NZ Study Questions Fish Oil Quality and EPA/DHA Content

Here is an email about the Fish Oil Study.  While I do not sell any of their products I think they are right to question the results.

It is also a warning to stay away from the cheap stuff that may be old and rancid taken from the bottom of the barrel after the premium oil has been skimmed off the top.

Having said this, none of us have actually seen a list of which brands were tested, so I guess all brands are tainted with the same rancid stuff?  We do need to see the list - please!

I do have NZ Hoki Mega Fish Oil and I generally recommend having a mix of Hoki Mega fish oil and adding either Flax Balance or Flax Original which is from Waihi Bush, derived from organic farming in Geraldine, South Canterbury (No little or big fish were harmed in its production).

As a general rule of thumb I recommend to go for the more expensive fish oil capsules (presuming cost = higher quality) and most preferably ones from deep sea cold water fish from well managed fish stocks.  NZ Hoki pretty much falls into this criteria.

23 January, 2015

FxMed is concerned for patients and practitioners with respect to the results from research conducted by the University of Auckland’s Liggins Institute evaluating the quality and content of fish oils sold in New Zealand.

The study looked specifically at the amount of omega-3 EPA and DHA contained in various products, measuring the oxidation (rancidity) of the oil by measuring Peroxide, Anisidine and Totox Values. The conclusion was that there is a high number of fish oils sold in NZ that do not meet label claims with regards to omega-3 content (specifically EPA and DHA) probably due to the high rancidity or oxidation levels causing degradation of the EPA and DHA molecules.

Similar international research has generally shown that most fish oils meet their active ingredient list, so further investigation is needed in relation to the research. It does seem unlikely that such a high percentage of products would fall so far under their label claim. No information has been released on which products or brands were included in the study.

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GOED (Global Organisation for EPA and DHA Omega-3's) consulted with fatty acid experts about this study and some of their concerns follow:  

• Only three of the 32 oils tested contained a quantity of EPA + DHA that was equal to or higher than that claimed by the label, with more than two-thirds of supplements containing less than 67%. Because of the consistency of the results, it seems likely that the authors were using a method that yields incomplete results. The authors did disclose their method and did not follow the accepted AOCS, European Pharmacopeia, or GOED Voluntary Monograph methods, although it is unclear whether the authors’ method was validated.
• The authors’ statement that “oxidation may at least in part account for the low n-3 PUFA levels” suggests a lack of general knowledge of lipid analysis. The amount of n-3 PUFA lost to the oxidation implied by high pAV (Anisidine Value) and PV (Peroxide Value) is too low to be picked up by FAME analysis.
• If flavoured oils were analyzed, this would have been problematic because many flavors contain aldehydes that interfere with pAV testing. 
• According to the authors, “A 12ml sample of oil was produced by combining the contents of 8–24 capsules (depending on capsule size). From this pooled oil sample, PV, AV, Totox, and fatty acid concentration were measured in triplicate.” It’s important to know that the analyses must be done immediately before the oils oxidize. The data reported in Table 1 in the study appears to have been generated by someone with limited experience handling n-3 PUFA oils. Typically, you see much higher AVs than PVs, but in the case of the oils reported in line 15 (Canada), 25 (Australia) and 32 (New Zealand), this is reversed, which suggests poor handling of the oil. Generally, high PVs suggest the oils were oxidized upon opening the capsule.

Due to the suspicious nature of the results, GOED has decided that its next round of randomized testing of currently marketed products will be selected exclusively from the New Zealand market. Once GOED has the results, it intends to share them with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in Australia and Medsafe in New Zealand. In addition, The Omega-3 Centre in Australia has been leading a media outreach effort to ensure that some balance is included in the reporting on the issue.

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Nordic Naturals is a vertically integrated company managing all operations from boat to bottle. Nordic Naturals’ multi-patented manufacturing process uses leading technologies to deliver fish oil with exceptional freshness and purity levels. Several steps are used in processing the oils, from water and clay filters to molecular distillation. Nitrogen is used to avoid exposure to oxygen at every stage of manufacturing – only by using nitrogen can fish oil be protected from oxidative rancidity that leads to fishy smell and taste.

