subject: Do Fish Oil Capsules Contain Mercury – How Can You Be Sure That Your Supplement Does Not Have It? [print this page] Do Fish Oil Capsules Contain Mercury How Can You Be Sure That Your Supplement Does Not Have It?
Most people who are new to taking fish oil seem surprised when they ask "do fish oil capsules contain mercury?" This is quite normal because of the lack of knowledge. It is ironic that people would want to take something because of the health benefits that they can get from a certain product, but then they do not have the slightest effort to find out if it also has the possibility to do harm or give any adverse effects.
But do fish oil capsules contain mercury? You might ask yourself the same question more than once. The answer is yes and no. But before we elaborate on the answer, let us find out why people want to take fish oil and where they get it. Fish oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids specifically the EPA and DHA. These are essential fatty acids that are also present in the human body, however the human body is not designed to synthesize them, so that is the reason for supplementing the healthy requirement by eating fish. The fish does not produce the omega-3 essential fatty acids but accumulate it by ingesting microalgae as a source of food. Microalgae are the ones responsible for producing omega-3 EFA's, and these specific algae are present in fresh water and in pristine deep cold waters of the ocean.
The kinds of fish that are harvested for fish oil vary but those predatory fish that are higher up the food chain may contain higher doses of mercury because of preying on other fishes. How does mercury get into the fish? Mercury crops up either naturally or because of man-made sources. Coal burning power plants have smokestacks that emit toxic mercury smoke, as this substance is released into the atmosphere and then later on it falls into lakes, rivers and oceans. Bacteria present in these bodies of water converts the mercury into a substance that can be easily absorbed by aquatic life forms. Smaller fish absorb mercury and when eaten by larger fish the mercury is accumulated in their tissues.
Mercury when absorbed by the human body can of course cause poisoning. One out of six children or an estimate of 630,000 children that are born every year have shown to be exposed to high levels of mercury. Thus the exposure causes motor skill impairment, learning disabilities, and short-term memory loss. This is the result of pregnant women eating too much fish such as tuna or other predatory fish for that matter.
To answer the question if fish oil capsules contain mercury, again it is a yes or a no. Yes, it may contain mercury if manufacturers do not comply with strict manufacturing and processing quality guidelines implemented by the government or state. The fish oil extracted from fish has to undergo a distilling and purification process to separate the omega-3
EFA's from mercury, dioxins, and 28 other toxins. This is to ensure that the fish oil afterwards is pure and of high quality while it also becomes safe for consumption. Manufacturers are also required to acquire a Certificate of Analysis for each batch of fish oil before distribution.
No, fish oil capsules may not contain mercury if the manufacturers comply with strict manufacturing and processing guidelines. I hope this has answered the question "do fish oil capsules contain mercury?"
Now, if you and your family want to know thebest, purest and safest omega-3 fish oil capsules which I personally use myself, then visit http://www.naturalfishoil.info and discover exactly why!
