Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives Alternatives and ALCHEMISTS editorial:fish (or seal) oil: psoriatic arthritis

http://www.jrheum.com/subscribers/06/02/207.html

Marine Oils for Antiinflammatory Effect — Time to Take Stock
LESLIE G. CLELAND, MD, FRACP;
MICHAEL J. JAMES, PhD,
Rheumatology Unit,
Royal Adelaide Hospital,
Adelaide, SA 5000 Australia

Journal of Rheumatology 33:207 ( 2006)

The final paragraph is pretty blunt. Trust the Oz.

If only the frozen canadian pink salmon we get here in the UK didn't taste so dreadful.

Dear Bilko, yes, blunt. I thought it was an interesting read-presents an alternative treatment in quite a positive light overall, though balanced by including proper discussion of risks. Still its good to keep in mind that its an editorial, not a research study. authors are Australian, journal is Canadian.

Very, very interesting. Yes, I did know (don't we all?) about fish oil, but as the study correctly points out, the mercury and the PCB pollutants are not funny. So, I don't hardly ever go near fish! I take the hemp omegas, at least they are non-polluted, but quite likely not as effective as the fish oils would be. As for the seal oils, for me that is a that is a definite no-no. We do not need to go culling the seals for their oils. What about mackeral? Tesco do quite a good one with lemon and herb dressing. Looks quite nice. As for the salmon, no. Certainly the UK salmon (unless one is fortunate to find the wild Scottish) is farmed and you certainly don't want to go there - even got antibiotics in it. Phew, our food chain is so adulterated, right from the seas up...sigh.

Thanks Evelyn - great article. Going to pass it along to my friends.

Molly C

IFOS is the internation fish oil standards group and they actually test and rate fish oil supplements for mercury and other contaminants. I find it quite useful for ordering purposes.

go to consumer reports and see the ratings of various brands and batches

IFOS page

You will find higher levels of PCBs, Dioxins and Furans in fresh fish, milk & butter than you get in most food supplement products containing marine oils. This is due to the fact the refining and processing of marine oils is developed to remove those contaminants to much lower levels.
Some companies have patented technologies that are very effective in these 'decontamination' processes.

Marine oils are indeed far superior (different) in terms of JointCare than Vegetable-based oils (e.g. Flax). The Omega-3s obtained from marine and vegetable oils are in fact different.
The active constituents of marine oils (Omega-3) are predominantly EPA & DHA, plus the antioxidants have a minor effect in removal of free radicals.

The levels of contaminants are strictly controlled by legislation and the allowed limits for food supplements (e.g. Fish Oils) are far lower than those given for food (e.g. Fish, Butter, Milk etc.).

May I point out that IFOS do not conduct testing on all marine oil products, there are many UK manufactured products missing from their analyses.

There is strong clinical evidence for the benefits of Omega-3 (EPA/DHA) in the area of JointCare and some marine oils (Cod Liver Oil) are actually licensed as medicines around the world (including UK). Additionally, there is a building body of evidence for the benefits of the food supplements Glucosamine and Chondroitin, which has led to a broadening range of products available for JointCare purposes, some of which combine Marine Oils, Glucosamine, Chondroitin and selected Amino Acids (e.g. l-Arginine).

If anyone wishes to know some key brands for these types of products, available in the UK and around the world, let me know. I won't post them up with requests, as I don't want to be accused of 'advertising'.

If anyone has any particular questions about marine oils or other food supplements (e.g. vitamins and minerals), let me know and I'll try and provide an answer.

Martin I agree with you about the relativity safeness of fish oil. We know it can much safer than taking an aspirin which causes the deaths of thousands each year just from bleeding to death internally. I contend most any over the counter meds or Rx is much more dangerous than fish oil based on my personal experience and research. There is more emotional feelings about is good or bad for you than there is proof.

I just brought back my Rexall Flax, Fish, Borage Oil bottle as well as my Super Omega Complex bottle to my computer desk. Neither of them is marked as POISON. While I am not saying they do not have any harmful heavy metals, etc I know most of the bottles your Rx’s are filled from are labeled as POISON. Not depending on a MD as your only source of information can a good thing if you keep in mind 50% of what you read on the web is incorrect.