When it comes to choosing an omega-3 supplement, a myriad of options beckon our attention, but can leave us bewildered when making our final selection. Here’s what to look out for when tweezing out the best choice for therapeutic efficacy, clinical outcomes, purity, potency, sustainability and economical value.
Wiley’s Finest Peak Omega-3 Liquid stands out from the crowd.
Omega-6 and omega-3 are essential polyunsaturated fats that the body needs but cannot make for itself. They are considered essential, because like vitamins and minerals, pathological symptoms develop in deficiency states.
Omega-6s are prevalent in western diets, predominating in common vegetable oils, including corn, sunflower, soybean and canola oils. The abundance of vegetable oils used to manufacture hydrogenated oils used in processed, packaged and refined foods, and polyunsaturated spreads and margarines further multiplies intake of omega-6s.
Omega-3s on the other hand, are comparatively rare in our food supply and deficiency abounds. The only omega-3 found in plants (except for some algae), is ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), present in significant quantities only in flaxseed oil and to a lesser extent from the oils in chia, walnuts, hemp, and canola. ALA is a short-chain form with 18 carbons and 3 double bonds and is essential because we cannot make it and we need it. It is considered the ‘parent’ for its long-chain derivatives – EPA and DHA (eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid).
EPA and DHA are marine omega-3 oils found preformed mainly in fish and shellfish only. Compared with ALA, both are elongated and highly unsaturated; EPA has 20 carbons with 5 double bonds, and DHA has 22 carbons with 6 double bonds. Although humans are able to convert ALA to some EPA and DHA, this process is very inefficient.
To make matters worse, excess omega-6 in the diet creates competition in the biological pathways of these conversions, rather like a football match where each omega-3 player is up against 25 omega-6 players. Omega-3 rarely plays the ‘conversion-enzyme ball’ and consequently, omega-6 scores all the goals.
More omega-6 goals trigger pain, inflammation and vasoconstriction, which leads to the common use of drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen. More omega-6 also produces hormone-like messengers called prostaglandins and thromboxanes that trigger increased blood clotting and therefore the risk of stroke and cardiovascular diseases.
Conversely, omega-3 has opposing effects. EPA and DHA are anti-inflammatory and curb pain. EPA and DHA trigger production of the prostaglandins and thromboxanes that lower inflammation, reduce vasoconstriction, reduce risk of blood clotting and along with reducing triglycerides in the blood, they reduce risk of stroke and cardiovascular diseases.
The bottom line is that we need to increase the EPA and DHA status in the body to re-address the imbalance and limit the negative consequences to health common today.
Abundant omega-6 and deficient omega-3 in diets has led to an imbalance in omega-6:omega-3 ratio. It is essential to increase the status of EPA and DHA.
EPA and DHA are most critical for the body ’s needs, having the widest array of benefits to support health including heart disease, circulatory and inflammatory disorders, immune and brain function, vision, and mental health.
Just because children and adults have the ability to convert ALA to EPA and DHA does not mean they make enough to meet their daily needs. In actuality, most children and adults don’t have enough EPA and DHA. This is a real problem for pregnant women because they can’t make enough DHA for their baby. There is convincing evidence that preformed DHA must be consumed during pregnancy for optimum growth and development of infant brain and eyes. The body cannot make enough DHA from ALA or EPA to meet these high demands, so it must obtain DHA from the diet.
Top tips to selecting the best omega-3 product.
Knowing that there is too much omega-6 in the diet and not enough omega-3, the imbalance is best addressed by
- increasing the intake of marine oil omega-3 whilst
- decreasing the intake of vegetable oil polyunsaturated omega-6s.
Beware of supplements containing omega 3,6 and 9. This is balance in the bottle and not balance in the body. Our body can make omega-9 and we already get too much omega-6. You only need to supplement omega 3s. However, if a label says it contains “omega-3” it may provide only vegetable source ALA which does not have the wider therapeutic functions of preformed marine oils EPA and DHA. Fundamentally, it is specifically the EPA and DHA dose that matters the most.
Appreciating that Omega-3 EPA and DHA are the most valuable and beneficial to the body.
Wiley’s Finest Peak Omega-3 Liquid offers the peak choice for-
- Potency – 2,150mg EPA and DHA per teaspoon- just one single dose provides 1300mg EPA and 850mg DHA. Many products supply only 30% EPA and DHA- typically 180mg EPA/120mg DHA per 1000mg fish oil. Other products require multiple capsules, from 2 to 4 per day, to provide 1000mg EPA plus DHA.
- Dosage – One Teaspoon per day. Compare how many multiples of capsules would be required to achieve a potency of 1300mg EPA and 850mg DHA. Lower daily doses would take much longer to rectify deficits and achieve benefits.
- Compliance – only a single dose is required, which is easy to achieve and leads to faster, efficient and effective clinical outcomes. Compare this to the difficulty in remembering or willingness to comply with taking multiple doses throughout the day. If doses are missed, the total daily intake of EPA/DHA would likely be insufficient to achieve therapeutic or clinical outcomes .
- Cost Effective. Single dose provides competitive price per milligram of EPA and DHA on the market. Wiley’s Finest Peak Omega-3 liquid provides 1075mg EPA/DHA for 36 pence. Compare prices per 1000mg of EPA and DHA. Most products work out many times more costly, especially if multiple doses are required. (Solgar Wild Alaskan compares at £1.35 for 1146mg EPA/DHA and requires 6 capsules to attain this potency. Serving size of TWO capsules provide 202mg EPA and 180mg DHA. )
- Quality and Purity – Wiley’s Finest products are tested and certified to attain the most stringent global standards. IFOS, which sets the world’s highest standards for purity, potency, freshness and even radiation, gives Wiley’s Finest a five-star rating. They exceed European Pharmacopoeia Standards and meet independent, third party NSF and GMP standards. They are also tested and certified free of heavy metals, such as lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic.
- Sustainability – Gold Standard, they are Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified. The oil is 100% sourced from Wild Alaska Pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) caught fresh for human consumption. The fish are sourced entirely from the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska from the most scrutinised and well-managed fishery in the world, having a 37-year record of sustainable fishing practices. Wiley’s Finest is committed to support green renewable energy initiatives and the non-omega-3 fats removed during production are used to make biodiesel for trucks and school buses.
Available in 4 variants, Wiley’s has a product to suit you and your lifestyle…
Easy Swallow Minis – half the size, more Omega-3 per soft gel. Well balanced EPA & DHA product that is 55% smaller than regular size fish oil soft gels, but has 30% more Omega-3 per soft gel. Take 2 daily with food.
Peak EPA Gel Caps – with 4x more Omega-3s than regular strength fish oil, Peak EPA provides a peak dose of Omega-3s. Take 1 soft gel daily with food.
Peak Omega-3 Liquid 125ml – great tasting! Wiley’s highest strength liquid with an award winning natural lemon flavour, all you need is 1tsp a day of this miracle liquid!
Orange Burst 250ml – naturally flavoured and naturally contains vitamins A & D, Omega-7 and Astaxanthin. Serving: 1tsp per day.
Wiley’s Finest products featuring Wild Alaskan Fish Oil are the natural solution to promoting better health for you and all the family.
View the whole range of Wiley’s Finest Wild Alaskan Fish Oils.
