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How Do You Get More Omega 3 Fatty Acids In Your Diet If Fish Is Contaminated With Mercury?

The health benefits of Omega3 fatty acids have been well publicised recently and it is becoming well known that most of us are deficient in the omega3 oils that are so important to our good health. Omega 3 essential fatty acids are found in fish oil, which obviously comes from fish. But if fish are contaminated with Mercury then what should we do?

A new study published this year has shed some light on the Mercury contamination of fish. The study examined Mercury contamination of fish in the North Pacific and found that levels of Mercury in that ocean had increased by 30 percent over the last 10 years.

Not only that but it also concluded that around 40 percent of all Mercury exposure of people in the US came from tuna consumption from tuna caught in the Pacific.

This is seriously worrying, because you do not want to be eating too much Mercury. It is a neurotoxin and it has serious health implications for adults, but in particular for the fetus and for infants.

The major causes of Mercury contamination in the Pacific were found to be atmospheric Mercury production as well as Mercury leakage from parts of Asia. The Mercury is in the form of methylmercury, and this works it’s way from the bottom of the food chain to the major fish at the top of the food chain such as tuna and shark, both of which feature largely in our intake of fish.

So there is a dilemma here for anyone wishing to increase their intake of Omega3 fats from eating more fish. If you eat more fish you get more Omega3 oils in your diet however you also increase your level of Mercury consumption.

Not only that but fish is a declining resource and is also getting more and more expensive with time. Is there a better way to increase your intake of omega3 fatty acids other than by eating fish? Yes.

The better way is by daily consumption of omega3 supplements. Fish oil supplements are extremely cost effective when compared to buying fish, and the best fish oil supplements are entirely free of Mercury. For both these reasons many people are now taking daily fish oil capsules, and the result is that the sales of omega 3 supplements have increased faster than any other nutritional supplement in history.

Of course if you like fish and wish to increase your intake of omega3 then you can do so by eating more fish, but this is expensive and increases your intake of Mercury. That’s fine if you understand this, however if you merely wish to increase your dietary intake of essential fatty acids without the cost or the risk of Mercury contamination fish oil supplements offer a safe and cost-effective way to do so.

It is however worth noting that there wide variations in the quality of the various supplements available, and that the best fish oil supplements contain almost 3 times as much Omega3 fats as average capsules.

To find a comparison of the different fish oil capsules available visit my website.