Enjoy a long  and healthy life

The essential fatty acids in Omega-3 are crucial for healthy brain function.  Maintaining the physical health of your brain will benefit you throughout your life.

Simple tips to take care of your brain.

Let’s face it, physical health doesn’t mean a thing if your brain is in no condition to enjoy it.  Below are a few tips to help you optimize your brain power, and enjoy a happy, healthy mind for years to come.

• Put your mind to work. Nothing ensures the health of your brain like exercising it!  By keeping yourself mentally challenged and stimulated, you keep your neurons in top shape.  Challenging yourself can be as involved as teaching your self a new skill or as easy as doing a crossword puzzle every day.  As the saying goes, “Use it or lose it!”

• Keep in touch! Maintaining a strong social network is closely related to brain health.  Studies show that people with the strongest social networks have significantly lower rates of brain disorders and mood disorders.  Nothing keeps us as delightfully challenged as interacting with other people, so keep in touch with friends and family for your brain.

• Stay healthy. Maintaining proper circulation is extremely important to keep all your neurons firing.  By getting regular exercise, we ensure that the body is working well enough to take care of all of its organs, including the brain.  When we exercise, the increase in circulation can rejuvenate the brain, giving it a fresh supply of blood and elevating our mood. So keep your heart healthy and your brain will benefit too!

• Eat right. Studies have shown that proper nutrition can affect how the brain functions.  By maintaining a balanced diet, you ensure that your brain gets all the energy it needs while not clogging it up with cholesterol and fat.  A diet rich in fruits and vegetables can provide it with an ample supply of antioxidants, protecting it from gradual decay due to free radicals.

• Take your omega-3 fish oil. No single nutrient has been more extensively studied for its effect on the brain than omega-3.  And why not?  DHA, an omega-3 fat, is the most prevalent fat found in the brain.  Omega-3 supplementation should be in everyone’s daily routine.  In fact, a recent study at UCLA found that a steady supply of DHA in the brain helped prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

The experts agree that omega-3 fish oil is critical to a mind.

Doctors, scientists, authors, leading universities, and others are all unanimous in their support for omega-3 fish oil.  Here is a sampling of what they have to say:

“Individuals of any age without adequate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids in the brain and body may also be at higher risk for depression, bipolar disorder, and possibly other psychiatric disorders.”
-  Andrew L. Stoll MD, Author of The Omega-3 Connection

“After years of clinical observation and direct testing, I have found that almost all my patients with mood and emotional disorders have an Omega-3 deficiency. We work together on a range of natural and pharmaceutical solutions and complement that therapy with a high quality Omega-3 supplement, with remarkable results. I have no hesitation in recommending high quality, high purity, high concentration omega-3 supplements.”
-  Hyla Cass, M.D., Author of 8 Weeks to Vibrant Health

“The brains of Alzheimer disease patients have a lower content of [omega-3] DHA in the grey matter of the frontal lobe and hippocampus than do the brains of persons without Alzheimer’s disease. The entrance of [omega-3] DHA into the brain could correct DHA deficiency in membrane phospholipids in the cerebral cortex in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, and [omega-3] EPA would counter the pro-inflammatory action of [omega-6] arachidonic acid, which is a precursor of cytokine and pro-inflammatory eicosanoids that may be associated with greater cognitive decline.”
-  William E. and Sonja Connor, MD, MS, RD

“Fatty acid deprivation works against optimal brain power. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is a long-chain fatty acid found in fish, egg yolks, and marine algae, and is the predominant omega-3 fatty acid in brain tissue. As the brain is dependent on dietary fatty acids, reductions in DHA content of the diet may contribute to degenerative changes in the nervous system.”
- Burton Goldberg, Author of Alternative Medicine

“DHA is not only very critical in brain development but also in maintenance of the brain later in life. Don’t forget, the brain is constantly restructured throughout life, even into the extremes of age. Unfortunately, because of food-processing methods and industrial raising of animals as meat sources, most omega-3 fatty acids have been removed from our foods.”
- Russell Blaylock, MD, Author of Health and Nutrition Secrets

PharmaNutrients Brand supplements have been ultra-purified to remove contaminants, and are concentrated to prescription strength. PharmaNutrients surpasses all US and EU standards for quality.

