There is no denying the fantastic benefits that can be derived from omega 3 fish oil. From controlling dangerous cholesterol in the body to preventing the development of brain disorders, from putting a stop to inflammations in our system to speeding up the regeneration of our cells, from improving our memory to curing our infertility, fish oil is quickly proving that its tag as the new millennium’s wonder drug is no hype.

But are all types of fish oil healthy?

Alas, one may think that fish oil is, well, fish oil, meaning that it is oil that comes from fishes.

But not all fishes are alike, hence, not all types of fish oil are similar to each other.

Some fishes simply provide better fish oil than the rest. Why is this so?

To answer the question as to why the quality of fish oil varies from fish to fish, we must first discuss the exact origins of fish oil.

Fish oil, you see, doesn’t really come from the fish itself. Rather, it comes from the microscopic algae that fishes feed on underwater.

However, fishes who are blessed to be on the upper echelons of the food chain derive most of the fish oil produce by eating smaller fishes who have accumulated much Omega-3 fatty acids from the microalgae they have consumed.

Now, here’s where things get a little bit complicated…

Smaller fishes who only eat microalgae take in less toxic substances, given the fact that they consume healthier, more basic organisms.

Bigger fishes who are predatory in nature are more likely to accumulate certain toxins to go along with their production of fish oil. Dioxin, mercury, chlordane and polychlorinated biphenyls or PCB are just some of the toxic substances that these bigger fishes bring to the table.

PCB, for one, caused quite a scare in the food and supplement industry in 2006, when some sub par fish oil products managed to penetrate the UK. The aforementioned shipment contained high PCB levels, which resulted in their immediate pullout.

The high PCB level of the said fish oil products is a result of the bigger fishes that were used in extracting the Omega-3 fatty acids that were packed as supplements.

The lesson of the story is this: fish oil is good for you, but not all types of fish oil are the same. Some are purer, while some have high concentration of toxins. Before purchasing fish oil supplements, determine first if the particular product has been screened of possible toxin concentration.

Quite a number of fish oil products, such Omega 3 Salmon Oil Plus, have strict quality control measures. Omega 3 Salmon Oil Plus, in fact, screens every bottle of 160 possible types of toxins, distributing only the ones that are found to have zero percentage of these harmful substances.