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Fish oil supplements and mercury: What you should know
Question: I want to take fish oil to help my body perform better, but what are the issues regarding fish oil supplements and mercury? Could fish oil be dangerous?
Answer: This is a question that should surely be addressed before you decide to take fish oil as a supplement for your health. Here’s why:
Fish oil is usually harvested from anchovies and sardines that are caught naturally off the coast of South America. The fish is processed, turned into fish meal, and fish oil is a by-product of this process. Afterwards, the fish oil is sent to refineries to process it. Once the fish oil reaches where it is shipped to, most often the United States or Europe, it usually requires further treating. Because the oceans of many of the industrialized countries in the world have become polluted, there is a risk of heavy metals contaminating the product.
Mercury and PCBs can be found in naturally occurring fish oil, and for that reason, you need to make sure whatever brand of fish oil you are buying, it should be PHARMACEUTICAL GRADE. This cannot be stressed enough, as mercury can be very damaging to your health. Pharmaceutical grade fish oil is “molecularly distilled”, meaning that sophisticated instruments have been put in place to separate the heavy metals from the pure fish oil product. If your fish oil is any less than pharmaceutical grade, serious problems could arise.
Human exposure to the methyl mercury found in polluted wildlife affects the central nervous system, and can be attributed to such effects as sleep disturbances, irritability, deafness, memory loss, malaise, speech difficulties, and more.
For this reason, fish oil supplements and mercury levels can cause serious problems if not pharmaceutical grade. Also, to be in the best of health, try to be careful and limit the consumption of fish in general, as to avoid the possible tragic mercury side effects. Be safe!
Question: I want to take fish oil to help my body perform better, but what are the issues regarding fish oil supplements and mercury? Could fish oil be dangerous?
Answer: This is a question that should surely be addressed before you decide to take fish oil as a supplement for your health. Here’s why:
Fish oil is usually harvested from anchovies and sardines that are caught naturally off the coast of South America. The fish is processed, turned into fish meal, and fish oil is a by-product of this process. Afterwards, the fish oil is sent to refineries to process it. Once the fish oil reaches where it is shipped to, most often the United States or Europe, it usually requires further treating. Because the oceans of many of the industrialized countries in the world have become polluted, there is a risk of heavy metals contaminating the product.
Mercury and PCBs can be found in naturally occurring fish oil, and for that reason, you need to make sure whatever brand of fish oil you are buying, it should be PHARMACEUTICAL GRADE. This cannot be stressed enough, as mercury can be very damaging to your health. Pharmaceutical grade fish oil is “molecularly distilled”, meaning that sophisticated instruments have been put in place to separate the heavy metals from the pure fish oil product. If your fish oil is any less than pharmaceutical grade, serious problems could arise.
Human exposure to the methyl mercury found in polluted wildlife affects the central nervous system, and can be attributed to such effects as sleep disturbances, irritability, deafness, memory loss, malaise, speech difficulties, and more.
For this reason, fish oil supplements and mercury levels can cause serious problems if not pharmaceutical grade. Also, to be in the best of health, try to be careful and limit the consumption of fish in general, as to avoid the possible tragic mercury side effects. Be safe!