HOW TO BUY OMEGA 3

GOOD FOR YOU: Making informed choices about Omega 3 can be good for your health

Tuesday August 11,2009

By Penny Stretton

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MANY of us are stocking up on omega 3 supplements after reading the news that 500mg a day of the fatty acid found in fish oil can slash the risk of heart failure by a third.

Yet consumers need to know that not all capsules contain the same amount of active ingredients and can vary drastically in price.

“People should always read the labels,” says Steve Mellor from Croda Healthcare, a company that provides ingredients for nutritional and pharmaceutical markets.

“It may be that one capsule a day contains the whole 500mg or you may need two.”

In true concentrates (where the content is distilled and refined) fewer and smaller capsules are needed per dose.

Omega 3 contains two main fatty acids. EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) helps to maintain a healthy heart and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is good for brain health. The percentage of each contained in the supplements should be stated clearly on the label. “A balance between EPA and DHA is usually best,” says Mellor.

However, if you have an existing heart condition he says it’s worth looking for the capsules with a higher concentrate of EPA.

Consumers should not be fooled by price and expensive looking packaging. “Sometimes the most plain packaging can provide all you need from omega 3,” he says. Packs containing fewer pills that need to be taken more regularly could be more expensive in the long run.

In this latest study which examined 30 years of research, scientists at the Ochsner Medical Centre in New Orleans concluded that all healthy people should be eating at least two to three portions of oily fish a week if they want to reduce heart attack. Two portions is equivalent to 500mg of supplements. Those with heart conditions should take 800 to 1,000mg of omega 3 each day - the amount found in three to four 3oz portions of oily fish a week.