There is no way to meet the demand we currently have for fish oil. Peru, the world's leader in fish oil and fish meal production, had a banner year in 2016, getting the highest recorded average price per metric ton. But those record numbers come at a time when production levels have declined 61% from the previous year. The production levels aren't likely to improve either, as the United Nations reports 90% of the world's fish are fully or partially overfished. Farm-raised fish are unlikely to be a good source of Omega-3s as they themselves are frequently fed other fish oils to boost their health. We are approaching the point where a big source for Omega-3s, wild-caught fish, will no longer be available, and farm raised fish currently require supplementation instead of providing it.
The Big Business Solution
The demand for fish oil products has created a 2.4 million dollar market, and many big companies have settled on grains as the solution to the problem left by dwindling fish oil supplies. One of the companies with ambitious plans in this area is Cargill, an agricultural trading company based in Minnesota. In a bid to create a fifth of current fish oil supplies, 159,000 metric tons, they've earmarked up to half a million acres of Montana farmland to grow their new strain of canola. Projected to be ready in 2020, the canola will contain long-chain omega-3 fatty acids from algae. Dow Chemicals has also jumped on the canola train, although they plan to grow their canola in Canada.
Monsanto, on the other hand, is sticking with what they know - soy. Soybeans are already a source of ALA (alpha-linolenic acids), and the company's plan is to develop a soybean specifically meant to be processed into a soy oil for baked goods and soup. Other companies are launching omega-3 products with algae. Archer Daniels Midland in Chicago, a commodities trading and food processing company, created an algae-based product for fish supplementation. TerraVia Holdings Ltd is another company focused on algae, using it to convert sugar into omega-3s.
A Little People Solution
Omega 3 fatty acids are essential to any healthy diet, but other options are out there? Quality fish and fish oil are hard to find and hard to justify from an environmental perspective. Many of the proposed big businesses solutions focus on GMO crops. Both of these options are problematic.
Getting omega-3s in your diet doesn't have to be all about fish oil. Algae is a great source of omega-3s, and it's important to get different colors. Green algae like spirulina and chlorella, are a source of EPA. Brown algae like wakame and hijiki are sources of DHA, a key nutrient in supporting a healthy brain. Other vegetable based sources of omega-3s include flax, chia, and nuts, especially walnuts. The acids are also in a number of vegetables like spinach, winter squash, and brussels sprouts, though the amount is much less than what is found in seaweeds, nuts, and seeds.
Comment: Fish oil may not be such a cure-all: Should you really be taking it?
High levels of oxidative products found in fish oil supplements
Recently, attention has been drawn to the quality of over-the-counter fish oil supplements. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, including DHA and EPA, are especially susceptible to oxidation due to double carbon bonds at multiple locations. Light, oxygen exposure, and heat can all contribute to oxidation. Oxidized lipids have been linked to a number of health issues, including organ toxicity and accelerated atherosclerosis—the exact opposite outcomes usually desired by those who supplement with fish oil. (24)
In 2016, the top three selling fish oil supplements in the United States were shown to have oxidation levels up to four times higher than recommended "safe" levels. (25) One caveat of this alarming study is that oxidation levels were normalized per 1g of omega-3s in the supplements, instead of the industry standard of normalizing per 1g of fish oil. Although this does inflate their three measures of oxidation, all three fish oil brands were still above acceptable levels of peroxidase and TOTOX levels, while one (instead of the study's reported two) was above acceptable anisidine levels if instead normalized per 1g of fish oil.
As oxidation level measurements of omega-3 supplements have increased over the last several years, this has been the common finding. Studies examining fish oil supplements available around the world, including in Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa, consistently show that a vast majority (up to 80 percent!) exceed at least one of the measures of acceptable oxidation levels. (26, 24, 27) Also noteworthy is that most of these supplements contain lower levels of DHA and EPA than the labels claim, probably partly due to oxidation.
Furthermore, the most recent study from 2016 demonstrated that over-the-counter omega-3 supplements had a decreased ability to inhibit small, dense LDL oxidation in a laboratory setting compared to pure omega-3 fatty acids. (25) This means that whatever supposed benefits omega-3 supplements should have on blood lipids could likely be completely counteracted by the oxidized lipids also contained in the pills. Overall, I am quite wary of most over-the-counter products out there.
The World is Not Enough
This is not the only important part of the food chain disappearing. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, close to 75% of plant diversity has been lost. Six different livestock breeds are lost every month. Our gut bacteria has been slowly losing its variety, leaving us more open to disease. From a health viewpoint and an environmental viewpoint, now is the time to look for different, diverse foods. How long will it be before whole nutrients groups disappear from our world like so many plant varieties or members of our gut flora?
Cary Leizer, BA, is Research Assistant in the laboratory of Ilya Raskin, Biotech Center, Rutgers University, Cook College, 59 Dudley Road, New Brunswick, NJ08901-8520.David Ribnicky, PhD, and Alexander Poulev, PhD, are Research Associates in the laboratory of Ilya Raskin, Biotech Center, Rutgers University with funding from Phytomedics, Inc., 2245 Route 130, Suite 103, Dayton, NJ 08810.Slavik Dushenkov, PhD, is Executive Vice President of Research and Development for Consolidated Growers & Processors, P.O. Box 2228, Monterey, CA93942-2228.Ilya Raskin, PhD, is Professor of Rutgers University who leads a large research group within the Biotech Center of Rutgers and is the Founder and Chairman of Phytomedics, Inc.
{While there are many sources for omega-3 PUFA in the diet, hempseed oil is exceptionally rich in these compounds, which are usually present in the nutritionally optimal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 PUFA(LA to LNA) of 3:1 (Erasmus, 1999).}
{Hemp seed oil contains linoleic acid (LA) and a-linolenic acid(LNA) as its major omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFA), respectively. These fatty acids comprise the most desirable contents of the oil, especially due to the ratios in which they exist. The3:1 ratio of LA to LNA is alleged to be optimal for nutrition (Deferne and Pate, 1996; Callaway, Tennila & Pate, 1996; Erasmus, 1999). The additional presence of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) in hemp seed oil ultimately makes its nutritional value superior to most comparable seed oils. The myriad of benefits reported to be attributable to omega-3 PUFA include anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-thrombotic properties. In addition, dietary omega-3 PUFA help to increase general metabolic rates and promote the burning of fat (Erasmus, 1999; Simo-poulos, 1994).}
Such obvious absences of peer reviewed, well known facts are irritating if not quite suspicious.