The Dirty Truth About Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil

Is pharmaceutical grade fish oil all it’s cracked up to be? I’m going to give it to you straight! The term “pharmaceutical grade fish oil” is nothing more than slick marketing.

And that’s the deep down dirty truth. Although pharmaceutical grade fish oil sounds mighty good, it’s just a term someone thought up in order to sell you low quality fish oil supplements. Now how can I possibly have the nerve to say this? It’s easy.

First of all there’s not one single organization that monitors, accredits, tests, validates or even certifies all those products that claim to be pharmaceutical grade.

Meaning of Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil

Without any standardization, the term is absolutely meaningless. And, since there’s no true definition, it can conveniently mean whatever the marketer wants it to mean.

“Pharmaceutical grade fish oil” has more of an “implied” meaning and companies always know that you’ll define it for yourself based on what you think it means. For example, to some people pharmaceutical grade means that the fish oil is pure and toxin free.

But companies who use the term seldom (if ever) offer a guarantee of purity.

Even those companies that use “molecular distillation” as a purification process admit that it doesn’t remove all of the heavy metals and toxins from their fish oil. And don’t you wonder why these companies start with toxic fish oil in the first place?

Another “implied” meaning for pharmaceutical grade fish oil is to make you think the product has been validated by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP).

Hah, that’s a good one! Here’s a tip. If the label doesn’t specifically say that it’s “USP Verified” then it’s NOT! And this means, if you buy it, you’re getting ripped off.

Although the USP does offer some voluntary standards for fish oils, in my experience the odds are pretty darn good that if you ask a company to back up their “pharmaceutical grade” USP standards claim in writing, you’ll come up completely empty handed.

Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil “Quality”

If you’re beginning to notice that there’s something really fishy going on with these companies, here’s another interesting point you ought to know. The variations in quality of all of the different products that are claiming to be pharmaceutical grade are immense.

Most companies don’t even tell you what kind of fish their using. This means they’re probably using bottom feeders or some other junky fish that they’re not proud of. Few provide more than 2 of the important omega 3 fatty acids (there are a total of 8). And practically all of them give you more of the generic “fish oils” than omega 3 fatty acids.

Even if pharmaceutical grade actually meant pure, it wouldn’t guarantee label potency, quality sources, the total amount of omega 3 available or whether it’s free of oxidation.

By the way, here’s another dirty little secret about the fish oil industry – all “molecularly distilled” fish oils are oxidized. And there’s nothing much worse for you than oxidized oil.

So, if pharmaceutical grade fish oil is just marketing hype, what’s a consumer to do? Get yourself educated – a little education can save your money and your life.

How to Identify the Best Fish Oil Supplements

The best fish oil capsules are those that tell you on the label what specific fish are being used. They only use quality fish that are health screened and graded for human consumption. And they always press the oils from the fish flesh, not the organs.

The best companies are willing to guarantee in writing that their supplements meet or exceed protocols established by the US Pharmacopeia and the American Organization of Analytical Chemists. And they provide all 8 members of the omega 3 fatty acid family.

So don’t keep getting ripped off by marketing terms like pharmaceutical grade fish oil. Demand a higher quality product and experience the amazing difference for yourself.

Michael Byrd is considered to be a leading researcher and expert in fish oil and can clearly show you how to choose the absolute best, safest and most effective fish oil capsules. For more detailed information and research, go to the omega 3 web site.