On Tue, 1 Jul 2003 14:08 Kirt Nieft wrote:

>Consumer Reports latest issue has an feature
>on Omega-3 supplements. Had a dozen+ tested.
>All had the amount of fats claimed.
>None had mercury. None were rancid. They
>recommended Kirkland from Costco as the best value.

Most fish oil capsules sold in Australia are 30% n-3 and 70% other oils.

We have recently had a scandal here in Australia where a major
manufacturer of complementary medicines has sold sub-standard products.
The surviving brands have suddenly become more forthcoming than they were
in the past about their ingredients.

Here is the list from Blackmores, showing what the other 70% contains:

14:0  myristic acid [Typically: 7.5%](range: 5% - 9%)
14:1  myristoleic acid    [0.5%]     (0% - 2%)
16:0  palmitric acid   [16%]   (14% - 18%)
16:1  palmitoleic acid  [8%]   (8% - 12%)
18:1  oleic acid   [12.5%]   (11.5% - 17%)
18:2  linoleic acid  [4.5%]   (1% - 5%)
20:1  gondoic acid  [2%]   (1.5% - 3.5%)
20:2  eicosadienoic acid  [1.2%]   (0.5% - 4%)
20:4  arachidonic acid  [1.8%]  (1% - 3%)
20:5  eicosapentaenoic acid [18%]  (17.1% - 18.9%)
22:1  cetoleic acid   [1%]   (0% - 2%)
22:5  docosapentaenoic acid  [2%]   (1% - 3.5%)
22:6  docosahexaenoic acid  [12%] (11.4% - 12.6%)
Others   [9.7%]   95% - 20%)

Contaminants for which Australia has standards include:

Aldrin, Dieldrin, BHC, Chlordane, DDT, HCB, Heptachlor and Lindane.
However, these standards assume consumption of the oils at the indicated
dosage, not at the rate recommended by Barry Sears.

If you are taking fish oil at Sears-like rates, you might look closely at
the levels reported by your manufacturer of choice for both the
contaminants and the full fatty acid profile of the oil.

Keith