Comprehensive studies can help to discover the vast health benefits we could derive from fish oil but picking the best fish oil is never an easy errand. Heart disease prevention, anti-inflammatory properties, and even hair loss prevention are just a few of such health benefits that have been connected with fish oil. For this reason, the fish oil supplement industry has thrived, which has its positive and negative effects.

One positive effect is that these omega-3 supplements are easily  obtainable to those who desire to take advantage of their health benefits. The negative effect is that many companies jump on the bandwagon for fast profit by making low-quality products. Choosing the right brand is made difficult with all these brands available.

However, to select the best fish oil becomes trouble-free by trying to tell apart the better fish oil capsules from the inferior ones. Here are a few basics to remember.

Fish oil supplements are beneficial to us because they contain omega-3 fatty acids; specifically DHA and EPA. Therefore, the best fish oil brands have more of these omega-3s compared to the lower-quality products. Be sure to check the label in your fish oils; more DHA and EPA means better product.
For every 1,000 mg of fish oil, each capsule should contain 600 mg or a 60% concentration of Omega-3.
Fish oil supplements, like all fish products, are subject to toxin hazard, but the best fish oil should be pure and toxin-free. For this reason, doctors do not prescribe fish oil supplements to pregnant women, even though studies point out that it can be beneficial to the baby’s brain development.
Due to the absence of a reliable regulatory board that people could look to, determining which fish oil supplements were pure, used to be very complicated. However, this problem was solved when Nutrasource Diagnostics Inc. of Canada came up with the International Fish Oil Safety (IFOS) program.

Before the IFOS program, the standards for toxin-free fish oil supplements were too lenient everywhere in the world. Fortunately, the IFOS has since implemented a strict set of world standards for purity of fish oils based on five parameters:

• Passes all CRN/WHO testing categories

• 60% or higher Omega-3 concentration

• Oxidation Levels less than 75% of CRN standard

• PCB Levels Less than 50% of CRN standard

• Dioxin Levels Less Than 50% of WHO standard

The best fish oil supplement should earn a 5-star certification from the IFOS at the minimum. This stepwill surelynarrow the selection process for the best fish oil. Nordic Naturals and See Yourself Well are two brands available in the United States that are 5-star certified.
To summarize, the best fish oil should offer not only quality, but also peace of mind. Check the label to see whether it has the right amount of Omega-3 that you need and don’t forget to look forthe 5-star certification from the IFOS!

Brittany M. Wallace is a health and nutrition expert.

We all want white, sparkling teeth and a beautiful smile, but when it comes down to brass tacks, I would honestly settle for a lack of morning breath. That’s right: while I wish I had a model-perfect smile, what I really wish is that my breath did not stink quite so badly in the morning, which is why I’m going to start sleeping with a sardine tucked in my cheek…

Okay, I just said that to get your attention. In reality, sardines are not the answer to bright, fresh morning breath – salmon are. A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Kentucky and published in January in the 25th volume of Molecular Oral Microbiology indicates that the same omega 3 fatty acids that keep your heart strong and your mind clear also keep your breath minty-fresh. Sound crazy? It does to me too, but if you’ve ever woken up next to your loved one and smiled sweetly with your lips tightly clenched shut, then ruined the mood by leaping up and sprinting for your tooth brush, then you are probably thinking the same thing I am: “Definitely worth a try!”

Now, you do not actually need to sleep with a salmon clenched between your teeth. Keeping your levels of omega 3 at a healthy level through a daily dose of optimized omega 3 fish oil should help kill off the bacteria that contribute to bad breath. In fact, the study indicated that even miniscule doses of the omega 3 fatty acids led to the death of nearly 50 percent of the halitosis-causing bacteria. So simply getting your daily dose and keeping your omega 3 levels high should do the trick, since omega 3s naturally reduce inflammation in the body and the presence of bad bacteria.

