vegan.  But if you'd like you can order Algae pills from Dr. Nedley's.  See his website at: www.drnedley.com.
• For more information with a number of clinical studies, see the following blog: 
• http://depressionhealinginsights.blogspot.com/2009/12/research-discussion-on-omega-3s-and.html