A Short History of Fish Oil Supplements

Somewhere around 550 million years ago, a medical breakthrough happened, which was brought about by a single-cell algae.

There was an explosion in biological diversity as multi-cell organisms started to evolve from single-cell algae. These new organisms had to develop a communication system to enable specialized cells to transmit messages to one another. The purpose of communication was two way; one was to build nerve connections between specialized cells and the other involved the use of hormones.

Eicosanoids were the first hormones product of these communications and they utilize fats in cell membranes as their building blocks. These eicosanoids don’t just use any type of fat for their synthesis but they also require the long-chain highly-saturated fat (polyunsaturated) which is only found in algae-derived fats. And this is what many scientists of today believed to be the cause of breakthrough that separated smart man from average man.

Some 150,000 years ago our ancestors had discovered that fats or fish oil makes them smart. The healthy eicosanoids that are derived from those fats that control our health today – the omega-3 rich fish oil commonly taken as a fish oil supplement.

The first recorded production of fish oil happened in 1775 in England. However, when the cod was brought back from America, the livers appeared to be disgusting as it were slapped onto the filthy streets of London, for the oil would ooze out. This was collected together with other stuffs on the streets and sold as cod liver oil.

Despite of its filthy beginnings – for many people at that time the crude liver oil was considered a miracle oil for diseases like arthritis. The cod liver oil isn't actually contaminated by street sewage but it's still full of industrial contaminants like mercury and PCBs. These contaminants pollute the waters where cod live. Because of this the end products has some foul taste that turned the stomach of every child in America who took it two generations ago.

So while it's true that 1 tablespoon of cod liver oil can supply a healthy 2.5 grams of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, it is also true that it can also supply various contaminants, and a high dose of vitamin A, which is stored in the body's fat tissues, which can cause toxic effects, such as hair loss, if taken in high enough doses.

The final breakthrough in fish oils happened when Ultra Refined EPA and DHA concentrate Omega-3 product was developed. EPA and DHA are almost found exclusively in sea foods. The process required advanced chemical engineering that starts with the removal of most of the saturated fat by fractional distillation and the removal of virtually all the PCBs (measured in parts per billion) by more sophisticated molecular distillation. In the process called polishing, impurities are removed through hot water. The fish oil are also added with anti-oxidants for longer life and added nutrients.

With these innovations, a new type of fish oil was developed. The end-product ensures you to have a concentrated amount of long-chain Omega-3 fatty acids without unwanted substances like chemical contaminants or harmful fatty acids that can harm your well-being.

It is only with the use of pharmaceutical-grade fish oil, taken in a fish oil supplement, that you can get high enough levels of long-chain Omega-3 fats for your brain and body. The effect of the high-grade fish oil usually occurs after taking it everyday in 30 days.

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