The only trick is that you need the supplement each day since your body cannot create omega 3 fatty acids on its own from the foods you eat, but instead has to get them in their original form. This means that you either need to eat about 2 pounds of salmon a day, or take a daily omega 3 fatty acid supplement to keep your omega 3 levels up. I am definitely opting for the latter, since that much salmon would probably turn me into a mermaid in no time flat!

Learn more about omega 3 benefits and the best forms of fish oil
for your health at www.omega-3.us.

One of the most common forms of disease in America is one that most people do not even realize that they are at risk for or that they have developed. Of even greater concern: most people only have 2 shots a year – and that is if they are models of responsibility – for diagnosing this problem. Others literally go for years or even decades with this disease issue without knowing that they have a problem because they do not make the yearly or twice-yearly visit to the specialist to make sure that the critical area of their body is in good health.

If you are starting to feel a little bit guilty about not going to the dentist, then you know I am talking to you. Gum disease affects millions of Americans each year. However, since the disease can progress slowly and does not immediately start creating problems, but rather small inconveniences, it can take a person several years to discover that they have a real problem. Fortunately, it turns out that the omega 3 fatty acids in fish oil could actually help you fight off oral disease and protect your teeth and gums.

Patients who received miniscule doses of omega 3’s by mouth experienced a 50 percent drop in the levels of harmful bacteria in their mouths, including bacteria that cause halitosis and the related gum disease, gingivitis. While taking daily fish oil supplements will not substitute for that dreaded trip to the dentist, it can make the visit a more enjoyable and pleasant experience by cutting way down on the bacteria in your mouth that can cause serious oral and dental problems.

If you dread the dentist, then make your life a little easier, your breath a little fresher and your mind a little eased by treating your teeth to a daily dose of omega 3 fish oil. You will find that not only your heart and your memory will benefit, but your teeth, gums and mouth will thank you as well.

Learn more about the health benefits of omega 3 fatty acids and fish oil at www.omega-3.us.

If you are like most people, you probably do not really enjoy getting your omega 3s. After all, even if you just love fish, it can be hard to choke down even the most delicious salmon day after day – particularly in the volumes that are required for you to get enough omega 3 fatty acids. Fortunately, there are other foods that are high in omega 3s that you can work into your daily diet to increase the volume of omega 3 fatty acids that you take in each day. They are delicious, nutritious, and will provide some variety for you in your quest for healthy eating and living.

One of the trendiest ways to work omega 3 into your diet is to cook with flaxseed oil. This popular vegan alternative to fish oil has been getting a lot of press lately for helping lower cholesterol and a variety of other health benefits. However, you should be aware that some studies indicate that the omega 3s in flaxseed oil are not actually in a form that can be used by your body like fish oil, to derive most of the benefits commonly associated with omega 3 fatty acids. So unless you just like flax, it may behoove you to move on to better sources of omega 3s.

A variety of nuts contain high levels of omega 3s, which could be a nice alternative to fish and flax. Walnuts, butternuts and almonds all are excellent sources of omega 3. Thanks to omega 3 fatty acids and high antioxidant levels, they are also directly associated with a variety of cosmetic anti-aging benefits, including more resilient, collagen-packed facial skin. However, most sources simply refer to the incorporation of these foods into your diet as “having a handful of nuts.” To really get the proper levels of omega 3 out of this source, you better have multiple handfuls throughout the day, which can get fatty and expensive.

Interestingly, seasonings and spices are a great source of omega 3 as well. Marjoram, basil, grape leaves and cloves are all excellent sources of omega 3, though to get your daily dosage just from these spices, you are going to need to cook up some pretty strong dishes.
If at this point fish is sounding like the simplest option, here are a few more things to consider. You would need to eat 2 pounds of salmon a day to get adequate amounts of omega 3. Furthermore, fish are best for omega 3 when they are raw, so you might want to consider developing a taste for sushi.

Thinking of giving up? Why not simplify the entire process by taking a basic omega 3 salmon oil supplement designed to give you all of the benefits of omega 3 without your having to cram fistfuls of nuts into your mouth or resign yourself to smelling like a fish tank? Sounds pretty good to me. Learn more about healthy, effective omega 3 salmon oil supplements and requirements at www.omega-3.us.

