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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRevealed: many common omega-3 fish oil supplements are 'rancid'
Richa Syal
Mon 17 Jan 2022 01.45 EST
More than one in 10 fish oil supplements tested from among 60 large retail brands are rancid, while nearly half are just under the recommended maximum limit, according to independent tests.
Conducted over several years by Labdoor, which analyses vitamins and supplements based on criteria such as purity, label accuracy and nutritional value, the tests measured common US-branded fish oils, available globally, against international voluntary standards of rancidity.
Some fish oils recorded levels 11 times higher than recommended limits.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/17/revealed-many-common-omega-3-fish-oil-supplements-are-rancid
Well now.... I am going to have to ask my heart doctor and my pharmacists ....now what..
JanMichael
(24,897 posts)One thing that people sometimes don't consider is flaxseed oil which you can tell very clearly when it goes bad. You can take ia teaspoon or tablespoon of that and get almost everything you need.
Or straight up cod liver oil same way. Keep it in the refrigerator.
Edit: I was joking about the racid stuff being deadly
Wingus Dingus
(8,059 posts)and squirt them down patients' feeding tubes back in my nursing days. They ALL smelled rancid to me, whether they were or not...
acantharchus
(48 posts)It has to be expensive pharmacological grade and even that is associated with increased risk of prostate cancer.
bucolic_frolic
(43,364 posts)Better off with nutrition from food. A small tin of salmon once a week.
Maru Kitteh
(28,343 posts)Gross.
IbogaProject
(2,845 posts)The oil comes from algae. They now ferment the algie to make some of the most healthy byproducts of that complex. There are also decent plant source omega-3 sources.
ProfessorGAC
(65,248 posts)Fish oils, particularly the omega 3, are very susceptible to rancidity. There are 3, 5, & 6 double bonds on the chain, and given their proximity to one another are very easily oxidized.
The oxidation forms internal aldehydes & alcohols, and the chain might have multiples.
Alcohols & aldehydes can be toxic, particularly because the functional groups aren't terminal. That makes them slow to metabolize further so the level in the tissues can become cumulative.
Typically antioxidants like BHA, BHT, or vitamin E are used. I'm thinking they need more!
I'd also question their manufacturing process, because inerting the process stream before the capsules are filled would go a long way toward mitigating this.
They might do doing this to some degree, but its obviously not enough.
harumph
(1,917 posts)ProfessorGAC
(65,248 posts)That greatly dilutes the highly oxidizable omega three acids. So, the less oxygen coming into contact with those double bonds, the less susceptible to rancidification. Exponentially so.
And, sardines contain EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate) which is a polycyclic loaded with attackable sites. Super antioxidant, even moreso than BHT. In fact, sardines are what they use as an extraction source for EGCG. People take it as a supplement because of its free radical scavenging properties.
Hence, I'm not surprised that your sardines last a long time. One watch out: canned sardines are loaded with salt. People with hypertension (like me) are supposed to limit how often we eat them. There's more salt in one can of sardines than in 2 big bags of tortilla chips.
48656c6c6f20
(7,638 posts)VGNonly
(7,514 posts)also have mercury, dioxins and PCBs. There are algal based sources of Omega-3 that do not contain these toxins.
Tracer
(2,769 posts)I am needing to buy some for one of my dogs.
Omega 3 acids are a groups of highly unsaturated fatty acids with 3 to 6 double bonds in the chain, the first after the 3rd carbon from the acyl group. 3rd carbon, hence Omega THREE. These are 16-22 carbons total.
The end use changes nothing about the nature of these molecules so human, dog, Romulan, these fatty acids will rancidify in the same fashion. (Mostly oxidation of the double bonds.)
RandiFan1290
(6,256 posts)SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)Ordered some Barleans triple strength strawberry banana flax oil just now. (Cholesterol is literally off the charts.)
Tyvm for info!
iemanja
(53,076 posts)They didn't mention it in the article.
Omaha Steve
(99,780 posts)mitch96
(13,929 posts)The monkey chew tobacco on the street car line.
The line broke, the monkey got choked
And they all went to heaven in a little rowboat.
Clap clap clap pat
m
ProfessorGAC
(65,248 posts)But, the source is irrelevant to the tendency to rancidify. Fish or plant, a highly unsaturated fatty acid is the same.
All those double bonds in close proximity along the chain is oxygen food.
Intense care needs to be taken in the refining, filtration, and packaging to minimize oxygen exposure.
This article makes me question how robust those procedures are, in the whole industry.
multigraincracker
(32,736 posts)Hope it's enough.
ProfessorGAC
(65,248 posts)As I'm sure you know, some fish is oilier than others.
Real flaky fish like cod or haddock are far lower in oil contact. The liver of those fish are loaded in oils, but not the flesh.
Shark, salmon, tuna, perch, etc. are higher in flesh oils.
Fish oils are extracted from the offal of most fish because of the oil content. But, liver oil contains a decent amount of ricinoleic acid. It stinks, taste bitter, and isn't all that good for us. So, that component is refined out, along with all the amino compounds that make fish smell bad.
If you're eating a lot of firm flesh fish, you're probably getting enough.
abqtommy
(14,118 posts)versatile word "rancid" how about a meme suitable for bumper stickers, buttons,
flyers and protest signs. I'm referring to "Rancid Rand"!
turbinetree
(24,726 posts)Good one...
Doremus
(7,261 posts)This is Dr. Esselstyn of the Cleveland Clinic discussing preventing and reversing heart disease.
Kingofalldems
(38,496 posts)Made me feel like crap, now I know why.