Fish oil supplements, good or bad? - gut health, heart health
June 25, 2024
Fish oil is an amazing source of omega-3. True.
Omega-3 fatty acids have many health benefits (heart health, mental health, anti-inflammatory benefits, eye health, etc.). True.
(Note: It is important to make sure you are also getting proper amounts of Omega-6s with your Omega-3s. There is a common misconception that all omega-6s in all doses are inflammatory.)
So, load up on fish oil then, right? Maybe. Maybe not. As with all supplements, the quality of the product matters.
One HUGE mistake most people make with supplements is assuming that the quality of the material in a product is good because the person promoting it is "socially famous" or a "doctor." Presenting oneself as the "guardian" and "source of knowledge" for consumer products, ingredients, and supplements does not mean one is actually educated on the many nuances of research studies, material suppliers, standardization of material review, etc.
Social influencers do NOT normally know how to review and analyze an ingredient spec sheet, do a supplier audit, verify material sources, etc. And most doctors don't either. Sorry. I am not trying to make anyone feel bad.
There are many keys to choosing good ingredients.
A Few Keys Frequently Missed:
(1) Verify that the dosing of the ingredient aligns with the research (most don't)
(2) Verify the material quality
(3) Verify that what is going to be delivered to the consumer is going to actually work per the research
(4) Verify the shelf life of the material
Are there good fish oil products? Yes. But the majority of them may not be.