A few years ago, I changed my diet completely. I altered my food intake so dramatically that many of my friends and relatives thought I was joking when I told them how often I was eating fish, how I ate nuts and grapes leaves for snacks, and how my major indulgence was a cup or two of blueberries. As you may have guessed, I changed my diet in order to dramatically increase my natural intake of omega 3 fatty acids.

And there were a lot of benefits. I certainly slimmed down and toned up thanks to the low-fat, high-protein diet I was now eating. And the lack of processed sugars did not hurt anything either. I definitely felt good, and I was sure that I was doing everything I could to insure that my heart, my mind and my general health would remain good far into the foreseeable future.

However, when I went in for my annual physical, I was sorely disappointed. Sure, my doctor was pleased with my improved fitness and energy levels, but it turned out that my cholesterol, never low, was even higher than before. I was furious. I was offended. I suspected a conspiracy. After all, hadn’t I made some seriously difficult changes to my diet to address this type of thing, and wasn’t it omega 3’s job to keep my cholesterol down? Well, I had some disappointing news coming.

It turns out that while you can alter your diet to take in far more omega 3 fatty acids that you used to on a conventional diet, you probably still are not getting enough omega 3 fatty acids to reap the full benefits of this essential nutrient unless you are basically living like an Eskimo and eating fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner – and frankly, that has some drawbacks of its own. My doctor told me (and I did some research to verify what he was saying) that probably the most effective way for me to get adequate daily allowances of omega 3 fatty acids was to start simply taking an omega 3 fatty acid supplement.

He recommended a supplement made from high quality fish oil such as salmon oil, since salmon is generally acknowledged to be the best source of omega 3s, and recommended that I choose one endorsed by the World Health Organization and certified toxin-free, since many fish oil supplements are actually made from fish slightly tainted by mercury or other common aquatic pollutants. I added the supplement to my diet and worked with my doctor to make sure that I was not overdoing anything, and soon my cholesterol took a long-awaited dip. It was the best news I had had in a long time, and I was really proud of my new health.

So yes, omega 3s are definitely worth it, but that does not mean you need to go into things blindly. Work with your physician to find a good omega 3 supplement like this one (www.omega-3.us) and to develop a diet plan that will work for you and your health goals.

Even the medical community, which has a notoriously difficult time reaching a consensus on new research and science, has, at this time, acknowledged that omega 3 fatty acids, essential nutrients found in fish oil, play an integral role in protecting the body from heart disease and helping patients with heart disease heal. However, new research conducted by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, suggests that patients who are taking omega 3 supplements may also have a better chance at longevity not just because they are receiving heart health benefits, but because the omega 3s have actually increased their genetic advantage .

One of the common indications that any given individual is likely to live longer than any other given individual is the length of the subject´s telomeres. Telomeres are stretches of repetitive DNA at the end of chromosomes. They have long been thought to be “nonsense” DNA that was largely intended simply to “cap” the chromosome and keep the DNA molecules from tangling together. However, the length of your telomeres appears to be directly related to your genetic inclination to live a long time, and heart patients in the study who took omega 3 fatty acid supplements had markedly longer telomeres than those that did not. Now, at this point in time this research is not conclusive.

The study only included 608 patients; so far more research is necessary to make a defining statement about whether fish oil – the best source for omega 3 fatty acids – could actually be the key ingredient in the water of the fountain of youth. However, given the other proven cardiovascular benefits of taking omega 3 fish oil for fatty acids, it seems relatively safe to say that a daily fish oil supplement could go a long way toward extending your life, your quality of life and your health.

To date, the best source of omega 3 fatty acids is fish oil – salmon oil specifically, although they can also be derived from tuna, mackerel and swordfish. While the American Heart Association limits itself to simply recommending that people eat 2 servings of fatty fish a week, most scientists in the field believe that the body can benefit from a more regular, daily dose of this essential nutrient.

Rather than trying to eat pounds of fatty fish a day, consider a daily supplement like the one found at www.omega-3.us.

