Prescription fish oil refers to a range of omega-3 fatty acids that you can purchase only after producing a doctor’s prescription at the counter.
Omega-3 fatty acids are a kind of unsaturated fat (good fat) that helps to lower your triglyceride levels. You can get an adequate amount of the essential omega-3 fatty acids by eating fish and nuts though there are plenty of supplements of the same available at various drug and nutritional stores.
Though fish oil is known to reduce high levels of triglyceride in the body, excessive amounts of the same can cause thinning of your blood and allow you to bleed easily. Prescription fish oil ensures that you stand no risk of such adverse side effects from consuming these supplements.
The Food and Drug Association has different standards for regular fish oil supplements and those made available only by prescription. Over the counter products such as omega-3 fatty acid supplements are referred to as food and their manufacturers need to ensure that the products are safe, correctly labeled, free of contaminants and made in a clean environment. The Food and Drug Association would get such a food products off the shelves only if they receive health complaints about them.
Prescription fish oil on the other hand is monitored a lot more closely. Such products are required to undergo extensive testing even before they are made available at pharmacies. A manufacturer of prescribed drugs or supplements must prove to the Food and Drug Association that the product contains all the ingredients on the label, works exactly how it is supposed to, has no side effects and is completely safe before he can make it available at drug stores.
Regular fish oil supplements usually contain low doses of fatty acids and other nutrients. An over the counter supplement is likely to have only thirty or fifty percent of omega-3 fatty acids where as prescription fish oil has close to ninety percent omega-3 fatty acids. Because of the various side effects associated with fish oil, those supplements that have a higher concentration are mostly only available on prescription.
If you want to take fish oil supplements only to match the basic bodily requirement, you could purchase one over the counter but if you need one for a specific health condition, it is recommended that you consult a doctor so he can prescribe an appropriate supplement and its right dosage to you. For more about the factors that determine the choice of your best fish oil supplement, study this free special report – click here.
The Case For Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil Supplements
Pharmaceutical grade fish oil supplements are a rich source of omega 3 fatty acids, including the long chain omega 3s like DHA and EPA. But is that enough reason to prefer them over natural fish, or other sources of this essential dietary component?
Omega 3 fats, the kind you see in good fish oil, have many benefits related to their anti-inflammatory activity, including protection from colon cancer, depression, asthma, menstrual cramps, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Fish oil lowers triglyceride levels and reduces heart disease risk.
You can meet your omega 3 needs from plant or animal sources, specifically from fresh fish like salmon, halibut or mackerel. Most fish sold today in the market, however, is grown on fish farms. This makes them a dangerous source of contaminants, hormones and antibiotics that are unsafe to your health.
Here is why you should use pharmaceutical grade fish oil as your preferred source to meet your daily requirements of omega 3 fatty acids.
Even though it is rich in DHA and EPA, fresh fish is the most likely to be contaminated with PCBs, DDT and dioxin, along with heavy metals like mercury. Investigators of a study linking fish consumption to breast cancer warned “Fish is not merely a source of omega 3 fatty acids, but also of methyl mercury.”
An option that allows you to enjoy the benefits of fish oil, without the risks, is to take pharmaceutical fish oil capsules. 3 grams a day of fish oil provides 1 gram of DHA and EPA, which is all you need.
Several brands use oil from fish caught in the cleanest and coldest waters, preferably those far from commercial shipping lines and industrialized countries where the highest risk of water contamination by wastes exists.
What makes fish oil capsules even safer is the molecular distilling, a process that removes any mercury, dioxins, PCBs and other contaminants, leaving behind only the pure pharmaceutical grade fish oil with all the beneficial ingredients, and none of the poisons.
Pharmaceutical grade fish oil is available in lemon, orange, and peach flavors, and the flavoring helps eliminate fishy aftertaste and the potential for bad breath, both common side effects of fish oil supplements.
If you’re keen to learn more about the fish oil supplements I personally take daily, please go here.
