How to use fish oil safely when the market is "turbulent" in fish oil

Fish oil has health benefits, but that doesn't mean it can be used arbitrarily. Knowing how to use fish oil safely is a way to protect the health of you and your family.

Ho Thu Mai, Head of Nutrition Department, Vinmec International General Hospital, explains: “Fish oil is an oil derived from the tissues of oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, and mackerel. sardines, tuna... Fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) which provide many health benefits. They are fat soluble, so they are best absorbed only when a suitable solvent is fat. The most commonly used fish oils today are divided into two types: those containing fat-soluble vitamins A and D and those containing omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. In addition, the manufacturer also added vitamin E with antioxidant effects. If used correctly, fish oil has many good effects such as providing nutrients for omega-3, omega-6, vitamins A, D, E and other micronutrients. Fish oil helps to stabilize and reduce blood fat, good for eyes. Omega-3 is found in the brain, so fish oil is good for the brain, especially for children.
However, if you abuse fish oil, it will cause a lot of side effects. The most dangerous is that it is easy to cause vitamin A and D poisoning, nausea, abdominal pain, digestive disorders, neurotoxicity, allergies to other drug components such as rashes, diarrhea, headaches... For people with diabetes, fish oil can cause high blood sugar. It is best to use it as prescribed by the doctor, avoid oral tradition. For people who are using anticoagulant drugs and young children, it is necessary to have a doctor's appointment and examination. Pregnant women should not use fish oil. In addition, you need to buy drugs in places where the origin is guaranteed to avoid buying fake goods.

Omega 3–6–9 fish oil is currently one of the “hot” items in any online store. When we asked to find a product to treat hormone deficiency, the owner of an online shop advised to supplement with omega 3–6–9 capsules with royal jelly. “My mother is also taking a combination of the two, which is good. Taking Omega 3–6–9 will have healthy hair, smooth skin, balance female hormones, metabolize fat and lose weight, reduce the pain of osteoarthritis and premenstrual symptoms. Price 680,000 VND / box of 200 tablets, standard Australian hand-carried goods", the shop owner excitedly offered.
Imported fish oil costs from 600,000 VND or more, while domestic fish oil costs only a few tens of thousands of VND. We wondered about this when we went to another pharmacy to buy fish oil, the salesman himself was quite confused: “The price is very high. Products from the US and Australia are the most popular among female customers despite the expensive price, while domestic products cost only a few tens of thousands, often used by elderly people to treat dry eyes. My side only knows how to import goods to sell, how about the quality, whether it's safe to use fish oil or not depends on the user's feelings."

Seven months pregnant, Ms. Thuy Linh (Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi) was advised by her colleague to take more fish oil because she heard that this product "replenishes nutrients for the baby's brain to develop comprehensively". Being lazy to eat fish, Linh thought that taking fish oil could replace eating fish, so she went to the pharmacy to buy a box of Omega 3 Alaska Fish Oil. “After taking it for two months, I went to another drug store to buy it, and the saleswoman said pregnant women should not use fish oil. So I don't know if it affects the fetus. Why does each place say the same thing?", Linh lamented.
Fish oil is also considered by many women as a "panacea" for beauty with the mentality of "not horizontal, vertical". With dark skin, acne plus insomnia, Ms. Bich Ngoc (Ha Dong district, Hanoi) decided to buy imported fish oil to drink according to the advice of pharmacy staff. Drinking fish oil combined with Ganoderma lucidum juice for a month, Ngoc feels that she sleeps better, but her face has a lot of acne. Some people use fish oil solution on their eyes because it is said to help treat dark circles. Some mothers even let their children play with fish oil and even if they accidentally ate a few tablets, they wouldn't be concerned.

After it was reported that Omega-3 fish oil punctured the foam plate, endangering human life, the National Institute of Food Safety and Hygiene Testing took three samples of fish oil supplements from the US and China. and Vietnam for testing on 3cm thick foam. The results show that the US products wear out the sponge most quickly and make the sponge deeply concave to form holes, Vietnamese fish oil products also create holes on the surface of the sponge, while Chinese products least sponge wear. For the case of two bottles of fish oil in Quang Ngai, the Quang Ngai Sub-Department of Food Safety and Hygiene has clearly investigated, this is not an imported product of Viet Star Company but a floating product, unknown. source.
According to Dr. Nguyen Thanh Phong, Director of the Food Safety Department, Ministry of Health, with the nature of esterified fats, all types of fish oils are effective in different types of fish oil. There is no polystyrene in the human body, so there is no such interaction when using fish oil. Fish oil is absorbed by the body and converted into substances beneficial to health. Licensed fish oil products are currently safe, people should not panic, but absolutely should not buy and use food in general and functional foods in particular without origin. , Mr. Phong recommended.
Assoc. Tran Hong Con, a lecturer at the Department of Chemistry, Hanoi University of Natural Sciences, also confirmed that fish oil corroding foam sheets is normal. According to Mr. Con, foam itself is a form of polymer, but the polymer only accounts for a very small percentage, the rest is mainly air, so it is very light. The chemical composition of this polymer resin is well soluble in organic solvents, especially in non-polar or less polar solvents. Meanwhile, fish oil contains less polar esters, so the styrofoam can easily dissolve in fish oil.
“In principle, Omega–3 contains esters that are able to soften the styrofoam because the styrofoam is soluble in less polar and nonpolar solvents very well. Not only fish oil, but even vegetable oils like olive oil melt the foam. The components of olive oil have the ability to soften or dissolve the porous polymer, but the dissolution will be slower,” explained Mr. Con.
Safe use of fish oil is essential for consumers to protect their health. Do not use fish oil sources of unknown origin or overuse fish oil to cause unfortunate risks.