Whenever purchasing fish oil pills, the most significant thing to consider is without a doubt: How safe is this supplement? Just like most fish-based products, fish oil tablets usually are subject to hazards associated with contamination. If truth be told, it has become so bad that the FDA has issued statements requiring us all to decrease the actual volume of seafood many of us eat. Fish oils are definitely subject to the same risk associated with toxic contaminants that will worsen our health rather than improve it.

Why Aren't All Fish Oil Pills Safe?

Even though innovations in science have made it possible for manufacturers to come up with omega-3 fish oil capsules that have very low possibility of toxic contamination, several makers still take shortcuts with their basic safety precautions. This is mainly because assuring the safety and quality of their fish oil tablets costs these manufacturers a lot of money. Fish oil products which have been subject to these safety practices and quality guidelines are sometimes called pharmaceutical grade fish oil products.

Why Not Just Buy Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil Supplements?

Pharmaceutical grade fish oil supplements are a molecularly-distilled fish oil supplement. Basically, this signifies that the fish oil in these products have gone through an intensive purification procedure, offering you a significantly lower possibility of toxins. Furthermore, pharmaceutical grade omega-3 fish oil pills have double the concentration of natural fish oils. They are a bit much more high-priced than natural fish oils, but that's being expected. There is always a premium to be paid when you're looking for greater quality and safety.

Alas, there is actually no regulation of the expression "pharmaceutical grade." That means that there is actually nothing to stop various unscrupulous companies from slapping their products with the label "pharmaceutical grade," whether it is actually true or not. Unfortunately, as a result this has largely become an empty marketing phrase. So what's a consumer to do? Keep reading for more information.

The International Fish Oil Standards System: The Cream Of The Crop

The International Fish Oil Standards (IFOS) plan came about when Nutrasource Diagnostics Inc. in Canada identified the actual need for a certification program designed for fish oil. They argued that the current requirements for fish oil safety were not only widely-different among the various health organizations globally, but additionally these standards were way too lenient. The IFOS organization then published its own group of exacting standards that established what they felt was the bare minimum for levels of contamination in fish oil supplements.

You can find five parameters that the IFOS measures. These are:

* Exceeds All CRN/WHO Testing Categories
* Better than 60% Omega-3 Content level
* Oxidation Amounts Less than 75% of CRN Standard
* PCB Amounts Less than 50% of CRN Standard
* Dioxin Levels Less Than 50% of WHO Standard

These standards are the most rigorous in the entire world. Fish oil supplements that are certified with five-star ratings from the IFOS are normally safe bets. They not only pass the standards of the Council for Responsible Nutrition and the World Health Organization, but they truly surpass them.

When deciding on fish oil pills, search for a product that contains an IFOS 5-star rating. This normally offers you a very good idea of exactly how risk-free the supplement actually is. You may also look up the testing results of dozens of fish oil products at the IFOS web site to see if you can locate your supplement. If you don't see yours on there, then there's very little chance that you can know exactly what is actually inside your fish oil pills. Buyer Beware!