Fish High in Omega 3 Fatty Acids

What are some fish high in omega 3 fatty acids?

The oil from cold water fish is said to be the richest natural source of omega 3 fatty acids. It is also said that the colder the fish, the higher the levels of omega 3's present.

Such fish, also referred to as "fatty fish", have high amounts of the essential fatty acids DHA and EPA. These two omega 3 fatty acids have been well researched and shown to have many beneficial effects on many aspects of human health. These include benefits on heart and cardiovascular health, brain health, joint health, immune function as well as skin health.

Here is a list of some fish high in omega 3 fatty acids.

• Albacore tuna
• Anchovies
• Blue fin tuna
• Cod
• Halibut
• Herring
• Hoki
• Lake trout
• Mackerel - possibly having as much as 2.3g of omega 3 fatty acids for every 100g of fish
• Pilchards
• Rainbow trout
• Sablefish (black cod)
• Salmon - possibly having between 1.2g to 1.9g of omega 3 fatty acids for every 100g of fish
• Sardines
• Sea bass
• Swordfish - - possibly having 0.6g of omega 3 fatty acids for every 100g of fish
• Tuna
• Turbot
• Yellow fin tuna

It has been put forth that the fish with the most omega 3's in them have about 7 times as much omega 3's as compared to omega 6 fatty acids. Some of the most omega 3-rich fish include anchovies, herring, mackerel, salmon and sardines.

If you are relying on fish sources of omega 3 to get your supply of these essential fatty acids, it is important to note that, due to environmental pollution, most fish today are contaminated with many dangerous toxins like mercury, dioxins and PCBs. The same applies to fish high in omega 3's.

In addition, the further up the food chain a type of fish is, the more of such toxins tend to accumulate in its tissues. It is suggested that hoki is one particular type of fish which has a lot of omega 3's while at the same time having relatively lower levels of such contaminants.

Another thing to note about eating fish high in omega 3 is that it is important to eat wild-caught fish. This is because farm-raised fish tend to be fed poor foods, resulting in them having relatively low levels of omega 3 fatty acids, as well as possibly being more tainted with other undesirable chemicals.

To beat the contamination problem, fish oil supplements (capsules, tablets, pills, etc) are often made from fish high in omega 3 fatty acids. Such supplements typically have about 18% EPA and 12% DHA. To ensure purity, make sure that a supplement is certified to be toxin-free before choosing to use it.

One important point to note here is with regard to cod liver oil. Cod liver oil contains omega 3 fatty acids, and it also has high levels of vitamin A. This is a vitamin which is very essential for good health. However, when consumed directly in supplemental form such as through cod liver oil, there is the risk of a toxic overdose of this vitamin, which is a very dangerous occurrence. Too much vitamin A also has a negative impact on the body's vitamin D utilization.

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