High EPA fish oil is a supplement containing a high dose of the essential fatty acid EPA, derived from fatty fish such as sardines, trout, and salmon. It is best taken as an oral supplement to avoid the fishy taste and strong odor. It is important to purchase from a reputable source to ensure the use of safe, low-mercury fish sources. High EPA fish oil may have health benefits such as lowered blood pressure, reduced risk of heart disease, and relief from joint pain.
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is one of the Omega fatty acids used by the body. High EPA fish oil is an oil with a high dose of the essential fatty acid EPA. Fish oil is an oil derived from fatty fish such as sardines, trout, and salmon. A high EPA fish oil supplement will typically have around 1,200 milligrams of EPA per dose. This type of supplement usually comes in liquid form or as a gelatin encapsulated pill.
Other types of essential fatty acids commonly included in fatty acid supplements include docasahexaenoic acid (DHA) and alpha linolenic acid (ALA). Most humans can only thrive on ALA, as a healthy person can convert ALA to DHA and EPA in the body. People who cannot convert ALA are generally deficient in DHA and EPA and need to supplement both fatty acids to stay healthy.
Because essential fatty acids are easily destroyed by heat, high EPA fish oil is best eaten raw and uncooked. For this reason, high EPA fish oil is usually taken as an oral supplement, sometimes with a spoon, but more often in soft-swallow capsules. Taking fish oil capsules can help avoid the fishy taste and strong odor usually associated with supplements derived from fish oil.
Purchasing high EPA fish oil from a reputable source is important to ensure that a supplement is made from fish oil from safe types of fish. Certain varieties of fatty fish used for fish oil, such as mackerel, shark, and swordfish, tend to have high levels of mercury. Fish oil supplements produced from high-mercury fish sources are believed to be unsafe. Purchasing supplements from a reputable source that uses low-mercury fish sources is the best way to ensure the use of safe high-EPA fish oil supplements.
It is considered unsafe to consume more than 3 grams of essential fatty acid supplements in a day without a doctor’s care. When choosing a dosage for fatty acid supplements, look at the amount of EPA and DHA in the supplement, not the size of the supplement itself. Some supplements contain other fats mixed in with a lower percentage of beneficial fatty acids.
The health benefits of consuming high EPA fish oil may include lowered blood pressure, reduced risk of heart disease, and relief from joint pain. EPA supplementation is believed to help alleviate conditions such as diabetes and schizophrenia. This inference was made because of a theorized connection between these conditions and an individual’s inability to convert ALA to EPA and DHA.
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