Fish Oil--The Pharmaceutical Grade Advantage For Your Heart, Brain and Joints

It is now well established that fish oil and the omega 3 fatty acids it contains are very beneficial for optimal health. The long chain omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, found mainly in fish body oil, have a number of properties that have been shown in multiple scientific studies to reduce the risk of fatal and non-fatal heart attacks, reduce serum levels of triglycerides, reduce cholesterol (when taken with garlic, or other substances, that produce a net cholesterol lowering effect), lower blood pressure, reduce platelet adhesiveness (thereby producing an anticoagulant effect and a prolonged bleeding time, which minimize the risk of abnormal blood clotting) and a natural anti-inflammatory effect, which reduces joint pain swelling and tenderness in arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.

In addition, fish oil may reduce the risk of certain kinds of strokes (ischemic and thrombotic), may improve mood and certain cognitive disorders of the brain, improve arterial functioning and reduce (perhaps even reverse) arterial plaque deposition (atherosclerosis), slow resting heart rate, reduce the risk of certain cancers (breast, colon, prostate), improve skin condition and enhance longevity. DHA is a major constituent of brain substance, making up about 30% of the brain, by weight.

The American Heart Association has recommended that we all increase our consumption of fish, for its recognized heart healthy properties. However, there are two problems. First, you simply cannot eat enough fish to consume adequate amounts of EPA and DHA to have a biological effect. And second, many fish, especially larger predator fish, higher in the food chain, may be contaminated by environmental pollutants, like heavy metals (mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, nickel, etc.), dioxins, PCB's, furans, pesticides and other toxins. They become progressively more concentrated with each move up the food chain, due to the phenomenon of biomagnification. And they are a risk in food grade fish oils, available on most store shelves, which may be contaminated.

Fortunately, the solution is pharmaceutical grade fish oil. This is a superior quality oil, available only through licensed health care practitioners and physicians, which has been purified by a vacuum molecular distillation process, to remove virtually all impurities and toxins. This produces a crystal clear, mild tasting oil with no fishy taste, which is highly concentrated, providing the most EPA and DHA available.

The very highest level enhances that ultra purified fish oil even more, with an enteric coating, which prevents release of the fish oil in the stomach. The coating is pH sensitive and dissolves not in the acidic stomach, but only in the higher pH, alkaline upper intestines, once it has passed beyond the sphincter valve of the stomach. This virtually ensures that there will be no fishy aftertaste, or "fish burps."

The best example of this level of pharmaceutical grade fish oil is my own brand, Dr. Bill's Powerhouse Omega Formula, available here at: http://www.favoriteformulas.com/. Though you must start slowly, with one capsule a day, to avoid diarrhea (which can result from too much, too fast), you may add another capsule every few days to a week, as tolerated. I recommend that you eventually take what I do, personally: 2 capsules, twice a day.