Do you know which are the best sources of omega-3 EPA and DHA? Do you know how much of each type you should take daily? These questions and more are answered in this article.
How much of each type of Omega-3 should you consume daily?
Ideally, you should consume at least 650 mg of DHA/EPA (combined) daily. This amount is estimated to be ideal for keeping brain function, heart health, and inflammation in check.
Not surprisingly, the average person only consumes 120-130mg of DHA and EPA per day. For those of you who hate doing math, that’s only a fifth of the recommended amount.
What are the best sources of omega-3 EPA and DHA?
The best sources of omega-3 EPA and DHA are the various deep, cold water fish of the ocean. The best known species are tuna, salmon, mackerel, sardines, hoki and anchovies.
However, eating a lot of fish is not necessarily the safest thing to do. Because? Because most marine life contains traces of harmful pollutants such as mercury, arsenic, cadmium, PCBs, lead, and other heavy metals. Therefore, relying on consuming these fish species as sources of EPA and DHA may not be the smart thing to do…
Also, if you wanted to get all of your daily recommended DHA and EPA from fish, you would have to eat several servings a day to get it.
What kind of EPA and DHA fish oil is best to get?
As a general rule of thumb, don’t get a supplement that contains less than 250mg of DHA and 100mg of EPA. The human body uses more DHA and EPA, so always aim for more.
To ensure your safety, never get an omega-3 supplement that has not been molecularly purified or distilled. These two processes together remove all trace amounts of contaminants so you don’t have to ingest them just to get enough DHA and EPA for the day.
Besides that, there are a few other things you should do to ensure the freshness and quality of the supplement you take.