How to better understand Omega 3 Fish oil claims!
Recently in a discussion on this blog about MOXXOR a reader Ari asked for my opinion about another product called OmegaXL. Because the answer applies in general terms to many other products I felt it would be helpful for readers interested in Omega 3 to read my response.
Comments about OmegaXL provided to Ari.
The info on OmegaXL seems to be quite sparse. Like Moxxor there is plenty of hype but little detail.
For example, other than saying there are 60 soft gels in a bottle there is little other information. For example, what are the contents of each soft gel, how many mgs in a soft gel? Without this it is difficult to do an accurate assessment.
I did however have a quick scan of their website and after just a couple of minutes on their home page I picked up two major misleading statements and did not read further.
One was that is the product has DHA 60% and EPA 70%. This is misleading and a physical impossibility. You cannot have a combined total of more than 100%.
DHA and EPA are components of Omega 3 and they can only make up a percentage of the total omega 3 present in a soft gel. This is because there are also other omega 3 fatty acids present...such as DPA.
DHA and EPA combined, rarely make up more than 80% of the Omega 3 present in any formulation. So, as I said someone at OmegaXL is either deliberately misleading their customers or they just don't understand their own product.
The next glaring issue is their claim that their product is better because it is in triglyceride form and not an ethyl ester.
This is another statement made out of either ignorance or a further attempt to mislead.
They say that the triglyceride form is a natural form of oil. No argument there. If you eat a fish the oils in it are triglycerides.
But, when it goes into the body it has to be converted to ethyl esters in order to absorb it.
Now, what OmegaXL are not telling you is that when fish oil is concentrated it is first converted to an ethyl ester because you CANNOT concentrate a triglyceride.
After the ethyl ester is concentrated it is then converted (in their case) back to a triglyceride form for marketing purposes. BUT...the form of triglycerides that it is converted back to is NOT the natural form. The glycerol back bone is modified and not all the Omega 3 fatty acids can be absorbed by the body so it is not as effective as the ethyl ester form.
We would never use the triglyceride form of fish oil IF it has been concentrated. In the non concentrated form...no problem.
I hope that helps you better understand the process. I still have no doubt that our own Omega 3 DHA fish oil or the version that contains the greenlipped mussel extract GLM-Omega 3 Plus is much superior...not to mention that it give better value for money.
Reader Comments (8)
Warren:
How timely that your recent blog is on the topic of Omega-3 fish Oils. I just took my 5 year old boy for his yearly physical and happened to mention to the doctor that we are giving him Omega-3 as a supplement. The pediatrician recommended that we discontinue giving our child Omega-3’s citing that they are not FDA approved and their effects and risks to young children are unknown. I’m a bit torn now because I know the benefits of Omega-3 from my own experience, as Xtend-life supplements and Omega- 3’s have been part of my daily regimen for several years now.
Given the recent recommendation of my son’s pediatrician, I am now forced to do some independent research on this topic before I can consider giving my boy Omega-3 supplements again. Can you point me toward any literature or studies that directly address benefits and or any known risks of Omega-3 for young children?
Kind Regards,
Peter S.
December 4, 2008 | Peter S
Hi Peter,
I can't believe that your Pediatrician has said this. I am amazed at his ignorance. Ask him why it is so essential that a women takes extra Omega 3 with DHA during pregnancy? This is because the DHA is essential for brain development.
It is also why Omega 3's are called essential fatty acid. The body cannot make them and they have to come from diet. Without adequate supply the body cannot develop.
I will answer in more detail next week but I am rushing for a meeting now which will take the rest of the day. But, I just wanted to respond quickly to this as the Pediatrician is so far out. Children need Omega 3 as much or more than adults. By the way the FDA does recommend Omega 3, but comment on children is missing as far as I know, but that means nothing. They recommend drugs that have not been proven on children so I would not take to much notice of what the FDA has or has not said on Omega 3 fish oil for children.
Did the Pediatrician also tell you to stop feeding fish to your child? That is how silly his/her comments are.
Hope this helps in the meantime.
December 4, 2008 | Warren Matthews
I agree with you about the doctors and pediatricians. As my 3 year old grandson has seizures and has been prescribed topamax(which is for migraines)and nowhere that I searched for did it say it was for anything else tho it lists seizures as a side effect. We took him to get better not to give him more of the same.