Why Choose Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil Supplements
Pharmaceutical grade fish oil (PGFO) supplements have grown in popularity over the past few years, partly due to increased awareness of the benefits of taking fish oil. It has been shown that fish oil is rich in Omega 3 essential fatty acids which improve heart and vascular function and boost the immune system.
However not every fish oil supplement is the same, in fact there is a world of difference between normal grade fish oil purchased in stores and PGFO.
Normal Grade Fish Oil Purchased in Stores
It should be noted that these are different from PGFO supplements essentially because of the way they are produced. Usually, they contain high quantities of toxic chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury and dioxin which are all highly poisonous to humans.
Nearly all the fish oils available as supplements are made from wild caught anchovies, mackerel and sardines from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The quantity of toxins absorbed into their bodies is directly proportional to the levels of pollution within their parts of the ocean. Usually, the producers of normal grade fish oils do very little to purify these fish.
Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil
Considering the disadvantages of normal grade fish oil sold in stores, it should be obvious that there is need for a cleaner alternative. What are the criteria for classifying an omega 3 oil “Pharmaceutical grade”?
In simple terms, for an omega 33 oil to be classified as pharmaceutical grade, it should have been tested and successfully passed standards of purity as well as quality set by the government. These standards have to be measured as well as verified by a 3rd party official authority. In addition, PGFO needs to be composed of more than sixty percent total omega 3 fatty acids with little or negligible impurities.
Aside from that, PGFO supplements must be produced at pharmaceutical GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) compliant facilities. These standards are the same as what is required of prescription medication producers.
So it is obvious that the standards for pharmaceutical grade fish oil are a lot more stringent than the standards for normal grade fish oil and that an omega 3 oil cannot be classified as pharmaceutical grade except if it meets these requirements.
Now that you have this information, it is time for you to start shopping smart. You are now aware what to avoid as well as what to look out for when shopping for pharmaceutical grade fish oil supplements. Another report that you will want to check out right away is this simple guide to help you choose the right brand and company manufacturing fish oil supplements.
Little Known Facts About Pharmaceutical Fish Oil
There are different grades of fish oil and pharmaceutical fish oil happens to be the purest of them all. With the highest concentrations of omega-3 fatty acid and essential fatty acids like EPA and DHA, the process by which pharmaceutical grade fish oil is produced offers consumers more purity than most other grades of fish oil.
Typically, fish oil capsules that have 1000 mg omega-3 as well as 200 mg DHA and 300 mg EPA with no contaminants are referred to as pharmaceutical fish oil.
Pharmaceutical grade fish oil is more expensive than other fish oils as it is pure and assures that is has undergone strict specifications of production. That apart, it takes almost 100 gallons of health food grade fish oil to produce one gallon of ultra refined fish oil.
The Food and Drug Association does not regulate fish oil supplements so you must run some research before buying a quality omega-3 supplement to make sure it is potent and safe. There are many independent research laboratories that certify fish oils so look out for their reviews.
This kind of fish oil is molecularly distilled which ensures that all unhealthy and toxic contaminants have been removed completely. These oils are derived only from specific kinds of fish so that there is no compromise on its omega-3 contents. However some pharmaceutical grade fish oils may have low levels of EPA and DHA so make sure you check the contents of your chosen brand before buying it.
Fish oil supplements do not necessarily have to be molecularly distilled to offer quality and potency. Yet, pharmaceutical fish oil undergoes the stringent process so that consumers ingest sufficient quantities of omega-3 fatty acids like EPA and DHA. Some pharmaceutical grade fish oils can also have low potency so it is important that you check the label of your chosen brand and buy a supplement that most suits your needs.
While pharmaceutical fish oil addresses several health conditions like diabetes, heart disorders and cancer, it is advantageous when consumed in the right doses. Too much of fish oil supplementation can cause your blood to thin and allow you to bleed easily.
Different factors like age, size, diet, health condition and the prescription of other drugs are taken into consideration when a doctor recommends a certain fish oil supplement to you. It is thus recommended that you consult a doctor before opting for any omega-3 fatty acid supplements and find out what your dosage is.