There is quite a bit of debate about using vegetable sources for Omega 3 as people become increasingly concerned about the condition of our seas and fish stocks.
There are however some other things to consider, not just the impact on the sea.
One of the prime alternative sources of Omega 3 being promoted is Flax Seed Oil, now while it does contain Omega 3 fatty acids, they are not of the DHA and EPA type. Flax Oil contains ALA type Omega 3, which our bodies have to then convert into DHA.
This conversion of ALA Omega 3 doesn’t always happen effectively in certain portions of the population, this is unfotunately true of those people who actually may need it most. People who are already not in ideal health or the elderly have trouble metabolising ALA and turning it into the DHA and EPA that our bodies need.
So we are back to the best source of Omega 3 fatty acids as being from Fish Oils, simply because it comes in a form that can be easily used by our bodies without any need for conversion.
Recent studies also have investigated the use of Krill oils as an alternative to using fish, however it has been proven in a number of studies that Krill oil contains a higher proportion of contaminants than fish. This would make it very expensive to distill to the pharmaceutical grade required in order for it to be efficacious to humans.
It is still the fact that the most cost effective and sustainable method of producing Omega 3 DHA for human consumption is still the one used by the New Zealand company Xtend-Life.
By using the Hoki fish caught using sustainable methods in the unspoilt and pristine Southern Oceans, they are able to produce a superior product at a greatly reduced price per gram of DHA.
Not all fish oil supplements are equal when it comes to the cost per gram of DHA, which is the proper way to measure the true value of any supplement, the cost per unit of the effective ingredient.
