Without question, omega-3 fats from fish or cod liver oil is one of the most important food choices you can include in your diet.

At this time of year most people in the northern hemisphere will benefit from cod liver oil rather than fish oil as the extra vitamin D in the cod liver oil will be an excellent practical substitute for lack of sun exposure.

Practical Problems With Most Fish and Cod Liver Oils

Remember that most fish are contaminated with mercury and other toxins and should be avoided, so you will want to find a high-quality fish or cod liver oil supplement. When searching for a brand, it is important to find a source that is independently tested by a lab and found to conform to the highest purity guidelines.

But how do you know which fish oil is best for you? Here are three quick tests:

1. Make sure that your brand is free of mercury and PCBs. This will not be on the label so you will need to:

   • Contact the manufacturer for their analysis

   • Review an independent third party that has analyzed the product

   • Hire a company to test the product yourself

2. Confirm that there are very low oxidation products in the fish or cod liver oil.

   It is important to understand fish oil and cod liver oil have long-chain unsaturated fats (primarily EPA and DHA), and they are very susceptible to oxidation or damage. If the oil is not processed properly damage will occur. Many years ago nearly all the fish oils were oxidized. That is why when you mention cod liver oil to most anyone they turn up their nose in disgust. Typically, they only taste bad when they are oxidized.

3. Make certain that your fish oil or cod liver oil has therapeutic levels of vitamin E in it.

   Nearly all manufacturers insert a small amount of one unit per teaspoon. This is sufficient to prevent oxidation of the fish oil in the bottle. However, after you consume it this is woefully inadequate. Your body will tend to oxidize the fish oil and much larger doses of vitamin E are needed to prevent the fish oil from going rancid in your body.

Those of you who read the newsletter regularly know I'm a fan of the Carlson's brand of fish oil and cod liver oil, as I have seen clear and often substantial improvements in my patients who use it.

Carlson's fish and cod liver oil is one of the few brands that put the extra vitamin E in it for you straight from the get-go, so you don't have to take extra vitamin E if you don't want to. This extra vitamin E will help protect against the oxidation concern discussed in the study above.

You can find the Carlson's fish oil or cod liver oil at your local health food store, or, for your convenience, in my Recommended Products section.

But Wait ... A Safe Source of Fish?

While fish would be an excellent omega-3 source, mercury levels in almost all fish have now hit dangerously high levels across the world, and the risk of this mercury to your health now outweighs the fish's omega-3 benefits.

However, after searching for a safe source of fish you can eat without having to worry about mercury levels and added toxins, I finally discovered one: Vital Choice Alaskan Wild Red Salmon. I had the salmon, which are harvested in Alaskan waters, tested through an independent lab and it was found to be free of toxins. I also tasted it in a variety of recipes, and I can now confidently and enthusiastically recommend this source to you.

The fish is certainly a far more expensive way to obtain your omega-3 fats, but it may be the best as there is absolutely no processing involved and you are obtaining the fish oil in its completely natural state.

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How Fish Oil Protects Your Heart

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