Don’t be fooled by cheap knock-offs! When you do the research, the choice is clear. You’ll want to take a safe and effective omega-3 fish oil supplement from PharmaNutrients.

With PharmaNutrients, there are 2 ways for you to save:

1. Stock up – When you order 2 or more units of any combination of PharmaNutrients supplements, you’ll save 10%. When you order 3, you’ll save 20%. Or be a SUPER SAVER and save 33% when you order 6 or more!

2. The Shipping’s on Us – When you order 6 or more, you get the added benefit of Free Ground Shipping.

Fish Tales

Worried about dangerous contaminants in your fish oil capsules? New evidence suggests you should be.

For years we have been hearing about the many health benefits of taking omega-3 fish oil supplements. But recent news reports have many consumers wondering where these supplements come from and if they are safe to take. It’s become increasingly important in today’s climate to understand how omega-3 fish oil is processed and to learn how to identify the best fish oil supplements.

On March 2, 2010, a lawsuit was filed in a California Superior Court citing violations of California Proposition 65. Passed in 1986, Proposition 65 requires businesses to notify consumers about significant amounts of chemicals in the products they distribute. The lawsuit claims that six leading manufacturers and two major retailers sold fish oil supplements that contained illegally undisclosed levels of the carcinogenic chemicals known as polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, which were banned in the U.S. back in 1979.

The eight defendants named in the lawsuit are CVS Pharmacy Inc., General Nutrition Corp. (GNC), Now Health Group Inc., Omega Protein Inc., Pharmavite LLC, Rite Aid Corp., Solgar Inc., and TwinLab Corp. The suit calls on the companies named to cease production of the products containing PCBs.

But fish oil manufacturers have insisted that their products are safe, and industry spokespeople have claimed the suit was filed in California in order to take advantage of the state’s conservative Proposition 65, which is not the standard throughout the rest of the nation. While additional support for the $800 million fish oil supplement industry has come from within the legal and medical communities, it has only created increased confusion among consumers.

“Fish oil supplements are among the safest, most beneficial health products on the market,” said Andrew Shao, senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs at the Council for Responsible Nutrition.

“The bottom line is that consumers should continue to feel confident in the safety and efficacy of their fish oil supplements,” he continued. “This lawsuit does nothing to change the strong science supporting the many health benefits of fish oil, and the very low thresholds of PCBs that apparently trigger a labeling requirement in California cannot be extrapolated to demonstrate any actual risks at those levels. The health benefits for fish oil far outweigh any suggested, and unsupported, risks.”

How to Choose Safe and Effective Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplement

While Shao’s sentiments are echoed by scores of scientists, environmentalists, and legal experts, vigilant consumers can further rely on some clearly defined guidelines to help ensure that their fish oil pills are free of contaminants. There are several criteria essential when choosing a potent omega-3 fish oil:

*Pharmaceutical grade – The term pharmaceutical grade was originally taken from the standard of certification of the facilities in which pharmaceutical grade supplements were made. Look for omega-3 supplements that are molecularly distilled to remove contaminants such as PCBs and mercury. Ultra-purified fish oil also provides the highest concentration of EPA & DHA per capsule, providing optimal health benefits.

* Source – Make sure that the fish oil supplement you take comes from small fish like anchovies and sardines, caught at the peak of season in pristine waters and processed in clean facilities with state-of-the-art production techniques. The lower on the marine food chain the fish, the lower the level of contaminants in that fish.

*Purity and Concentration – Pharmaceutical grade also refers to the ingredients in the supplement. For example, Pharmaceutical grade vitamins meet the highest standards for purity and concentration. PharmaNutrients Brand supplements have been ultra-purified to remove contaminants, and are concentrated to prescription strength. PharmaNutrients surpasses all US and EU standards for quality.

Don’t be fooled by cheap knock-offs! When you do the research, the choice is clear. You’ll want to take a safe and effective omega-3 fish oil supplement from PharmaNutrients.

With PharmaNutrients, there are 2 ways for you to save:

1. Stock up – When you order 2 or more units of any combination of PharmaNutrients supplements, you’ll save 10%. When you order 3, you’ll save 20%. Or be a SUPER SAVER and save 33% when you order 6 or more!

2. The Shipping’s on Us – When you stock up, you get the added benefit of Free Ground Shipping.  Simply use the coupon code FREESHIP10 at checkout.

