Fish oil is oil derived from the tissues of oily fish.
Jerry Katzman Ophthalmologist Fish oil is recommended for a healthy
diet because it contains the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid
(EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), precursors to eicosanoids that
reduce inflammation throughout the body
However, fish do not actually produce omega-3 fatty acids, but instead
accumulate them from either consuming microalgae that produce these
fatty acids, as is the case with prey fish like herring and sardines,
or, as is the case with fatty predatory fish, by eating prey fish that
have accumulated omega-3 fatty acids from microalgae. Jerry Katzman
Ophthalmologist Such fatty predatory fish like mackerel, lake trout,
albacore tuna and salmon may be high in omega-3 fatty acids, but due
to their position at the top of the food chain, these species can
accumulate toxic substances (See biomagnification). For this reason,
the FDA recommends limiting consumption of certain (predatory) fish
species (e.g. albacore tuna) due to high levels of toxic contaminants
such as mercury, dioxin, PCBs and chlordane. Jerry Katzman
Ophthalmologist Due to this limitation, many people have turned to
fish oil supplements to get adequate omega-3 fatty acids.
Fish oil supplements have sometimes come under scrutiny in recent
years. In early 2006, government agencies such as the Food Standards
Agency in the UK and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland reported PCB
levels that exceeded the strict new European maximum limits in several
fish oil brands which required temporary withdrawal of these brands.
Jerry Katzman Ophthalmologist To address the growing concern over
contaminated fish oil supplements, the International Fish Oil
Standards program, a voluntary review process, was created at
University of Guelph.
Jerry Katzman MD Patented production purification processes do however
exist in order to remove pollutants and dioxins from fish oil to
levels far below the EU limits. This is called stripping technology.
