Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil Capsules

You may have heard of the term "pharmaceutical grade fish oil".

But what does this mean? And is it important to look for this in a fish oil supplement?

While there is no single definition for pharmaceutical grade when applied to fish oil, the oil being pharmaceutical grade usually implies that:

1. The fish oil has been purified and therefore has a sufficiently high concentration of the marine omega 3 fatty acids DHA and EPA per gram of fish oil. For example, a fish oil capsule containing 1g of fish oil that is pharmaceutical grade is said to have at least 600mg of DHA and EPA.

2. The amount of DHA and EPA as stated on the bottle, is what is in the capsule. Some companies guarantee their potency.

3. Because of purification process, it is expected that there will be a low or undetectable level of contaminants such as mercury and PCBs, and other compounds. This means a safer product, but also, there will usually less side effects such as reflux as well.

Because there is no single definition of pharmaceutical grade, instead of just looking for the words “pharmaceutical grade” in the fish oil product description, look individually for all three of the above points.

You can also look at these points when assessing a fish oil supplement brand or company:

1. Whether the company describes getting their fish oil from quality sources.

2. Whether the fish oil has been tested independently and/or their products have been certified to comply with safe levels of mercury, PCBs and other compounds according to national or international standards. You can also look at independent research laboratories, such as www.consumerlabs.com yourself to check their potency, as well as their safety in terms of environmental toxins. This is an area where quality fish oil capsules have an advantage in avoiding mercury intake.

3. Reviews of their product by consumers.