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Old Wed, May-07-03, 11:37
acohn's Avatar
acohn acohn is offline
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Default Sears Labs' Fish Oil: Super health or super hype?

I am a sucker for "premium quality" advertising, providing there are enough facts to support the claim. In the case of Sears Labs' fish oil, I'm having a hard time deciding whether the premium quality is necessary. I'm not in poor health, but I've never noticed any benefit from the cod liver oil I take now (Nordic Naturals, a reputable product). The phrase that keeps me interested is the note about all clinical research about fish oil benefits being done with concentrated fish oil. I'd appreciate some feedback before I decide whether to spend a lot of money on this product.

Here's the the most important stuff I got from Sears Labs:


The liquid fish oil contains:

Per teaspoon (5ml.)

EPA - 1,800mg.

DHA - 900mg.

Here's some additional information you'll find of interest.


Would You Spend 44 Cents a Day for Peace of Mind?

Sears Labs has pioneered the development of a new generation of “pharmaceutical-grade” Omega-3 Concentrates (OmegaRx 40/20). These products represent a quantum leap forward when compared to all other fish oil supplements in the marketplace. OmegaRx 40/20 potency is twice the amount in standard 18/12 supplements and most importantly, the manufacturing process increases product purity to a level making them free from all deadly contaminants such as pcb’s, mercury and dioxanes.

The development of OmegaRx 40/20 is a significant food engineering achievement and now opens the door for treating disease states affecting heart, brain and immune function without drug intervention using high-dose “pharmaceutical-grade” oils. Unfortunately, other companies now claim that their fish oil supplements are “pharmaceutical-grade” and it is simply untrue.

No one disputes the critical importance of Omega-3 fatty acids in the diet. Leading research institutions worldwide have now confirmed that daily supplementation with pharmaceutical-grade Omega-3 concentrates are powerful anti-inflammatory agents and an important weapon against heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and arthritis. Please note that the health benefits reported by researchers were conducted using Omega-3 Concentrates, not standard 18/12 products. It is also important to mention that one cannot assume that the same benefits would be seen using 18/12 products even if dosing levels were equivalent.

In the past, health authorities simply recommended consuming more fatty fish such as salmon and tuna. Unfortunately, our treatment of the environment now finds all species of fish heavily contaminated with deadly toxins. In fact, while eating fish as a protein source is strongly recommended, consuming fish as the primary source of long-chain Omega-3 essential fatty acids is now being questioned by (contaminants do not concentrate in fish protein, only the fish body oils).

Molecular Distillation vs Fractional Distillation

Crude fish oil is better termed “sewage of the sea” since all water-insoluble contaminants in the ocean automatically become part of the food chain that begins with krill and plankton and becomes more heavily concentrated in larger fish species as you move up the food chain. Crude fish oil is not fit for human consumption. Some manufacturers have relied on “molecular distillation” to clean up the fish oil thinking that this processing step would remove all pcb’s, mercury and dioxanes. Although this is an improved “clean-up” step, molecular distillation does not remove all the deadly contaminants that they claim and the consumer is led to believe. Molecularly distilled fish oil products do not qualify as “pharmaceutical-grade” regardless of what the manufacturer says.

Molecular distilled 18/12 oil is our starting material for OmegaRx 40/20. Additional and very costly processing is then required to guarantee that contaminants and saturated fats have been totally removed from the oil. In addition to molecular distillation the fish oil undergoes an engineering process called “fractional distillation”. This is your only guarantee that you are consuming “pharmaceutical-grade” oils. If a fish oil product does not undergo fractional distillation it is not contaminant free!

The additional processing requires 100 kgs of molecular distilled oil to make 1 kg of OmegaRx 40/20. As a result, OmegaRx 40/20 is now twice the concentration and much more highly purified than the 18/12 starting material.

Fractional distillation increases the EPA content to 40% and DHA to 20% while removing the remaining contaminants. Not only is the product now contaminant free, but the potency has doubled. However, if a product contains more than 18% EPA and 12% DHA do not assume it is pharmaceutical-grade. It must undergo fractional distillation to be contaminant free. In addition to molecular fractionation, all pharmaceutical grade oils must meet the following minimum standards:

EPA content > 40% (not 18%)

DHA content>20% (not 12%)

Total Omega-3 content > than 60% (not 30%)

Total PUFA >85%

PCB’s < 30ppb (parts per billion)

Dioxanes < 1ppt (parts per trillion)

Mercury < 10ppb (parts per billion)

Certification Program

Standards for 18/12 fish oils have not been established and probably never will. Unfortunately, other companies want to jump on the band wagon and now claim their 18/12 products are “pharmaceutical-grade”. The unsuspecting consumer is confused and can’t make an informed decision.

Sears Labs is the only company in the world who has outside independent laboratories test each finished batch for concentration and purity to meet the rigorous quality control standards identified above. This analysis costs more than $2,500 per batch and currently exceeds $100,000 annually. Our certification program is your assurance that each and every batch of finished product qualifies as “pharmaceutical-grade”. No other company takes this extra step to assure the consumer of strict quality control and that each and every finished batch meets rigorous “pharmaceutical-grade” standards. Nothing less should be asked of any other producer of fish oil products.

Our independent certification process measures contaminants in amounts as high as parts per trillion. OmegaRx is at least 1,000 times more pure than typical 18/12 fish oils, even those that are molecularly distilled. OmegaRx sets the standard for fish oil purity and meets the same quality control standards established for oils used in recent clinical trials reporting the incredible medical benefits of supplementation with pharmaceutical-grade Omega-3 concentrates.

Apples and Oranges

As you can see from the above, comparing OmegaRx 40/20 to other fish oil products is like comparing apples and oranges. Yes, pharmaceutical-grade concentrates are more expensive, but you must compare the cost per recommended maintenance dose.

OmegaRx 40/20 is twice as potent as the standard 18/12 product which means greater convenience and compliance for the consumer. You must take twice as many 18/12 capsules each day to supply the recommended maintenance dose of 2.4 grams of EPA/DHA per day. You only need 4 capsules of OmegaRx, but now must take 8 capsules of the 18/12 product. Remember, one cannot automatically assume that the same health benefits would be seen using 18/12 products even if dosing levels were the same.

Let’s compare the actual cost per dose of a standard 18/12 product versus
OmegaRx 40/20:

4 capsules-OmegaRx 40/20 $1.32
8 capsules-Standard 18/12 $ .88

This is a difference of 44 cents per day. Your goal is to minimize contaminant levels when supplementing with Omega-3 concentrates and OmegaRx is the obvious solution to the problem. Is your peace of mind worth this small amount each day to assure your product is contaminant free and the same quality used by leading clinical researchers reporting all the incredible health benefits of high dose, “pharmaceutical-grade” fish oils? Don’t be fooled!

Last edited by acohn : Wed, May-07-03 at 11:39.
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