Fish Oil Purification and Triglyceride Levels

Hi BB, I believe molecular distillation is one of the best methods for removing impurities such as mercury, heavy metals, dioxins and other contaminants. Yes, it does remove saturated fats and other natural triglycerides from the fish oil, but it does leave behind the key beneficial components of the fish oil, EPA and DHA fatty acids.

I think molecular distillation is a more 'gentler' distillation process because it uses lower heat levels and is performed in a vacuum that reduces the amount of heat even more.

Nordic Natural Fish Oils uses molecular distillation exclusively and their third party testing shows their fish oils are consistently of high quality, taste and purity.

Dr. Sears Zone Lab Fish Oils is another high quality fish oil that uses molecular distillation. Dr. Sears' fish oils have also been tested by third-party labs and results an exceptionally pure, pharmaceutical-grade fish oil.

I think it's probably healthier to have the natural triglycerides removed from the fish oils. Any type of triglyceride in our diets have been shown to contribute to higher triglyceride levels increasing the risk for atherosclerosis, heart disease and stroke. Fish oils provide an excellent source of essential fatty acids, EPA and DHA, and I use fish oils exclusively to fulfill that need.

Thank you for clearing that up for me. There is so much info on the internet pro and con you do not know what to believe.

Do you know anything about the quality of Costco's Kirkland brand fish oil. It is pretty inexpensive and was wondering if it is a good quality fish oil.

Reply: I think Costco's Kirkland Fish Oil appears to be a good quality, low-cost fish oil. I went to the Costco.com website and looked up the Kirkland Fish Oil Concentrate.

They claim to use molecular-distillation to remove impurities, PCB's, dioxins and other contaminants. Their fish sources are listed as anchovies, herrings, salmon, sardines, and sprat.

For some reason they also list soy as an ingredient in their fish oil. I'm not sure why they decided to put soy in there and I'm not too keen about soy in general.

Each 1000 mg. soft gel provides 300 mg. of EPA and DHA. This is a standard amount for low concentration fish oils.

I like using liquid fish oils such as Carlson Fish Oils, Nordic Naturals Fish Oils, or Dr. Sears Zone Lab Fish Oils. These high concentration fish oils can provide 600 mg of EPA and DHA per 1000 mg soft gel - which is a lot more than the Costco brand. Of course, you do have to pay a bit more for these higher concentration fish oils, but I believe the benefits are in the higher concentration your body receives.

I hope this information is helpful. Good luck and I hope you get the health benefits you seek from using fish oils. ~ Kevin

I see you listed a few different types of high quality fish oils. I also searched the internet and found X-tend Life, they use the same process. Do you not recommend this type for some reason?

Reply: If you've had great results from a particular brand of fish oil, feel free to share your experience on this forum. As you know, there are many different brands of fish oils and I'm not able to try all of them personally. ~ Kevin

I read that the heat required in this process can convert the fish oil to oxidants, which you don't want. Do you have a comment on this?

Reply: I think this would depend on the type of processing that's used to produce the fish oils. For example, Minami Fish Oils claim to use an eco-friendly, super-critical purification process that uses low temperatures and doesn't use chemical solvents like hexanes to produce their oils. You can also buy cheaply made fish oils that probably have experienced oxidative damage; I believe this is one of the primary causes why some people experience fishy burps and gas from poorly-processed fish oils. There's no question that consumers need to do their research on the company that produces the fish oils that they're going to put into their bodies.