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 believed to be ideal for keeping brain function, heart health, and inflammation in check.
Not surprisingly, the average person only consumes between 120 and 130 mg 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 EPA and DHA Omega-3?
The best sources of omega-3 EPA and DHA are the various fish found in the deep, cold waters 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. Why? Because most marine life contains trace amounts of harmful contaminants like 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 smartest 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, do not take a supplement that contains less than 250 mg of DHA and 100 mg 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 hasn’t been purified or molecularly distilled. These two processes together remove all trace amounts of contaminants so you don’t have to ingest them just to get enough daily DHA and EPA.
In addition to that, there are other things you need to do to ensure the freshness and quality of the supplement you take.