Fish are dying. Why, and how does it affect you, (and your Omega three capsules)?

You may, or may not have noticed recently that there is a phenomena occurring off the eastern shore of the US. And it may be of concern to anyone who takes their Omega three capsules.

You see there are millions of fish dying all along the east coast of the US. If this comes as news to you spend a little time on Google and find out a little more.

Or watch this video:

What is killing these fish and what does this have to do with anyone who takes their Omega three capsules?

The answer to the first question is that nobody is 100% sure what is killing the fish. Like everything there are plenty of theories, but no one is exactly sure.

Is it natural? Is it man made? Who knows. But it is a little scary that the seagulls are refusing to eat the fish. Do they know something that we don’t?

However it does seem a little coincidental that over the last few weeks, since the Gulf oil spill began, there has been much publicity about the use of Corexit to disperse the oil. And there is serious doubt about whether or not we should be putting Corexit in the sea at all.

There is evidence that the use of Corexit may well be seriously harmful to sea creatures. That in itself is a little worrying however it is also clear that Corexit doesn’t make the oil go away. What it does is break it up into very small pieces so that it disperses in the ocean rather than washing onto the shore.

Is it Corexit killing the fish? Is it the oil itself doing so? No one seems to know, though it does seem coincidental that this fish kill comes right after the worst oil spill in history and use of a highly questionable chemical to disperse it.

But what does this have to do with people taking Omega three capsules? In fact it raises some serious issues for anyone taking fish oil capsules unless they know exactly where the fish is caught from which the oil is extracted.

You see a lot of fish used for extraction of the oil for the purposes of use in Omega three capsules are caught in the waters between Europe and America. Now have a look at an image that shows you how the Gulfstream shall transport both the oil and the Corexit over time right into the waters of the North Atlantic.

We have written extensively about the risks of contamination in fish and fish oil used in Omega three capsules. However this poses even more questions.

Do you think it’s likely that oil taken from fish caught between Europe and America will be tested for Corexit? No we don’t think so either. And if you’re taking Omega three supplements which source their oil from fish caught in this region you may well be eating Corexit, or oil residue.

Personally we prefer to take the highest quality Omega three supplements which use oil from fish caught way down in the Southern Ocean south of New Zealand. There is no oil spill, or Corexit there.

And on top of that they also some of the most cost-effective Omega three capsules available.

So if you don’t know where the fish comes from that is used for the extraction of oil that goes into your Omega three capsules maybe it’s time to change to high quality fish oil supplements that use oil from fish caught in the clean and pristine Southern Ocean. Read the rest of this entry

If you’ve got bad hearing studies are showing that Omega 3 supplementation may help

If you’ve read our website you’ll know that increasing your intake of the Omega 3 essential fatty acids can benefit a wide range of health problems. But did you know that eating more essential fatty acids can benefit those with bad hearing?

Yes you read that right. 2 recent studies, one in Australia and one in Holland, have concluded that increasing your intake of the Omega 3 essential fatty acids over the course of your life may reduce the likelihood of people suffering from bad hearing.

It is not entirely clear why this would be so, however there is one theory suggesting that just like in other areas of our health, the positive effect of Omega 3 essential fatty acids in improving the circulation can also increase circulation in the ear, which can have an impact on the hearing.

The study in Holland measured the hearing of the participants in the study at both high and low frequencies and then asked the participants in the study to fill in a questionnaire about their diet. This questionnaire was used to assess the level of fish consumption of each participant.

And 3 years later the same people were again measured and their Omega 3 intake status examined, and the resultant conclusion was that those who were suffering the greatest hearing loss were those with the lowest consumption of Omega 3 essential fatty acids, in other words the lowest consumption of seafood.

In the study in Australia it was found that those with the highest consumption of Omega 3 essential fatty acids were roughly 10 percent less likely to suffer from hearing loss compared to those with the lowest Omega 3 intake. This study was conducted over 5 years.

The progression of hearing loss was roughly half for those who ate fish once or twice a week when compared to others who ate fish rarely.

Of course two studies do not prove that increasing your consumption of Omega 3 essential fatty acids reduces hearing loss, though it certainly suggests further study, in particular to assess the mechanism by which this may occur.

However it is entirely clear that there are a wide range of other health benefits, many of which are now fully substantiated, attached to increasing your intake of essential fatty acids. If those with bad hearing can also benefit then this is good news indeed.

Of course eating fish isn’t as easy as it used to be. Fish is getting very expensive and there are now serious issues with toxic contamination including with Mercury and PCBs. The good news is that the very best omega 3 supplements are extremely price competitive, very easy to take daily and free of any toxic contamination.

Note that not all Omega 3 supplements are high quality.

A daily fish oil capsule, or two, will do your health a world of good. And if you have bad hearing you may also find some benefits to your hearing. Read the rest of this entry

Supplying Omega 3 for kids is very important. But how do you get them taking those capsules?

More and more adults are beginning to understand the importance of taking fish oil supplements containing the important essential fatty acids, known as Omega 3. Kids need Omega3 in their diet as well, however there are sometimes issues getting kids to take those capsules.

Today we want to consider consider fish oil for children, and in particular how to get kids to take fish oil capsules.

Science has clearly demonstrated over the last couple of decades that the essential fatty acids DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) and EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) are extremely important to our diet and our health and that most of us are lacking in these fatty acids because we’re eating less fish and the principal source of these fats is fish oil. Children too need more Omega3 fats in their diet.

Evidence is showing that right from conception, and in particular in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, Omega3 fats, and in particular DHA, are extremely important for the development of the fetus, and in particular the brain.

The same applies during childhood. An essential component of the diet for young children is the essential fatty acids called Omega3. Kids develop better and do better at school with an adequate supply of Omega3 essential fatty acids in the diet according to the studies.

High quality Omega 3 fish oils should be a daily part of the diet of all children.

But supplying fish oil for children in their diet isn’t necessarily easy. When they are young they are unable to take capsules, and so we suggest opening each fish oil capsule and pouring the oil onto their food.

However at a certain age you should be teaching your kids to take fish oil capsules. Here’s some tips on how you can help your kids learn to take fish oil capsules.

It’s much easier for them to swallow capsules if they do so with a liquid to help. However a thin liquid with such as water or milk is not as effective as a thicker liquid, for example a smoothie.

If you give them a big gulp of a liquid such as smoothie this will help them swallow the capsule. It also helps if you place the capsule on the back of the tongue, lengthways so that the point is facing down the throat.

Make sure that they are sitting up straight, and they should hold their head horizontally because tipping too far forward or back narrows the throat. Read the rest of this entry