Unlocking the Power of Omega-3
Types of Omega-3: EPA, DHA, and ALA Explained
Omega-3 is the common term given mainly to three specific fatty acids - eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and alpha-linoleic acid (ALA). EPA and DHA are found in animal sources such as fish and krill while ALA is found in plant sources such as flax, pumpkin, and hemp. NOW offers high-quality omega-3 supplements from fish, krill, and plant sources.
Understanding Omega-3: The Essential Nutrient
With plenty of research to support its health benefits, omega-3 is one of the most well-regarded and often recommended nutrients available today. In fact, omega-3, an absolutely essential for our health and well-being, is now getting the attention it deserves from researchers and health experts.*
Studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids play an important role in heart and cardiovascular health as well as cognitive function.* The fatty acids EPA and DHA are absolutely essential for a child’s overall development, especially the eyes and brain.*
It’s important to note that the American diet is generally deficient in omega-3 due to our low consumption of fish. Without at least one serving of fish a week you most likely don’t get enough. But you’ve come to the right place!
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Dawn Jackson Blatner, RDN, explains the benefits of adding Omega-3 essential fatty acids to your supplement routine, including cardiovascular health and cognitive function.*
A Sea of Fish Oil Supplements
There are a lot of omega-3 fatty acid products from fish oils on the market that claim to be the best or the purest. Dive a little deeper and you’ll uncover some key points that can help you identify the best, safest, and most efficacious products.
Advanced Processing for Purity
- Enteric Coated – Do you know someone who loves throwing back fish oil shots or guzzling cod liver oil? Most people just aren’t that enamored with fish oil. Many omega-3 fish oil supplements will be in the form of enteric-coated softgels. Enteric coating is a process that can help to mask or virtually eliminate the fishy odor and taste, as well as reduce or eliminate the chances of your fish oil “resurfacing” after ingestion.
- Molecularly Distilled – Sadly the majority of wild fish caught today have high levels of toxins and heavy metals that can adversely affect our health, especially if consumed over long periods of time. A specialized manufacturing process called molecular distillation (or vacuum distillation) reduces the amounts of these impurities to safe levels.
Choosing the Right Omega-3 Supplement: Fish Oil and Krill Oil
In addition to fish oil, omega-3 can also be found in a tiny marine crustacean called krill. Study results show that omega-3 krill oil may be better absorbed by our bodies than omega-3 fish oil due to the fact that the essential fatty acids in krill oil are bound by phospholipids whereas EFAs in fish oil are not. Phospholipid-bound EFAs are more readily absorbed, which may enhance their bioavailability.
NOW uses Aker BioMarine’s Neptune Krill Oil (NKO®), a sustainable krill oil from Antarctica. NKO® is a fish oil alternative that similarly supplies the biologically essential omega-3 fatty acids known as EPA and DHA. Unlike ordinary fish oil, fatty acids from krill are in a natural food complex that includes phospholipids and astaxanthin, which give NKO® krill oil some unique and interesting biological properties.
Don’t like swallowing pills and looking for the next best thing to eating a filet of fresh fish? Try our new Omega-3 Gummy Chews. In just one dose a day, you get high-quality fish oil omega-3s with absolutely no fish burps.
High-Quality Omega-3 Supplements from NOW®
At NOW we take the quality and purity of our nutritional oils very seriously. Our state-of-the-art in-house laboratories are well-equipped to perform nutritional oil analyses, and we test every lot we receive for identity, purity, potency and composition.
Our fish oils are molecularly distilled, and many of our formulations are also enteric coated. The majority of our plant oils are extracted using a mechanical expeller pressing method that doesn’t utilize harsh chemicals or solvents, preserving the vital nutritional components.
No matter how you choose to supplement with omega-3, NOW has a formula for you that’s made with our unwavering commitment to superior quality.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
