By Dr. Joey Shulman D.C., RNCP

Omega-3 fats are a polyunsaturated fat that have been shown to provide enormous health benefits including protection against heart disease, anti-inflammatory properties and improved focus and behavior in children. Unfortunately, most North Americans are chronically deficient in this “good” fat. While the ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fat is approximately 1:1, most of us have a ratio between 20:1 and 30:1.

Omega-3 fat is available in several food sources, such as flaxseed oil, cold-water fish, omega-3 eggs and nuts and seeds. However, it is often difficult to consume enough food sources to receive an ideal amount of omega-3. In addition, the safety of eating fish such as salmon and tuna has come under investigation recently. Although fish is a wonderful source of protein, selenium, vitamin D and omega-3 essential fat, the level of toxicity showing in up our waters and fish is disconcerting.

What's the problem with fish?
Tuna contains high levels of a form of mercury called methylmercury. Methylmercury can be extremely damaging to the nervous system and can cause numerous health consequences such as learning disorders, developmental delay, headaches and seizures. For information on eating tuna safely, visit the Pros and Cons of Eating Fish. Recent concern associated with salmon is due to the levels of PCBs and dioxins found in farmed salmon. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, it is best to switch to wild salmon and to limit consumption of farmed salmon to once per month.

Fish oils – the benefits
Although eating cold-water fish in moderation and selecting higher quality brands still offers many health benefits, there are other ways to reap the benefits of fish without eating fish more than once or twice per week. Incorporating high quality fish oil into your daily vitamin routine offers numerous health benefits, including:

• A decrease in asthma symptoms
• Anti-inflammatory properties (arthritis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome)
• Improved behavior and focus in children
• Improved luster of hair and softness of skin
• Immune booster
• Lower risk of heart disease

For omega-3 recommendations for children, click here.

As with eating fish, the safety of consuming fish oils has also come under the microscope. According to several studies, the toxicity of fish oils is much lower than fish. In a recent study conducted by the Globe and Mail newspaper in conjunction with CTV, it was found that:

“A person would need to consume as many as 312 fish-oil capsules to be exposed to the amount of polychlorinated biphenyls in a single serving of farmed salmon, the tests indicated. Even the cleanest serving of farmed fish had as much PCB as 63 fish-oil capsules. A serving of wild salmon, which is much less contaminated than farmed fish, had the same PCB content as about 20 capsules.”

According to Natasha Turner, vice president of natural medicine at Truestar Health, “A minimum of 1.5 grams of fish oils per day is best for overall health and wellness. It is best to ensure that the capsules contain highly purified fish oils that are free of heavy metals like mercury and also PCBs. If you find that your fish oils "repeat" on you, try putting them in the freezer and be sure to take them with food.”

Moral of the story
Continue to include healthy fish sources in your diet on a somewhat regular basis (once per week or once every other week). These recommendations are different if you are pregnant or breast-feeding; talk to your healthcare provider or nutritionist. In addition, include a high quality fish oil supplement into your daily vitamin regime to achieve optimal health and wellness. To design your own personalized vitamin profile, visit the Truestar Health Vitamin section.