Guest author – Dr. William Davis, respected cardiologist and founder of the heart care site TrackYourPlaque writes:

Lovaza is the FDA-approved form of fish oil that is available only by prescription. It contains 842 mg of the omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, per capsule.

The FDA application for Lovaza is viewable on the FDA website. Interestingly, while there is plenty of the usual regulatory gobbledy-gook about toxicology, dose escalation, and efficacy in the extensive documentation, there is little said about the issue of contamination.

In other words, critics of nutritional supplement fish oil harp on the possibility of contamination with mercury and pesticide residues, like dioxin and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). Yet there is virtually nothing about these same issues in the FDA application for Lovaza.

Let’s take a look at a sample over-the-counter fish oil product. Our friends at PharmaNutrients (a new Track Your Plaque partner for nutritional supplements) have a fish oil product called PharmaNutrients” Cardio. Here’s an independent analysis of the Cardio product (per 1000 mg fish oil capsule):

EPA content: 566.1 mg
DHA content: 216.6 mg
(Total EPA + DHA 782.7 mg)

Cardio passed all tests for peroxides, PCBs, dioxin, furans, dioxin-like PCBs, and heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury) using criteria at least 60% more stringent than European Commission (EC) standards (EC standard <2 picograms/gm for dioxins and furans, PharmaNutrients <1 picograms/gm; EC standard <10 picograms/gm for dioxin-like PCBs, PharmaNutrients <3 picograms/gm). PCBs levels in particular are less than 0.009 ppm, 90% below the industry-wide purity standard of 0.09 ppm. Likewise, mercury is >90% lower than European Commission standards.

In other words, this over-the-counter “pharmaceutical grade” fish oil has virtually nothing but omega-3 fatty acids.

Interestingly, the PharmaNutrients fish oil capsule also contains the third omega-3 fatty acid, docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), a neglected form that some authorities have proposed has superior cardiovascular protective properties over eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). If DPA is included in the analysis, PharmaNutrient’s Cardio contains a total of 900 mg omega-3 fatty acids per capsule.

At some point, I’d like to see a head-to-head comparison not just on purity grounds, since I am convinced that high-quality products like Cardio can match or exceed the purity of prescription fish oil, but on efficacy in raising omega-3 blood levels, the omega-3 index. (The omega-3 index is a predictor of heart attack and sudden cardiac death–the higher, the better.) My prediction: High-quality fish oil supplements will match or exceed prescription fish oil.

PharmaNutrients Brand supplements have been ultra-purified to remove contaminants, and are concentrated to prescription strength. PharmaNutrients surpasses all US and EU standards for quality.

Don’t be fooled by cheap knock-offs! When you do the research, the choice is clear. You’ll want to take a safe and effective omega-3 fish oil supplement from PharmaNutrients.

With PharmaNutrients, there are 2 ways for you to save:

1. Stock up – When you order 2 or more units of any combination of PharmaNutrients supplements, you’ll save 10%. When you order 3, you’ll save 20%. Or be a SUPER SAVER and save 33% when you order 6 or more!

2. The Shipping’s on Us – When you stock up, you get the added benefit of Free Ground Shipping.  Simply use the coupon code FREESHIP10 at checkout.

Heart Disease Might Be Killing You Right Now

Whether your doctor has identified you as one of the millions of Americans at risk for heart disease, or you’ve simply made the commitment to a healthier lifestyle by lowering your cholesterol, and improving your diet, you should have heard about the benefits of omega-3 fish oil supplements by now.

According to the American Heart Association, more than1 in 3 Americans have 1 or more forms of cardiovascular disease. Heart Disease is the single largest killer of men and women in the US today – accounting for more than 40% of the total deaths in the country each year.

You don’t have to be a helpless victim of heart disease. You can protect your heart starting today. Here’s how:

1. Get moving — Just 30 minutes of moderate activity several days a week will keep you and your heart healthy.

2. Maintain a healthy diet and weight — Obesity and heart disease are closely related.

3. Take the right supplements — Supplementation with high-potency supplements like PharmaNutrients Cardio Omega-3 fish oil and Vitamin D3 have been proven to protect the heart.

