If you’ve been taking omega 3 fish oil capsules for a while you may have come across “super” omega 3. Of course it’s a little difficult to say exactly what “super” omega 3 really is and how it differs from ordinary omega 3, or why it’s better than “regular” fish oil supplements. So it’s not 100 percent clear what you should be getting when you buy the “super” capsules.
Part of the reason is that there are big variations in the quantity and quality of the Omega 3 fatty acids found in many of the fish oil capsules available for sale, and it’s important that you learn a little bit about Omega 3 capsules before you buy.
There are big variations in the amount of DHA and EPA, the 2 most important essential fatty acids known as omega 3 fats, found in different capsules available today. Many capsules are called 18/12 capsules, meaning that in a 1000 milligrams capsule you get 18 percent, or 180 milligrams, of EPA and 12 percent, or 120 milligrams of DHA. But many other capsules contained widely varying amounts.
Of these 2 DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is the most important Omega 3 fat. To give you an example the Omega3 supplements that I take myself have 2 1/2 times as much DHA as “regular” capsules.
You could assume that any omega 3 supplements described as super Omega 3 supplements would contain a much higher percentage of DHA (and EPA) than regular capsules and this is the case for these capsules even though they are not described as “super”.
But when you’re buying you need to consider a little more than just how much active ingredients you are getting in each of the various fish oil capsules available. Manufacturers are now starting to produce a new generation of omega 3 supplements that include a range of other ingredients which offer health benefits on top of the health benefits offered by the fatty acids.
To give you an example just this week a new “premium” omega 3 range was released. These contain 28 percent DHA but as well as that they also contain some new ingredients which have not been previously available. These ingredients will benefit your health and even your skin.
A good example is something found in tomatoes called lycopene. If you read the health literature you may know about lycopene already. There is growing evidence that increasing the intake of lycopene can reduce the risk of breast cancer for women and prostate cancer for men.
And new research is also showing that increasing our lycopene intake helps protect our skin from the UV rays of the sun, the primary cause of skin aging. Not only that but the research has also shown that increasing your intake of lycopene can actually start to reverse some of the damaging effects of the sun’s UV radiation. Skin aging through the effects of the sun is called photo-aging and it is becoming established that lycopene can help reverse photo-aging.
Modern science is getting better and better and our scientists are now starting to uncover some of the hitherto unknown health benefits of natural substances such as lycopene. And top quality health companies are now able to incorporate these types of ingredients into new products such as the new generation of omega 3 supplements now becoming available.
If you’re in the market for some Omega 3 capsules you need to understand a little about what you are getting when you buy. Price is not the only determinant, because it’s important to understand how much active ingredient (DHA) you’re getting in each capsule, and you also need to consider whether buying the new generation of omega 3 supplements now coming onto the market would be of benefit to you because of the extra ingredients now incorporated in these products, and their health benefits.
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