Norwegian Fish Oil – Why It's Nothing Special by Laurel Cohen

Did you know although heavily advertised as being better for you than most of the other omega 3 fatty acid supplements on the market, there is really nothing special about Norwegian fish oil? It seems as if the people of the Nordic regions want you to believe that they are the most knowledgeable about the effects of omega 3 fatty acids, and that some how the fish from the waters surrounding their homelands are somehow better sources of these nutrients.

It is true that much of what we have learned about the many benefits of DHA and EPA omega fatty acids is based on the work of Danish doctors Dyerberg and Bang. They are the scientists that studied the differences in the diets of Inuit people in Greenland, and the Danes back home. What they discovered about the differences in the health of these groups of people paved the way for the omega 3 fatty acid craze.

Inuits that remained at home in Greenland reaped the benefits of Norwegian fish oil, even though their diets were incredibly high in fat. These people suffered from virtually none of the inflammatory diseases that we so regularly develop. Cardiovascular disease, arthritis, gout, type two diabetes, and allergies were all but unheard of among the Inuit people.

When some of the Inuits migrated to Denmark and adopted the diets of the Danish people however, things began to change. The Inuits no longer seemed impervious to inflammatory ailments, and this is what prompted the studies by Dyerberg and Bang. They needed to figure out exactly what differences in the diets forced one group of people to fall prey to disease, and not the other.

What they discovered is that a diet that is rich in foods that contain high levels of omega 6 fatty acids causes the inflammation that leads to the development of disease, while a diet that is rich in omega 3s has an anti-inflammatory effect. In the years since these scientists published their findings the production and sales of Danish, Icelandic, and Norwegian fish oil have simply been phenomenal.

The truth is though that Denmark, Iceland, and Norway are not the biggest producers of omega 3 fatty acid fish oil supplements. That title goes to Peru, which accounts for one fourth of worldwide fish oil production followed closely by Chile. The waters that the Norwegian, Danish, and Icelandic people fish from produces no higher quality fish than the waters around South America or anywhere else.

The highest quality omega 3 fatty acid product is not Norwegian fish oil, but oil that comes from a combination of South Pacific tuna and hoki fish manufactured by a company in New Zealand. Their product is the best because of the protocols they follow when it comes to ensuring that you get the freshest, purest, most highly concentrated DHA omega 3 fatty acid formulas possible.

The bottom line is Norwegian fish oil doesn’t stand up next to the omega 3 fatty acid products that this New Zealand company has developed. Their formula is the best source of omega 3 fatty acids you can buy.