4. See your doctor — Regular health screenings can help you avoid an unplanned trip to the emergency room.

5. Quit smoking — Smoking increases your chances of heart disease and stroke.

It is important to know that omega-3 fish oil supplements are essential to any heart healthy routine. Fish oil supplements can improve your cardiovascular functions by helping to prevent heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, arrhythmia and atherosclerosis. They are also a natural alternative to statins and other medications that can cause unpleasant side effects such as:

• muscle and joint aches
• nausea, diarrhea and constipation
• liver and kidney damage

Unfortunately, most Americans don’t further educate themselves on the required omega-3 dosages or the benefits of fish oil supplements, and they are content trying to incorporate more omega 3-rich foods into their diets. Even if you ate cooked salmon every day, the latest clinical studies indicate that you would get about half the daily intake (1.2 grams) required to achieve the most significant reductions in heart disease (2-4 grams).

This is why omega-3 fish oil supplements have become increasingly popular, but doctors also warn that most available heart supplements won’t give you the required omega-3 fish oil dosage. The medical community strongly recommends pharmaceutical grade omega-3. Renowned cardio-thoracic surgeon Dr. Dwight Lundell, says that PharmaNutrients Cardio capsules are the best omega-3 fish oil supplements available on the market.

“I recommend this heart supplement because I am convinced of its quality and it is the strongest omega-3 available without a prescription,” says Dr. Lundell. “Most of the fish oil capsules available today contain 30 percent of the omega-3 you need, and the other 70 percent is made up of mystery ingredients that likely include unhealthy saturated fat.” Conversely, each capsule of all-natural, ultra-purified PharmaNutrients Cardio contains 85 percent pharmaceutical grade omega-3 fish oil.

Studies show a decrease in risk of heart disease when you take an ultra-purified omega-3 fish oil supplement, like PharmaNutrients Cardio.  Omega-3 fish oil will improve overall blood lipids, normalize blood pressure and reduce triglycerides. In addition, omega-3 (EPA and DHA) promotes better circulation and overall heart health. Don’t be a victim of heart disease,  start protecting your heart today.

PharmaNutrients Brand supplements have been ultra-purified to remove contaminants, and are concentrated to prescription strength. PharmaNutrients surpasses all US and EU standards for quality.

Don’t be fooled by cheap knock-offs! When you do the research, the choice is clear. You’ll want to take a safe and effective omega-3 fish oil supplement from PharmaNutrients.

With PharmaNutrients, there are 2 ways for you to save:

1. Stock up – When you order 2 or more units of any combination of PharmaNutrients supplements, you’ll save 10%. When you order 3, you’ll save 20%. Or be a SUPER SAVER and save 33% when you order 6 or more!

2. The Shipping’s on Us – When you stock up, you get the added benefit of Free Ground Shipping.  Simply use the coupon code FREESHIP10 at checkout.

Brighter, happier, healthier children
The role of omega-3s in the health, development and learning processes of our children is perhaps the most exciting arena of research with fish oil supplements.

Improved learning skills
At the center of recent research is the landmark 2005 Oxford-Durham study that showed remarkable positive effects on the lives of 117 British primary school-age children, selected because they were not fulfilling their full potential at school.

All of the children had some degree of developmental coordination disorder (DCD), a childhood ailment characterized by poor coordination and clumsiness that can manifest not only in slow physical development, but can result in various types of learning disorders and may even lead to psychological problems. While none of the children in the study had actually been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), all of the children displayed symptoms of the increasingly common problem among modern children.

The British researchers gave each child daily supplements containing 80 percent omega-3s and 20 percent evening primrose oil (an omega-6 with gamma linoleic acid) for just three months. Researchers found the fish oil supplements produced impressive changes in academic performance and behavior, with no significant changes reported in the children’s motor skills. After just three months, the children who received the supplements moved ahead nearly 10 months in their reading abilities and more than six months in their spelling skills.

Improved behavior and attention
In addition to the learning skill benefits noted in the British Oxford-Durham study, the behavior and learning skills of most of the children who received the omega-3 supplement improved to the degree that they were no longer considered ADHD. Australian research adds to the arsenal in favor of fish oil with a preliminary study that suggests omega-3s may help children with autism.

Recent research at Purdue University investigating lower blood levels of omega 3 and the correlation to ADHD is compelling. John R. Burgess, assistant professor of foods and nutrition tested 96 boys, about half of which had been identified as having ADHD. Burgess says “”boys with lower levels of the omega-3 fat scored higher in frequency of behavioral problems,” such as hyperactivity, impulsivity, anxiety, temper tantrums and sleep problems.