Chalk another one up for omega 3 fatty acids: turns out these vitally important nutrients that are key to heart health and memory performance can also help fend off that social nightmare, chronic bad breath. A study recently published in Molecular Oral Microbiology (Jan 25 2010 vol. 25, no. 1: 75-80) indicates that having sufficient amounts of omega 3 fatty acids in your system could help naturally eradicate bacteria in the mouth that lead to bad breath. That´s right: a mouthful of fish could help your breath smell better, not worse. Omega 3 fatty acids are commonly acknowledged to have a variety of anti-inflammatory properties that can help ease irritation in the body that causes migraines, muscle aches and even autoimmune issues, like diabetes.

The researchers took this information to the next logical step, which they believed was to assume that along with anti-inflammatory properties would come some form of anti-bacterial property. Turns out, they were right. The same omega 3 fatty acid forms that fend off nearly every form of inflammation in your system also just plain make your mouth untenable for bacteria like Candida albicans, Streptococcus mutans and Porhpyromonas ginigivalis.

Even small doses of omega 3 cut bacteria growth by 50 percent, and the larger the dose, the fewer bacteria remained in the mouth. As you can imagine, this is very exciting for many people who suffer from chronic halitosis and have adapted to the situation simply by avoiding social situations that would involve them being in close proximity to others while speaking. Chronic halitosis can be a socially-crippling issue, and the notion that it could be resolved by something that is so simple and such a basic health necessity already is very exciting.

So keep your eyes peeled for the next new flavor on the gum and candy rack at the store: “Fresh Fish for Fresh Breath” – or you could simply start taking an all natural, proven-effective fish oil supplement to get all the omega 3 fatty acids you need for heart health, excellent memory function and now, oral balance as well.

To learn more about studies regarding omega 3 benefits, access www.omega-3.us.

When it comes to picking an omega 3 supplement, doing some research is integral to your health. After all, if you pick the wrong supplement, you could get “benefits” like nausea, fishy body odor, chronic burping and gas. In short, no benefits at all!

This is because many fish oil supplements are nothing more than their name implies: they are sources of additional fish oil in your diet. The manufacturers are relying on you to assume that any fish oil is a good source of omega 3 fatty acids, which are good for heart health, mind and memory sharpness and a variety of other health benefits like warding off diabetes, fighting arthritis and even curing chronic migraine conditions. In reality, though, many forms of fish oil contain few omega 3 fatty acids, or only contain forms of this essential nutrient that provide few or no health benefits and come with unpleasant and smelly side effects.

In order to select the best omega 3 supplement, you should be looking for several things:

•    Certification of purity
Many supplements use fish oil from fish that are raised in polluted waters. As a result, the oil contains traces of contaminants like mercury and heavy metals. The FDA allows a small percentage of these contaminants, but do you really want them in your body? Using fish oil certified toxin-free guarantees that you are not adding to the basic level of toxins in your body.

•    Salmon
Salmon contain the highest levels of beneficial omega 3 fatty acids of any fish, and they are less likely to contain the toxins we mentioned earlier. Salmon oil can be rendered side-effect free, which  means no burping or strange body odor as well.

•    Endorsements from internationally recognized health organizations
Supplements that really do the job often boast endorsements from the World Health Organization (WHO) or members of the American College of Toxicology. Professional organizations cannot afford to endorse ineffective supplements, so this type of endorsement usually means that they did some pretty serious research beforehand.

Finding an effective omega 3 supplement is vital to your success in using omega 3 fatty acids to improve your health. Learn more about a supplement that meets all of these requirements at www.omega-3.us.

Eating a diet filled with vitamins and nutrients has always been key, but now research shows that there is possibly a relationship between substance abuse and dietary inadequacies. Carolyn Reuben, a nutrition expert (and the executive director of the Community Addiction Recovery Association in Sacramento, CA) states that the human body can react to certain nutritional inadequacies in a manner that can ultimately contribute to mood troubles and/or drug dependency.

