Fish oils used by Pharma-Nord are derived only from fish found in the Northern Atlantic and South East Pacific oceans. All fish oils are carefully screened to ensure that there is no contamination by heavy metals, pesticides or industrial toxins such as dioxins.
What is Fish Oil? Essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), vital to the normal functioning of the body, belong to several different chemical families. The fat in fish contains so called omega-3 PUFAs (also known as n-3 PUFAs), which differ from omega-6 PUFAs found in vegetable oils. Omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs have different roles in body metabolism. Fish oils contain about 50 different fatty acids, and are the main source of the omega-3 essential PUFAs eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA). EPA and DHA levels are very low (or absent) in domesticated land animals. The habitat in which the fish grow has a major influence on their fatty acid composition. The fish obtain omega-3 PUFAs by eating plankton, which in turn contain more omega-3 PUFAs the colder the sea water (cold water fish also have a higher fat content). Cold water fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel have the highest levels of omega-3 PUFAs. Farmed fish fed commercial fish food contain lower levels of omega-3 PUFAs.
Body Systems