Improved mood
Major depression is not a common problem among children, but when it strikes, it can be profoundly disruptive to the family dynamic. Scientists who had previous success with omega 3s in treating adult populations decided to undertake similar research investigating depression in children. They discovered that omega-3 supplementation completely eliminated depression in 40 percent of the children and 70% of the children improved their symptoms by more than 50 percent.

Less Aggression and Hostility
Omega-3s’ affects on brain chemistry may also help children and teenagers overcome feelings of hostility and aggression. Japanese research shows that the effects of omega-3s in relieving aggression in girls may be especially significant.

To examine the association of omega 3 and fish with level of hostility, researchers sampled 3581 urban white and black young adults. Consumption of any fish rich in omega-3s compared to no consumption, was also independently associated with lower odds of high hostility The report concluded that “the results suggest that high dietary intake of DHA and consumption of fish rich in n-3 fatty acids may be related to lower likelihood of high hostility in young adulthood”.

Asthma and allergies
As in adults, with children the beneficial effects of omega-3s extend far beyond behavioral and brain chemistry improvements. Several studies suggest that omega-3 supplements help relieve and prevent asthma symptoms in children. In an Australian study, fish oil supplements relieved asthma-induced coughing by 10 percent in children and high risk of asthma and, even more importantly, may prevent the development of more serous asthma and allergies later in life. Another study demonstrated that correcting the ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s in the diet by supplementing with omega-3s, was impressively effective—improving the children’s asthma symptoms by a remarkable 83 percent.

Vision
One of the two active components of omega-3s, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is critically important in the development of the retina and in developing sharp eyesight in young and growing children.

DHA makes up as much as 50 percent of retina, the wallpaper-like lining of the eye that transmits images along the optic nerve to the brain. Since educators tell us that 80 percent of what children learn in the first 12 years of their lives comes through their eyes, giving children the best possible visual acuity with sufficient DHA will not only improve eyesight specifically, but improve the child’s ability to process information and learn.

Numerous studies show that fish oil supplements can help very young infants and even embryos improve their visual and learning skills.

Supplementation as the best choice
According to Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School researcher Stacy Foran Melanson, MD, PhD, “Fish oil supplements are more healthful than the consumption of fish high in organocholines. Fish oils provide the benefits of omega 3 fatty acids without the risk of toxicity. In addition, fish oil supplements have been helpful in a variety of diseases, including bi-polar disorder and depression”.

As the government recommends limiting children’s fish consumption to 12 ounces of fish weekly, omega-3 supplements that have been molecularly distilled and purified are the logical and best choice for parents to ensure their children’s optimal physical and intellectual development.

PharmaNutrients Brand supplements have been ultra-purified to remove contaminants, and are concentrated to prescription strength. PharmaNutrients surpasses all US and EU standards for quality.

Don’t be fooled by cheap knock-offs! When you do the research, the choice is clear. You’ll want to take a safe and effective omega-3 fish oil supplement from PharmaNutrients.

With PharmaNutrients, there are 2 ways for you to save:

1. Stock up – When you order 2 or more units of any combination of PharmaNutrients supplements, you’ll save 10%. When you order 3, you’ll save 20%. Or be a SUPER SAVER and save 33% when you order 6 or more!

2. The Shipping’s on Us – When you stock up, you get the added benefit of Free Ground Shipping.  Simply use the coupon code FREESHIP10 at checkout.

Guest author – Dr. William Davis, respected cardiologist and founder of the heart care site TrackYourPlaque writes:

“Vitamin D is, without a doubt, the most incredible “vitamin”/prohormone/neurosteroid I have ever encountered. Frankly, I don’t know how we got anything accomplished in health pre-D.

Unfortunately, people I meet rarely take their vitamin D in a way that accomplishes full restoration of vitamin D blood levels. It really isn’t that tough.

Here’s a list of common tripping points with vitamin D:

“I take vitamin D: 1000 units a day.”
This is probably the most common mistake I see: Taking a dose that is unlikely to yield a desirable blood level. (We use 60-70 ng/ml of 25-hydroxy vitamin D as our target.) Most men and women require 6000 units per day to achieve this level. There is substantial individual variation, however, with an occasional person needing much more, a rare person requiring as little as 1000 units.

