DHA supplement, eat fish "oil" or "fish oil"?

The national secondary public nutritionist Jade (wang lu

July 20, 2016 08:10

Source: People's Daily online - health channel

When I was a child often read to compose the early food huai white, "frost fell tried blowing willow, fatty fish eat snow square solution", often can't help but admire the southern land of fish and rice, time to taste the delicious fish. Logistics industry rapid development, now and in the north can easily enjoy all kinds of fish and aquatic products, has been the subject of a lot of people are around, I heard that fish pollution is serious, still dare to eat? Eat fish oil than eating fish is better for health? Give the baby to eat fish oil can help mental development? The old man eat fish oil can prevent disease of heart head blood-vessel? ...... Concerns and doubts haunt people, let us to analyze them one by one.

A, DHA, eat fish "oil" or "fish oil"?

Fish oil, as the name implies, is the fat fish. Many fish fat rich Ω - 3 series of unsaturated fatty acids, unsaturated fatty acid intake to improve human body blood lipid metabolism, especially Ω - 3 series of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), both have lower triglyceride, cholesterol, promote the saturated fatty acid metabolism, reduce blood viscosity, improve blood circulation, and other functions, at the same time, DHA widely exists in the cranial nerve cell membrane and the retina, for children's brain development and visual development plays a vital role.

Look, "fatty fish eat snow square solution" seems to be a have a practice of science, like to eat fish is rich in fat "snow fish", nature also can absorb more Ω - 3 series of unsaturated fatty acids. Increasingly serious environmental pollution, water pollution, however, let people can not help but worry, live fish in it will be affected as a result, the problem of heavy metal exceeds bid. So, a lot of people with the idea of "would rather believe it", give up is said to be rich in DHA, EPA, but there is risk of heavy metal exceeds bid of deep-sea fish, turned to look at after the purification of artificial "deep sea fish oil". This approach can avoid potential food safety risks, taking purified "deep sea fish oil" is less concern about heavy metal pollution, however, according to research found that direct eat fish of DHA and EPA, absorption and utilization should be higher than fish oil; At the same time, due to the uncertain nature of unsaturated fatty acid purified fish oil stored in the air so it's easy to for reasons such as illumination, temperature rises in the oxidation. Thus, eating fish "oil" or "fish oil", is an occasional choice, if you don't want to run the risk of intake of heavy metals, so fish oil is a safe choice; If you want to taste the delicious and supplement absorption utilization of DHA and EPA, direct eat fish would be better. In addition, the price of the fish and "fish" is also different, even when you are choosing ask pouch.

To be sure, is not only expensive deep sea fish body contains Ω - 3 series of unsaturated fatty acid, in fact, a lot of content of DHA and EPA in shallow sea fish, freshwater fish also nots allow to ignore, especially those in fat more fish, such as eel, tuna, hairtail, small yellow croaker, saury, sardines, bass, etc., are all Ω - 3 series is a good source of unsaturated fatty acid.

Second, according to the need to choose fish oil

Fish oil products are very popular in recent years. It is due to the presence of heavy metal pollution risk, 2 is probably someone does not love to eat fish, or do not often eat at home, not their own dietary collocation, the fish oil is a more convenient and safe alternatives. Eat fish oil, however, cannot blind, you have to figure out if they fit to eat fish oil, suitable for what kind of fish to eat? Targeted, can have better health care effect.

Different brand different ratio of EPA and DHA in fish oil, that decides the health benefits of fish oil play the point is not the same, also directly affect the products suitable for taking people. In general, children supplementation with fish oil should choose higher than EPA DHA content of products, in order to give full play to the DHA to promote the development of nerve cells and the effect of vision improvement; The elderly or have elevated blood lipids, especially triglycerides rise in patients with chronic diseases, recommend EPA content is higher than that of DHA product. It is recommended that you buy fish oil products, it is important to note that to view the content of DHA and EPA, according to their own needs to buy.

Even special clue, cod liver oil and fish oil is not the same thing, fish oil added DHA and EPA, main and cod liver oil is used to provide vitamin A and vitamin D, can complement vitamin D deficiency caused by the sun, used to prevent infant rickets, vitamin A can also help the baby's vision and enhance immunity.

Three, borrow your eye distinguishes the "fish"

Nowadays overseas online shopping, many friends are willing to choose when buying health products abroad, thought to its quality and safety guaranteed. Then, measure of fish oil quality how? Whether foreign products better? The Internet a lot to identify the quality of fish oil "tips", exactly what more?

1, dissolve the bubble is not scientific

The most widely circulated online, I'm afraid to "fish oil soluble bubble" experiment, think to fish oil drops on the bubble, after a few minutes to dissolve the bubble is the high quality fish oil, instead of bad fish oil, similarly there are fish oil soluble gum experiment. In fact, the fish oil soluble bubble phenomenon is happening, is precisely the purity of the fish oil are high enough.

The main components in fish oil DHA, EPA, and the main components of the foam polystyrene or chewing gum glue are not happen miscibility reaction, and the current widely used fish oil purification method has a "esterification purification", is likely to be occurring in the process of purification of other organic material with the structure of the polystyrene is similar, and the miscibility reaction occurred.

2, fish oil also depends on the index

Dissolve foam reaction confirmed is not available, the identification of fish oil we still should be from the index of the product, carefully compared. Key need to be aware of several indicators are: (1) there are domestic or foreign government agencies overseeing food related quality certification marks; (2) the higher the content of DHA and EPA, the higher the purity of fish oil, but should pay attention to choose according to own needs of DHA and EPA ratio; (3) easy because of DHA and EPA in the light, high temperature oxidation, so avoid light, sealed packaging of fish oil quality is better.

3, frozen fish oil to look now

If you can't grasp the method, it has a more reliable way of identifying can easily use, namely freezing test. Considering the fish, especially deep sea fish living environment temperature is extremely low, its rich in Ω - 3 series of unsaturated fatty acid in the body even at very low temperatures can maintain good liquidity. Using this feature, you can buy back the fish out of a grain, a day in the fridge frozen, after take out if colour and lustre is still bright, liquid solidification does not occur, then fish oil quality is better.

Author introduction: jade (wang lu), master of public health of Peking University, The Times of health, the medical food reference, and a number of health and nutrition in "family doctor" magazine staff writer.