In the United States, Marine Omega 3 fish oils are one of the most popular health supplements. Yet, due to the prevalence of oxidized Omega 3 in rancid fish oils, how can you be sure that they are enhancing—instead of harming—your health?
Marine Omega 3 DHA and EPA oils derived from fish, krill, shellfish and algae are renowned for their myriad of health benefits.
They have been clinically proven to enhance cardiovascular health, offer protection from neurodegenerative disease, support metabolic health and reduce overall chronic inflammation.
However, marine oil from fish, krill and shellfish are highly susceptible to oxidation—this means that they can ‘oxidize’, spoil and go rancid easily.[i] As fish oil oxidizes, new byproducts begin to form in the oil called lipid peroxides, as well as harmful aldehydes.[ii] These oxidation byproducts are what give off the unpleasant smell and taste of rancid fish.
Have you ever experienced ‘fishy’ burbs or an upset tummy after consuming a cod liver oil capsule? If so, you know that you have eaten rancid, oxidized fish oil.
There are few regulations on acceptable levels of oxidation in fish oils—which means that you could be unwittingly consuming rancid Omega 3 DHA from your fish oil supplement on a daily basis.
Consequences of Oxidation
Free radicals, toxic aldehydes and reactive oxygen species are all byproducts from lipid peroxidation (oxidized fats) that work in unison to wreak inflammatory havoc on our metabolic, neurological and cardiovascular health.
Regularly consuming oxidized Omega 3 oils can have a deleterious effect on your health.[iii] Chronic lipid oxidation is known to be a mechanism for carcinogenesis—the mutation of healthy cells into unhealthy cancerous cells.[iv] One of the byproducts of lipid oxidation is 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) and it is strongly correlated with neurotoxicity, leading to neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. [v] The oxidative stress caused by ingesting oxidized oils over long periods of time can activate the NF-kB pathway—our inflammatory pathway—resulting in increased proinflammatory cytokines, causing inflammation throughout our body and brain.[vi] Furthermore, the aldehyde byproduct of oxidized fish oil possesses ‘mutagenic, cytotoxic, and inflammatory properties that may contribute to many different disease processes, including CVD’.[vii]
One study on humans found that oxidized fish oils caused organ damage and atherosclerosis[viii] and cardiovascular disease; catalyzed carcinogenic gene mutations[ix] and lead to Alzheimer’s disease.[x] A pretty poor prognosis for a high price tag ‘health supplement’!
Impact on Metabolic Health and the Liver
Unoxidized Omega 3s have shown to be incredibly protective for metabolic, cardiovascular and neurological functions—in both maintaining health and healing disease.[xi] Curiously, oxidized forms of Omega 3s have the opposite effect[xii], especially in the liver. Studies have shown that oxidized fish oils can exacerbate non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice, while non-oxidized omega 3 oils can reverse it.[xiii]
The liver is responsible for breaking down food and converting nutrients into energy while processing toxins—which means it is the organ at the forefront of dealing with oxidized oils. The reactive oxygen species (ROS)[xiv] and free radicals from oxidized fish oils and other oxidized polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) harm the liver and arteries first. Compromising the health of the liver, simultaneously compromises the health of our metabolism. When we cannot efficiently convert food into energy, metabolic diseases ensue, as the brain and heart struggle for fuel to function and the body begins to break down.
The Not So Fishy Solution
If oxidized fish oils are causing inflammation, metabolic disease and neurodegeneration, how can you ensure that you consume a healthy, non-oxidized source of essential Omega 3 DHA and EPA?
There is a solution to obtaining your Omega 3 DHA without the risk of consuming rancid fish oil and it’s even more sustainable than marine sourced Omega 3 DHA. Algae derived Omega 3 DHA does not oxidize, delivers bioavailable (absorbable) DHA and EPA to humans, and because it is sourced from Algae, it is vegan too.
If you want to be certain that you are only consuming non-oxidized marine 0mega 3 oils—so that you can reap the health benefits—then eat fresh fish and supplement with Algae derived Omega 3 DHA and stay away from the fishy capsules!
Contact us today innovate@virun.com to formulate your own non-oxidized algae derived Omega 3 DHA & EPA supplements.
[i] Albert BB, Cameron-Smith D, Hofman PL, Cutfield WS. Oxidation of marine omega-3 supplements and human health. Biomed Res Int. 2013;2013:464921. doi: 10.1155/2013/464921. Epub 2013 Apr 30. PMID: 23738326; PMCID: PMC3657456. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3657456/
[ii] Jansson P, Kay B. Aldehydes identified in commercially available ω-3 supplements via 1 H NMR spectroscopy. Nutrition. 2019 Apr;60:74-79. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2018.10.004. Epub 2018 Oct 11. PMID: 30529885.
[iii] Matsuo N. Studies on the toxicity of fish oil. The Journal of Biochemistry. 1954;41:481–487
[iv] Bartsch H, Nair J. Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress in the genesis and perpetuation of cancer: role of lipid peroxidation, DNA damage, and repair. Langenbeck’s Archives of Surgery. 2006;391(5):499–510.
[v] Sayre LM, Zelasko DA, Harris PLR, Perry G, Salomon RG, Smith MA. 4-hydroxynonenal-derived advanced lipid peroxidation end products are increased in Alzheimer’s disease. Journal of Neurochemistry. 1997;68(5):2092–2097
[vi] van den Berg R, Haenen GRMM, van den Berg H, Bast A. Transcription factor NF-κB as a potential biomarker for oxidative stress. British Journal of Nutrition. 2001;86(1):S121–S127
[vii] Jansson P, Kay B. Aldehydes identified in commercially available ω-3 supplements via 1 H NMR spectroscopy. Nutrition. 2019 Apr;60:74-79. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2018.10.004. Epub 2018 Oct 11. PMID: 30529885.
[viii] Libby P, Ridker PM, Maseri A. Inflammation and atherosclerosis. Circulation. 2002;105(9):1135–1143.
[ix] Bartsch H, Nair J. Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress in the genesis and perpetuation of cancer: role of lipid peroxidation, DNA damage, and repair. Langenbeck’s Archives of Surgery. 2006;391(5):499–510.
[x] Sayre LM, Zelasko DA, Harris PLR, Perry G, Salomon RG, Smith MA. 4-hydroxynonenal-derived advanced lipid peroxidation end products are increased in Alzheimer’s disease. Journal of Neurochemistry. 1997;68(5):2092–2097
[xi] Yang, J.; Fernández-Galilea, M.; Martínez-Fernández, L.; González-Muniesa, P.; Pérez-Chávez, A.; Martínez, J.A.; Moreno-Aliaga, M.J. Oxidative Stress and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation. Nutrients 2019, 11, 872. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11040872
[xii] Rundblad, A., Holven, K., Ottestad, I., Myhrstad, M., & Ulven, S. (2017). High-quality fish oil has a more favourable effect than oxidised fish oil on intermediate-density lipoprotein and LDL subclasses: A randomised controlled trial. British Journal of Nutrition, 117(9), 1291-1298. doi:10.1017/S0007114517001167
[xiii] Feng, R., Ma, LJ., Wang, M. et al. Oxidation of fish oil exacerbates alcoholic liver disease by enhancing intestinal dysbiosis in mice. Commun Biol 3, 481 (2020).
[xiv] Ayala A, Muñoz MF, Argüelles S. Lipid peroxidation: production, metabolism, and signaling mechanisms of malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2014;2014:360438. doi: 10.1155/2014/360438. Epub 2014 May 8. PMID: 24999379; PMCID: PMC4066722.
