Blog #36: May 11, 2021 - Are you getting enough Omega-3? The Globe & Mail Doesn't think so!

A new article posted by the Globe and Mail written by Leslie Beck states that Canadians should be consuming a lot more Omega-3 than they currently do. By consuming more Omega-3, they say Canadians can improve their heart health overall and lower their risk for various diseases.

The article talks about various types of oily fish such as salmon, sardines, trout, mackerel, herring, albacore tuna as sources high in omega-3. This is because they contain large amount of fat throughout their bodies.

Seal oil is also a very high source of omega-3. One of the unique advantages of seal oil is that it contains DPA which is another type of omega-3 which is usually produced by DHA and EPA. However, there are unique health benefits to receiving it directly, which makes seal oil one of the best sources of omega-3 out there.

On top of that, seal oil is a mammalian source as opposed to fish which can be beneficial as it is more closely related to the human body.

The Globe and Mail piece continues by indicating that omega-3 must be received externally as the human body is unable to produce it on its own. That’s why it’s called an essential fatty acid.

So, what does the article recommend in terms of increasing our intake of omega-3? Well, their recommendation is actually much higher than the Heart and Stroke foundation. While that foundation recommends 2 servings of oily fish per week, this article suggests we may want to consume more like 5.5 servings. But that is a LOT of fish!

So they say a good way around this is to consume omega-3 supplements, and I can think of no better source than seal oil. Let’s do a little math.

The recommend 1,500 milligrams of EPA and DHA omega-3s in one's diet per day. They say this can be achieved through 5.5 six-ounce servings per week. Based on this, it seems to imply that 10,500 mg of omega-3 is found in 33 ounces of fish. This means one serving of fish contains 1909mg of omega-3. One seal oil capsule contains a total of 115mg of omega-3 oil. The dosage recommendation for seal oil is 2 capsules 2 to 4 times per day, which means 4 to 8 capsules. If one were to take 8 capsules daily, they would receive 920mg of omega-3 per day, or 6,440mg per week.

The bottom line is that in order to achieve the 10,500 mg of omega-3 that is recommended, one could either:

• Consume 5.5 servings of fish per week OR
• Take 8 daily seal oil capsules (6,440mg / week) + 2.13 servings of fish per week

Of course, as mentioned, this recommendation is at the high end. Other groups such as the Heart and Stroke Foundation recommend just 2 servings of fish per week. However, it seems to me very few Canadians are at risk of consuming too much omega-3. That does not seem to be an issue.

Check out our store for a high-quality source of seal oil. The cost per capsule is around $0.10. I personally think that’s well worth the price. Have a wonderful day!