While just 10% of Americans are reported to have a vitamin deficiency, many more of us could be treating ourselves better through supplements. Before you go to the pharmacist for a solution to sleep issues, muscle issues, or help aiding your workout, look into what supplements can offer. The best fish oil supplements will help you to live an even healthier life than you do now.
Here are 3 things to look at when you’re searching for the best omega-3 supplements around.
- Always Read The Label
When you’re thinking about which fish oil supplement will work for you, you need to look at how much omega-3 you’ll be getting from each dosage. There are no solid numbers where the daily allowance is concerned but generally, between 2000mg-4000mg are considered healthy. If you’re physically active, you’ll need even more.
Some athletes use 5-7 grams daily to reduce inflammation, speed up recovery, and enhance their performance.
The molecular form will be described as being triglyceride, ethyl ester, or phospholipid. This shows how the substance will enter your body and activate. Do some research before you buy it if it’s not explicitly on the label.
- Look For Certifications
Third-party certifications can help you to measure the quality of the fish oil that you’re looking at. Premium fish oil supplements will be certified under programs and by institutions like the IFOS or International Fish Oil Standards. They’re the most reputable of all fish oil certifications
The purity, freshness, and potency of fish oil are important to understanding its effectiveness.
Some fish can pick up contaminants easier than others. Cod, salmon, and tuna can capture impurities in their fatty tissues and oil from them will contain those contaminants. Heavy metals, dioxins, and PCBs can be passed to people taking supplements via contaminated fish.
Certifications will help to assure you that the supplements you’re taking are free of these issues.
- Understanding Additional Ingredients
While gelatin is the most common substance used to encapsulate fish oil, they can sometimes have other synthetic coatings. Coatings made of PVC or BPA are used quite often and while ingestion of these substances in large quantities is known to be unhealthy, small doses aren’t.
Coatings can hide poor quality supplements which will have a bad odor and taste. To know if your supplements are good, open one up and check the odor and taste.
Coloring can be added to the capsule to ensure that it stays dark. This keeps it from oxidizing due to light exposure. Oxidized oils can actually be harmful and unhealthy.
The Best Fish Oil Supplements Will Stand Out
When in search for the best fish oil supplements, you’ll encounter a range of quality. But if you use a discerning eye and look into what’s really in the supplements you’re considering, you’ll be able to weed out the bad stuff. While more expensive supplements aren’t always better, there’s a healthy balance to be found between price and quality.
If you’re looking at supplements to help you with your cholesterol, check out what we have to offer.