“I bought some vitamin D on sale. They were white tablets.”
Time and again, patients in my office who initially have had successful vitamin D replacement, despite being reminded that only oil-based forms should be taken, switch to tablets. While they initially showed a 25-hydroxy vitamin D blood level, for instance, of 67 ng/ml on 8000 units per day with an oil-based capsule, they switch to a tablet form and the next blood level is 25 ng/ml. In other words, tablets are very poorly or erratically absorbed.

I have had people use tablets successfully, however, by taking their vitamin D tablets with a teaspoon of oil, e.g., olive oil. Oil is necessary for full absorption.

“I’m going to Florida. I’ll stop my vitamin D because I’m going to lay in the sun.”
Wrong. 90% of adults over 40 years old have lost the majority of their ability to activate vitamin D in the skin. A typical response might be an increase in blood level from 25 to 35 ng/ml–a 10 ng increase with a dark brown tan.

There is an occasional person who, with sun exposure, increases blood levels substantially. This can occur in both fair-skinned and dark-skinned people, though I’ve never seen it happen in an African-American person. The occasional person who maintains the ability to convert vitamin D with sun exposure, or young people, should seasonally adjust their vitamin D dose, e.g., 6000 units winter, 3000 units summer, or some other regimen that maintains desirable blood levels. You can see that monitoring blood levels (we check levels every 6 months for the first 2 years) is crucial: You cannot know what your vitamin D needs are unless you assess 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels.

“I drink plenty of milk. I don’t think I need to take vitamin D.”
Oh, boy. This is so wrong on so many levels.

First of all, no adult should be drinking plenty of cow’s milk. (A discussion for another day.) Second of all, cow’s milk averages 70 units of vitamin D, often the D2 form (ergocalciferol), per 8 oz. Even if the FDA-mandated 100 units per day were present, an average adult dose of 6000 units would require 60 glasses of milk per day. Can you say “diarrhea”?

Likewise, other food sources of vitamin D, such as fish (300-400 units per serving) and egg yolks (20 units per yolk), are inadequate. This makes sense: Humans are not meant to obtain vitamin D from food, but from sun exposure over a large body surface area. And this is a phenomenon that is meant to occur only in the youthful, ensuring that nature takes its course and us older folks get old and make way for the young (i.e., unless we intervene by taking vitamin D supplements).

“My doctor said that my vitamin D blood level was fine. It was 32 ng/ml.”
Let’s face it: By necessity, your overworked primary care physician, who manages gout, hip arthritis, migraine headaches, stomach aches, prostate enlargement, H1N1, depression, etc., is an amateur at nearly everything, expert in nothing. Nobody can do it all and get it right. Likewise vitamin D. The uncertain primary care physician will simply follow the dictates of the laboratory form that specifies “30-100 ng/ml” as the “normal” or “reference range.” Unfortunately, the laboratory often quotes population distributions of a lab measure, not an ideal or desirable level.

To illustrate the folly of population distributions of a measure, imagine you and I want to know what women weigh. We go to a local mall and weigh several thousand women. We tally up the results and find that women weigh 172 lbs +/- 25 lbs (the mean +/- 2 standard deviations). (That’s true, by the way.) Is that desirable? Of course it isn’t. Population average or population distribution does not necessarily mean ideal or desirable.

“My husband’s doctor said he should take 4000 units per day. So I just take the same dose.”
That would be fine if all adults required the same dose. However, individual needs can vary enormously. A dose that is grossly insufficient for one person may be excessive for another. Once again, vitamin D dose needs can be individualized by assessing 25-hydroxy vitamin levels in the blood.

“I don’t need to take vitamin D. I already take fish oil.”
I suspect this mistaken belief occurs either because people confuse fish oil with cod liver oil, which does contain some vitamin D. (Cod liver oil is not the best source of vitamin D, mostly because of the vitamin A content; also a discussion for another time), or because they’ve heard that eating fish provides vitamin D. However, fish oil capsules do not contain vitamin D unless it is added, in which case it should be prominently and explicitly stated on the label.

“I don’t have to take vitamin D. It’s summer.”
For most people I know, if it’s a bright, sunny July day, where are they likely to be? In an office, store, or home–NOT lying in the sun with a large body surface area exposed. Also, most people expose no more than 5-10% of surface area in public. I doubt you cut the grass in a bathing suit. Because of modern indoor lifestyles and fashion, the majority of adults need vitamin D supplementation year-round.