For more information, you can watch a video that takes you behind the scenes of the manufacturing process here:
http://www.nordicnaturals.com/en/About_Us/True_North_Documentary/1083 


Nordic Naturals products undergo rigorous third-party testing and are very transparent with the results. One such testing company IFOS provides the results online. Nordic Naturals’ results consistently show the omega-3 content to meet or exceed the label claim, and are well below the international limits for oxidation.You can view Nordic Naturals and other brands test results here:http://www.nutrasource.ca/ifos/consumer-reports/

For any additional enquiries, please contact us on 0800 439 631


Yours in health,

Amal Karl
CEO
FxMed

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The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

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Is flax seed oil better than fish oil?

"I take it that the flax seed oil is more beneficial than fish oil - why is that? Thanks for your help and advice."

Andrew
______________________________
Gary comments:
Andrew, the answer is this "Six of one and half a dozen of the other".

There are arguments that fish oil is easier to digest; but there are other arguments that flax oil's supposed indigestibility is a beat up by the billion dollar fishing industry.  The flax oil industry is tiny by comparison and cannot afford the big bucks for research and publicity.

I think the best solution is to go for a wide variety of healthy oils including fish and flax oils.  There is olive oil, walnut, sesame, avocado and coconut to name a few.  Flax oil is a good base oil to go with.

I do prefer flax oil because it comes from a sustainable source.  The fishing industry hasserious credibility problems with fish stock and outrageous environmental destruction.  I am doing my best to source fish oils from sustainably fished and environmentally friendly sources; but verifying this is easier said than done.  I know my flax oil all comes from South Canterbury and is from organic sustainable farming.

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Email Gary: gary at myotec.co.nz (Replace the "at" with @ and remove spaces). Please include any relevant background information to your question.

How is fish oil produced?

There are three issues to do with fish oil that we should take account of when choosing which one to go with:

• Sustainability of fish stocks.
• Contamination with pesticides, heavy metals and other pollutants.
• How it is treated and stored to prevent oxidation.

(Please click on the diagram to enlarge)

Now, I am not quite sure about the sustainability of Peruvian fish stocks; but I do believe that these smaller fish are less stressed than larger fish, like Tuna, and their ability to recover from over-fishing is better.

Contamination from pollutants - heavy metals is a huge issue that could become as great a threat to human existence as global warming. For a billion or so years, there has been a steady drawing of mercury and other heavy metals out of the environment and sequestering them in coal deposits. This process is rapidly being undone with these highly toxic poisons being concentrated in the brains and other organs of creatures. The main culprits are countries like China, Australia and the USA - and many others including NewZealand. Burning coal releases heavy metals into the environment where it steadily concentrates in the food chain. Sadly for us, we are at the top of the "eating order". Mercury contamination is implicated in the soaring rates of diabetes, mental retardation and dementia to name a few. So, when choosing fish oil, it does pay to favour small fish that a low in the food chain. Then is pays to favour an oil that is carefully refined to ensure that any contaminants are removed.

Finally, we have the issue of oxidation of the oil once it is on the shop shelf or in your cupboard. These are delicate oils that go off quickly when exposed to oxygen and sunlight. Once rancid oxidised, these oils become harmful, rather than healthful. Oxidisation is prevented by storing the oil in dark bottles and any air in the bottle is nitrogen. The oil is stabilised by the addition of anti-oxidants such as vitamin E. Fish and flax oil that is packaged this way will last for a very long time, not requiring refrigeration. Once opened, the oil should be used quite quickly, rather than left lying around for months and should be stored in a dark refrigerator.

Rather than relying on fish oil alone for your Omega3 oils, get them from a variety of sources, including olive oil and flax oil - both of which should be contaminant free and sustainable when grown organically. I always think it is best to go for heaps of variety in everything you eat because that way you are better ensured that you are getting all the nutrients you need.

Do you have a question?
Email Gary: gary at myotec.co.nz (Replace the "at" with @ and remove spaces). Please include any relevant background information to your question.