Fish oil contains a high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids, including EPA and DHA, which have a number of benefits, such as supporting healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels, bone health, and even mental and emotional health. Other areas of the body that this nutrient supports, are the joints, heart, eyes, brain, skin and nerves.
Not all fish oils are the same though. Because of toxic dumping, ocean fish are becoming more and more contaminated with toxins like mercury.
Cold water fish (fish that live in deeper, colder waters) are generally found to have far fewer toxins and higher concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids.
The reason for this, is cold water fish generally live in deeper waters, farther away from the coast, which means they aren’t as exposed to industrial wastes that get dumped into the ocean, compared to fish that are closer to shore. Also, because they live in deeper, colder water, their bodies produce more omega-3 fatty acids, which acts as an insulator.
Additionally, you will want to look for fish oils that have gone through a filtering process called “molecular distillation” that concentrates the omega-3 fatty acids and removes contaminants from the oil.
Molecular distillation is done in a vacuum system to ensure temperatures are well below the oil’s normal boiling point. Doing this in a vacuum allows oils to be processed at the lowest possible temperatures, reducing the risk of damaging the oil through heat and oxidation. This allows the now distilled fish oil and omega-3 fatty acids to be turned into a final product, with extremely low levels of contaminants, far below industry standards, with a very high EPA and DHA content.