I advise everyone that gelcap vitamin D is preferable. Some, though not all, liquid drop forms have also worked. Take a dose that yields desirable blood levels. And blood levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D are ideally checked every 6 months: in summer and in winter to provide feedback on how much sun activation of D you obtain.

If your doctor is unwilling or unable to perform vitamin D testing, fingerstick vitamin D test kits can be obtained from Track Your Plaque.”

PharmaNutrients Brand supplements have been ultra-purified to remove contaminants, and are concentrated to prescription strength. PharmaNutrients surpasses all US and EU standards for quality.

Don’t be fooled by cheap knock-offs! When you do the research, the choice is clear. You’ll want to take a safe and effective omega-3 fish oil supplement from PharmaNutrients.

With PharmaNutrients, there are 2 ways for you to save:

1. Stock up – When you order 2 or more units of any combination of PharmaNutrients supplements, you’ll save 10%. When you order 3, you’ll save 20%. Or be a SUPER SAVER and save 33% when you order 6 or more!

2. The Shipping’s on Us – When you stock up, you get the added benefit of Free Ground Shipping.  Simply use the coupon code FREESHIP10 at checkout.

Guest author – Dr. William Davis, respected cardiologist and founder of the heart care site TrackYourPlaque writes:

For another perspective on omega-3 blood levels, here’s an interesting study in northern Quebec Inuits.

Traditionally, Inuits consumed large quantities of omega-3-rich seal, fish, caribou, and whale, even eating the fat. However, like the rest of the world, modern Inuits have increased consumption of store-bought foods, largely processed carbohydrates. Along with this trend has emerged more heart disease, diabetes, and depression.

A group from Laval University and University of Guelph, both in Canada, examined the relationship of plasma EPA + DHA levels and measures of psychological distress. This group had previously shown that Inuits older than 50 years had twice the plasma omega-3 levels (11.5%) compared to those younger than 50 years (6.5%), reflecting the shift away from the traditional diet.

Psychological distress was measured with The Psychological Distress Index Santé-Québec Survey (PDISQS-14): the higher the score, the greater the psychological distress. (In the graphs, tertile 1 is least distressed; tertile 5 is most distressed. Sorry about the small chart graphic–click on the graphic to make it bigger.)

From Lucas M et al 2009 (http://www.nutrasource.ca/NDI/Assets/Articles/Plasma%20omega-3%20and%20psychological%20distress%20among%20Nunavik%20Inuit.pdf)

“Our main finding was that women in the second and third tertiles of EPA+DHA concentrations in plasma PLs [phospholipids] had a 3 times lower risk of having a high-level PD [psychological distress] score than women in the lowest tertile.”

While the relationship is stronger for women, you can see that, the higher the EPA + DHA plasma level, the lower the likelihood of psychological distress. Interestingly, the tertile with the greatest distress and lowest EPA + DHA levels had a plasma level of 7.0-7.5%–far higher than average Americans.

(Plasma levels of EPA + DHA were used in this study, which tend to reflect more recent omega-3 intake than the more stable and slower-to-change RBC Omega-3 Index that we use. Plasma levels also tend to run about 10-20% lower than RBC levels.)

Of course, there’s more to psychological distress than omega-3 blood levels. After all, eating fish or taking fish oil capsules won’t make money worries go away or heal an unhappy marriage. But it is one variable that can be easily and safely remedied.

PharmaNutrients Brand supplements have been ultra-purified to remove contaminants, and are concentrated to prescription strength. PharmaNutrients surpasses all US and EU standards for quality.

Don’t be fooled by cheap knock-offs! When you do the research, the choice is clear. You’ll want to take a safe and effective omega-3 fish oil supplement from PharmaNutrients.

With PharmaNutrients, there are 2 ways for you to save:

1. Stock up – When you order 2 or more units of any combination of PharmaNutrients supplements, you’ll save 10%. When you order 3, you’ll save 20%. Or be a SUPER SAVER and save 33% when you order 6 or more!

2. The Shipping’s on Us – When you stock up, you get the added benefit of Free Ground Shipping.  Simply use the coupon code FREESHIP10 at checkout.