Fish oil pills/overfishing

[mrgorth]

Hey all. I'm thinking of starting fish oil pills for Omega 3 supplements but don't want to contribute to overfishing. I know everything we buy has a consequence but is there a less harmful version out there? I've heard flax oil is not as good as fish oil. I came across these guys:
http://www.minami-nutrition.us/omega3/efp.php

But, of course, they are magnitudes more expensive. I saw a supplement yesterday that touted being from "wild caught" fish instead of farms. I don't know if this makes it any better. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

[Uben]

1. that touted being from "wild caught" fish instead of farms.

Uh, how can you overfish a fish farm?

[Deep13]

2. Some fish farms are more sustainable than others.

Fortunately, the cheap fish varieties are usually the best on the environment and the end product. Salmon and white fishes are more damaging and produce an inferior product.

[mrgorth]

3. I ask the question

mostly because of what I heard on this NPR program:
http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=120049590

It seems that farm raised fish are not necessarily any better for the environment than wild caught. That said, it also indicates that if you eat farm raised fish that are herbivores it's not as bad. Gets confusing.

[Altoid_Cyclist]

4. I don't know if this will help or not, but here are a few links that contain some useful information

Some fish farms are no better than factory farms on land. Smaller fish such as sardines and anchovies are purported to be safer than larger fish. Look carefully at the bottle and it should say which type(s) of fish were used in the product.

The EDF link has a list that ranks most of the fish oil brands and their quality and safety.

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6491/p/salsa/web/common/public/content?content_item_KEY=2185

http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=16536

Keep this statement in mind from the first link.

Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplements
Whether or not you’re already taking omega-3 fish oil supplements, you probably know someone who is or have heard about their health benefits. But did you know or have you heard that many of them have high levels of toxic contaminants such as PCBs?

Background:

According the EPA, “PCBs are probable human carcinogens and can also cause non-cancer health effects, such as reduced ability to fight infections, low birth weights, and learning problems.” For 40 years, Monsanto held a monopoly on PCB production in the US; when a former plant manager was asked in a deposition whether Monsanto ever shared their data about PCB hazards with the community, he replied, “Why would they?”

[GliderGuider]

5. I'm reducing my fish/fish oil consumption as much as I can

Virtually all wild species are being overfished (many to the point of endangerment), and fish farms tend to be the marine equivalent of beef feedlots.

Flax and borage oils are reasonable vegetable sources for Omega-3 fats.

I view any fish consumption as ecocide, but I try not to get too preachy about it.

[cdsilv]

6. does the human body metabolize teh Omega-3 fatty acids from flax, borage or avocado as easily ...

..as those derived from fish sources? I've read somewhere that it does not.

[GliderGuider]

7. Yes. Here's a bit more information about Omega 3 and 6 from seed oils.

Flax and Borage Seed Oils

Oil extracted from organic flaxseeds is unique because it contains both essential fatty acids: alpha-linolenic, an omega-3 fatty acid, and linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid, in appreciable amounts. Flaxseed oil is the world's richest source of omega-3 fatty acids, at a whopping 57 percent (over two times the amount of omega-3 fatty acids as fish oils).

For some individuals, flaxseed oil may offer only half of the solution. Those deficient in co-factor nutrients, specifically the Vitamins pro-A, A, C, E, B2, B6, pantothenic acid, B12, biotin, and the minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfur, and zinc, sometimes have difficulty in converting the omega-6 fatty acid, linoleic acid, found in flax and other seed oils, to the healthful prostaglandins.

For those suffering from co-factor deficiencies, two broad-spectrum multi-vitamin and mineral supplements may be recommended with perhaps an oil supplement rich in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). Individuals who may lack the proper enzyme system would require a GLA supplement in addition to the flaxseed oil to effectively skip over the absent or impaired enzyme and continue on toward normal production of beneficial prostaglandins.

Nature's most potent concentration of GLA comes in the form of organic borage seed oil (24 percent). A great deal of scientific research has been conducted with supplements rich in GLA, resulting in significant interest regarding the aforementioned health ailments, as well as those affected by premenstrual syndrome, benign breast disease, eczema, psoriasis, obesity, and vascular disorders.

When considering an essential fatty acid supplement and deciding on either organic flax or borage seed oils, the most sensible solution may be a formulation of the two. The combination of both organic flax and organic borage seed oil yields a true omega twin by providing nature's best of the omega-3 fatty acids in flax with the best of omega-6 fatty acids in GLA rich borage oil. This option has now been made available by a flax/borage oil product that can be found in many health food stores.

I hope that helps a bit.

[NNadir]

8. Without reference to your concern for fish and the fact that Menhaden will suffer from the dangerous

fossil fuel accident in the Gulf that all of our anti-nukes couldn't care less about, the fact is that from a medicinal chemistry standpoint, neither lineoleic acid nor GLA have the same effectiveness or benefits as eicosopentenoic acid (EPA) or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

We may argue about risk/benefit issues but I cannot help in passing remarking that borage oil has its own set of problems.

It is interesting that human breast milk is almost unique among mammals in having EPA that is biosynthesized. Probably from an evolutionary standpoint this is invovled in neurological evolution. EPA and DHA have profound neurological effects.

It happens that fish do not synthesize EPA or DHA but rather get it from their diet by eating algae, the same algae on which the important filter feeding fish, Menhaden, eat.

Menhaden, which are not generally consumed by people as food, but is used to feed chickens and other livestock, are the key species in our seas.

Maybe we can all eat petroleum, us and our chickens alike.

This website should not discuss these things however. We should all talk endlessly about the tragedies that completely wiped out the entire nations of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia - countries that no longer exist - and the State of Pennsylvania, which also doesn't exist.

How do I know that they don't exist? I have dumb anti-science people who come here every day to report on it endlessly.