Fish oil is different than omega 3 however there are a few ways in which they are the same. Omega 3 is really a prime ingredient in fish oil yet fish oil can have a few other healthy ingredients such as astaxanthin. Astaxanthin is a something known as a carotenoid that can assist plants into creating their own food from the sun. Too bad humans can’t do that right? When various seafood such as fish eat this astaxanthin they gain their benefits.
Omega 3 on the other hand is also in fish oil. However the main difference is that omega 3 can also be in other things other than fish oil. For example omega 3 can be found in plants, krill, shrimp, spinach, nuts and cauliflower. Also there are various types of omega 3.
Yea I know this can all be confusing right? There is something called DHA EPA and ALA. Fish have DHA and EPA but not ALA. ALA is found in various plants such as nuts. The difference between all three of these omega threes is that EPA and DHA are considered long chains.
For example DHA has 22 carbon chains and EPA has 20 carbon chains. The human body has an easier time converting DHA to EPA because it’s easier for something to be taken away than added. ALA on the other hand has less carbon chains at 18. This is one of the reasons that make fish oil a superior source of omega 3 rather than nuts. It’s also important to know that someone would have to consume far more ALA omega 3 to get the same benefits as the other two.
In a nutshell fish oil contains a superior version of omega 3 plus astaxanthin while omega 3 itself can be found in a variety of other sources. Now you might be wondering what is so special about astaxanthin. Well for starters it’s what is called an antioxidant. You might have already heard about this nutrient because it can help protect someone from free radical damage.
In fact some scientists believe that free radical damage is a big reason on why someone gets wrinkles as well as die of old age. Astaxanthin is a little unique because it can influence every part of a cell as well as cross the brain blood barrier. In a nutshell astaxanthin can make a positive difference in every cell of the human system. This affects the eyes, lungs, heart, brain and lungs to give you a few ideas.
Like I mentioned before there are a variety of sources that someone can get omega 3 and one of the sources that I like the best is fish oil. The difficult part is choosing which fish oil to go with out of the thousands of choices. To make your life easier I actually wrote an eBook all about how someone can choose a good supplement brand.
One of the big motivating factors behind me doing this was because I’m interesting in the topic and there is no such guide that existed. To take a look at this guide click on guide to herbal supplements.