She and other nutritionists see deficiency in omega-3 fatty acids as part of the issue.
Based on an addict’s substance of choice or major complaints, Reuben says experts can pinpoint which amino acids, vitamins and nutrients are lacking.

People suffering from substance usually do not consume a healthful diet. Moreover, substances exhaust fundamental nutrients from the addict’s body, so supplanting and sustaining them are an important part of recovery. Furthermore, drugs drain vitamins and nutrients from the addict’s body, so replenishing and maintaining these vitamins and nutrients are an important part of rehabilitation.

Reuben asserts, paraphrased, that there exists an an intimate relationship between our demeanor and our nourishment, a direct relationship between our diet and positive outlook. When an individual starts taking alcohol or engaging in substance abuse and their response is, “I don’t feel high, I feel natural,” that’s the sign that says they came into life with a bio-chemical deficiency. They are deficient in something and we can correct that with our diet, sometimes with amino acids, fish oil, vitamin C or B. The benefits of fish oil seem to be extremely important.

This method is based on a study by Professor Stephen Schoenthaler, PhD, who found a connection between elevated sugar consumption, lessened vitamin intake and hostility, in 1985. He learned that prison inmates who were administered day-to-day vitamin/mineral supplements experienced as much as a 43% drop in aggressive behavior, which led researchers to commence researching the connection between nutrition and drug dependency. More recent research have also learned that supplying inmates omega-3 fatty acid supplements also reduces hostility.

The CARA program proposes that individuals (in cooperation with their doctor) commence a regimen of taking 3 meals daily, each having at least 20 g of protein, at least 4 cups of vegetables, 2000 mg of vitamin C, a multivitamin, 1000-3000 mg of omega-3 fish oil, 500 mg of L-glutamine, and 2-3 mcg  of chromium. It also advises avoiding white sugar and flour, which may deplete the body of vitamin B. It also suggests doing away with white sugar and flour, which could deplete the body of vitamin B.
Although numerous factors play a role in drug and alcohol addiction, consuming a diet rich in nutrients, vitamins, minerals and fish oil capsules is unquestionably a key part of the successful path to recovery and a substance-free life!

For additional info on ways to help a drug or alcohol abuser you can call 1-877-782-7409 or access Addicthelp.org.

Fortifying your nutritional regimen with Neptune krill oil can yield some remarkable benefits for your health. It lowers LDL (low-density lipoprotein), the so-called “bad” cholesterol while simultaneously raising levels of HDL (high-density lipoprotein), the “good” type of cholesterol which, as you might imagine, makes it invaluable for treating cholesterol issues. Research has also proven that krill oil is able to effectively decrease blood sugar, which helps to get diabetes under control.

Some research studies have demonstrated that krill oil can be effective in protecting your skin from sun damage that’s caused from excessive exposure to ultraviolet light. Arthritis and other inflammatory conditions are also alleviated. Essential organs like the heart, brain, and liver also gain from supplementing with Neptune krill oil.

For consumers, one of the main advantages of supplementing with krill oil is that they no longer experience any strange aftertaste or “fish burps” as they do when taking fish oil. You can thank krill oil’s phospholipid composition for that. It hastens absorption which prevents the nastiness.

Fish oil just can’t compete with the advantages offered by krill oil. Krill oil has a double chain phospholipid structure which allows for it to be easily digested. It contains astaxanthin, an exceptionally powerful antioxidant, and much higher amounts of the omega 3 fatty acids DHA and EPA. In fact this makes the antioxidant content of krill oil 48 times as potent as ordinary fish oil. The extended shelf life of krill oil is due to the very high antioxidant content that also helps to keep the caplets from going rancid. Also, being at the bottom of the food chain, krill are virtually free of the heavy metals and toxins found in fish oil.

The lone potential concern when taking krill oil is that individuals with seafood allergies might need to be careful. It likely won’t be an issue as testing by Neptune Technologies found no traces of any allergens. It is still something to consider.

Given that there are several advantages, and no side effects aside from potential allergies, it is difficult to find a reason not to try it.

For other content like the above krill oil article, then please see www.neptunekrilloil.org