Best Fish Oil Supplements for Keto

Fish oil maximizes the results of your keto diet, but some caution must be taken to avoid selecting a supplement with toxic mercury and heavy metals. With most supplements, a cheap version generally won't harm you while serving up nothing more than a placebo effect. Poor quality fish oil can cause health problems and lack the vital nutrients and benefits derived from quality fish oil.

The best fish oil supplements come from pure sources using extraction processes that ensure the nutrients are captured while still fresh. Potency is also a major factor in deciding on a quality fish oil supplement and a high bioavailability is necessary to guarantee that the nutrients are absorbed properly. Inferior fish oil supplements may cause more problems than they solve, and you'll be left with a supplement that is expensive and ineffective for your keto diet.

Choose supplements that are sourced from sustainable areas and avoid using a supplement from farmed fish. While this may sound like an overwhelming set of criteria, it's essential you take the selection of your fish oil supplement seriously. The benefits will pay off in the form of better health, vitality, mental function and physical performance. Choose supplements that are not oxidized and that contain a balanced level of EPA and DHA. Select oils that are certified by reputable organizations.

There are two essential fatty acids that a fish oil supplement must include. EPA and DHA are both omega-3 fatty acids that the body is unable to make on its own. If these aren't obtained from the diet, the body and general health suffer. Most people get plenty of omega-6 fatty acids but fail to get the right amount of omega-3 fatty acids. This can result in increased inflammation and a compromised immune system that invites sickness and disease.

Luckily, a fish oil supplement offers an excellent way to ensure the body gets the right nutrients. EPA and DHA act as opposite sides of the same coin. Heart health can be improved through the addition of EPA. DHA plays a crucial role in the development of the brain, and it ensures proper cognitive functioning as well. Since inflammation can be a concern for some on a keto diet, these nutrients are vital to maintaining normal inflammation levels. 

At the most basic level, you must evaluate the total omega-3 levels in the supplement. Many manufacturers will attempt to mislead consumers by specifying the total amount of fish oil in the product and not the amount of omega-3 fatty acids. It's the omega-3 content that is valuable and necessary to realize benefits from the supplement. Pay attention to the serving size as well since many supplements require you to take anywhere from three to six pills for a single serving. It's important to avoid equating the cost of a particular brand of fish oil with quality.

Most importantly, you can't trust the label provided by most manufacturers. Since supplement companies aren't held to strict standards, many supplements will have much less omega-3 content than advertised. On average, you'll get about one-quarter of the stated potency. In severe cases, you may end up with a supplement that contains up to 90 percent less omega-3 than advertised. Verify claims using independent lab companies that check the actual supplement levels of various manufacturers. ConsumerLabs and other laboratories offer testing services that you can trust.

Dr. Weil recommends that you take a fish oil supplement that contains 700 to 1,000mg of EPA and 200 to 500mg of DHA. This offers a good balance between the two kinds of fatty acids. It's not necessary to take this supplement every day since the body can store the excess. Aim to take the supplement two to three times per week for the best benefit. The best option is to take it in a pill form to ensure that it doesn't cause stomach upset or other undesirable side effects. Use only molecularly distilled fish oils and select the supplement that gives you the nutrients in as few pills as possible. A supplement that requires you to ingest six pills is likely to be mostly filler.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes several health concerns with taking fish oil supplements. The organization starts by warning consumers to avoid substituting fish oil supplements for a visit to the doctor. Fish oil can affect blood clotting and interfere with certain medications so you should consult your doctor to ensure the medication is safe. People who have a shellfish allergy should not take fish oil since it can cause an adverse allergic reaction.

While Omega-3 fatty acid supplements are generally considered safe to use, some people do suffer from side effects. The most common side effects include stomach problems, which can manifest in the form of indigestion, diarrhea or belching. These supplements may also increase bleeding in some individuals. Making a distinction between fish liver oils and fish oil is also important since they are not the same thing. Fish liver oils contain large amounts of vitamin A and vitamin D. While it's hard to overdose on vitamin D, vitamin A can be toxic at high doses.

WHC UnoCardio 1000 provides the best option for getting the right levels of omega-3 fish oil without the harmful additives and toxic metals found in so many supplements. It's sustainably harvested so you can feel good about taking this supplement. It's also one of the highest rated options on the market. Using a molecular extraction method, you'll get a pure supplement and clean delivery thanks to the fish gelatin capsules.