December 4, 2008 | socorro
As long as it's purified (xtend lifes is) then it's safe for your child to take in my humble opinion. I wouldn't recommend anything off the shelves because they may contain traces of metal.
December 4, 2008 | Alex M
Hi Peter,
Warren has asked me to comment further on this for you. I hope this is helpful.
Omega 3s, DHA, EPA and DHA and indeed the full structure are very important for both fetal development and child development, both neurologically and physically. I am very surprised that your pediatrician has provided such misleading information.
DHA in particular is a building block for tissue in the brain, nervous system, and retina of the eye. It helps with forming neural transmitters, such as phosphatidylserine, which is important for brain function. This can help in conditions such as ADHD, and helping to avoid such conditions developing in children. The connection between omega-3 fatty acid deficiency and ADHD has been confirmed by studies in which youngsters with ADHD, when compared with non-ADHD children had much lower blood levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), necessary for normal function of the eyes and cerebral cortex (the brain region that handles higher functions such as reasoning and memory), and depletion of DHA level in the brain due to insufficient dietary intake of omega-3 has been found to result in impaired learning ability.....and studies of babies whose mothers did supplement with DHA adequately during pregnancy have been found to have a marked increased in IQ upon reaching age 4!
DHA is actually the most abundant essential fatty acid in both the brain and retina, comprising 40% of the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the brain, and 60% of the PUFAs in the retina.
Supplementing DHA in the mother’s diet during pregnancy improves other infant developmental outcomes, including eye-hand coordination, motor skills, and attention span. Some studies have even shown that higher maternal DHA levels are associated with more mature sleep patterns in newborn infants and older developing children.
Additionally, this same research shows that from 6 months to 2 years DHA may 'jump-start' the production of hormones crucial for essential brain development and the increased growth needs of the infant; and from 2 to 5 years it has been noted that low levels of DHA in children have been linked to an increased risk of ADHD (see above), vision problems, and depression.
This is just a sampling of the overwhelming evidence from numerous studies over a long period of time that are available Peter to verify, without doubt, that Omega 3 and DHA are essential for good growth and development in babies, infants and children, as well as their already known cardio, joint, digestive, brain, skin, and nervous system benefits in adults.
If you need any specific study references I am happy to point you in the right direction as there are so many! Many you will likely be able to find on a general Google search, or a good facility for public viewing is Pubmed, as they provide a lot of evidential study summaries.
December 10, 2008 | Joanna Machin, Medical Nutritionist
Thanks Joanna,
You have provided some very compelling information.
I'm scheduled back to the pediatrician next month, I will challenge him with the information you have provided. I will let you and Warren know the outcome.
Kind Regards,
Peter
December 12, 2008 | Peter S
Hi, I wanted to ask you if you had heard of Dr. Dave in the USA, who claims that his product line is flawless, perfect and very expensive. As I am a large animal Vet, I am not stupid about compounding, but do not understand fish oils and such, except that I put horses and young horses on them when I need their immune system to get stronger after a colic surgery and they work.
Can you please google Dr. Dave's Supplements, Fish Oil and such and PLEASE GIVE ME AN ANSWER ON WHAT I FEEL IS A RIP OFF.
I GET ALL OF YOUR PRODUCTS HERE IN THE US AND USE THEM REGULARLY. I HAVE EMAILED DR. DAVE, WHO SAYS THEY ARE NOT AS PURE AS HIS.
DR. LINDA AND HAPPY NEW YEAR
January 1, 2009 | Dr. Linda, DVM, Veterinarian
Hi Dr Linda,
I have had a look at this product and I agree with you...I think that it is a rip off. He claims that our product is not as pure as ours and yet provides no data to support his claim. If and when he does I will have a closer look. His website does not contain either a COA or a specification, just an imcomplete label.
Marketers who claim their product is pharmaceutical grade are always suspect because there is no such thing.
http://www.xtend-life.com/product/Omega_3_~_DHA_Esters/Pharmaceutical+Grade.aspx
I don't believe that there is any justification for him charging double the price of our product.
January 2, 2009 | Warren Matthews
Reader Comments (0)