The health benefits of Omega3 essential fatty acids are becoming more and more mainstream, and gradually the population is becoming aware that most of us are deficient in their Omega3 intake and that increasing our intake of essential fatty acids may help improve a number of health outcomes for all of us. Omega3 fatty acids are found in fish oil and this obviously comes from fish, however fish is generally contaminated with Mercury. So what do you do increase your intake of healthy fats if the source, namely fish, is contaminated with Mercury? There has been a study published this year which has looked at Mercury contamination of fish in the North Pacific Ocean. It found that the level of Mercury in the North Pacific has increased 30 percent over 10 years from 1996 to 2006. And as well as this it also found that around 40 percent of Mercury found population of US can be traced back and tuna that they have eaten which has been caught in the North Pacific. This is concerning. Mercury is a serious environmental toxin and is no good for our health when we consume it. It is a neurotoxin and has serious implications for the developing fetus and infant. Atmospheric production of Mercury as well as Mercury leakage from Asia were the major ways that it was found that Mercury made its way into the oceans. It is found in the oceans as methylmercury, and is found in our tuna because it starts at the bottom of the food chain and works it’s way up right up to fish at the top of the food chain like shark and tuna. And we eat shark and tuna. This creates a dilemma for people who recognise our inadequate levels of Omega3 intake in our diets and you wish to increase their intake of fish to increase their intake of omega3 oils. By eating more fish, whilst increasing your intake of essential fatty acids, you also increasing your exposure to Mercury. Fish is also a declining resource and over time the price of fish is going up and up. Is there a better way than eating fish to improve your levels of Omega3 fatty acids in your diet? Yes there certainly is. The better way is by daily consumption of omega3 supplements. Fish oil supplements are extremely cost effective when compared to buying fish, and the best fish oil supplements are entirely free of Mercury. For both these reasons many people are now taking daily fish oil capsules, and the result is that the sales of omega 3 supplements have increased faster than any other nutritional supplement in history. If you like eating fish then by all means increase your intake and this improves your dietary intake of omega3. However by doing so you are also increasing your intake of Mercury, as well as affecting your budget. But if you’d prefer to avoid the cost of buying fish as well is the risks of eating Mercury then Omega3 supplements are certainly a much more cost-effective and are safer way to do so. It is however worth noting that there wide variations in the quality of the various supplements available, and that the best fish oil supplements contain almost 3 times as much Omega3 fats as average capsules. To find a comparison of the different fish oil capsules available visit my website.

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