Giving them the Tataki treatment sparks our luscious Albacore loin pieces with a special smoky succulence. Like all of our flash-frozen fish, our new Tuna Tataki is of the highest quality and guaranteed 100% sushi-safe.

Recently, we reported on a review of the medical literature, which exploded the myth that fish oil presents a bleeding risk because of its abundant omega-3s. (See “Can Fish Oil Cause Bleeding Risks?”.)

Key Points Fish-derived omega-3s do not increase levels of free radicals in the body significantly, based on the results of laboratory and clinical tests. Recent test tube results suggest that omega-3s may act as antioxidants in the body, more effectively than the omega-6 fats that dominate American diets. Claims that omega-3s generate free radicals in the body rest on the irrelevant susceptibility of omega-3s to oxidation outside the body.

Today, we’ll tackle another baseless fear.

Birth of a myth

There is no evidence that taking omega-3 fish oil creates significant amounts of free radicals in the body.

Yet this myth, born from unexamined assumptions, keeps getting repeated by careless commentators.

This misunderstanding stems from the fact that omega-3s are highly unsaturated fats, and as such will oxidize quickly when exposed to air.

Indeed, the susceptibility of a fatty acid to oxidation outside the body is largely dependent on its degree of un-saturation. (Lard, which is very high in fully saturated fats, resist rancidity for weeks or months at room temperature.)

However, animal and test tube studies suggest that highly unsaturated fats – including omega-3s – are not susceptible to oxidation inside the body.

Before reviewing the evidence that omega-3s do not create free radicals – and may actually act as free-radical suppressing antioxidants in the body – we should start with some basic facts:

• Oxidation is a chemical reaction in which the double bond on a fatty acid molecule reacts with oxygen to produce a variety of chemical byproducts, including the unstable oxygen compounds called free radicals.

  Our Salmon Oil’s natural, orange antioxidant Makers of fish oil supplements invariably add some vitamin E to control free radicals present in the oil when it is encapsulated.   If a fish oil was processed carefully, there should be few, but left unchecked, free radicals will gradually create more of themselves over time.   We have no need to add an antioxidant like vitamin E, because, unlike all standard fish oils – including refined Salmon oils – our whole, unrefined Salmon Oil features an extra-potent, bright-orange carotene-class antioxidant pigment called astaxanthin, which wild Sockeye absorb from the zooplankton they eat.   The naturally occurring astaxanthin in our Sockeye Salmon Oil is up to 100 times more powerful than vitamin E, which is used in most standard fish oils.   Fish oils are routinely tested for levels of oxidation, and our unrefined Salmon Oil just passed a regular, independent oxidation test with flying colors, coming in well under the industry standard. (See “What is the peroxide value of your Salmon Oil?” on our FAQ page.)

• If created (or ingested) in numbers that overwhelm the body’s internal “antioxidant network” (and any food-borne antioxidants), free radicals will damage cells.
• Oxidation of fats and other compounds in human cells damages DNA and causes inflammation, cancer, cardiovascular disease, senility, and overall aging.
• Oxidation destroys the nutritional value of omega-3 and omega-6 unsaturated fats, and results in the off-flavors associated with rancidity.

As we’ve said, unsaturated fats are susceptible to oxidation outside the body, but appear far less susceptible to oxidation in a living cell or body.

A recent research paper affirms this dichotomy and suggests that omega-3s may actually help suppress the formation of free radicals in the body.

Let’s review that test tube study … and the results of three clinical trials, which support the safety and value of dietary omega-3s from fish and fish oil with regard to free radicals.

Omega-3s as antioxidants

Earlier this year, French researchers at the University of Pierre and Marie Curie published the results of a study in human arterial cells (Richard D et al. 2008).

They probably chose to study the effects of omega-3s in arterial cells because they’re where cardiovascular disease starts … and can be slowed or prevented.

In particular, the French team tested human aortic endothelial cells, taken from the lining of the largest artery in the human body.

The researchers exposed the artery cells to different fatty acids – including omega-3s, omega-6s, and saturated fats – and looked for the effects that each type of fat would have on creation of free radicals.

They also measured the effects that each fat had on creation of the two types of free radicals: oxygen- and nitrogen-based

Compared with exposing cells to saturated, monounsaturated, or omega 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, exposing the artery cells to omega-3s resulted in creation of fewer oxygen radicals and fewer nitrogen radicals.

The antioxidant effects of omega-3s were greatest on oxygen radicals, which, compared with nitrogen radicals, wreak much greater havoc in the body.

Based on these results, the French scientists proposed that omega-3s act as indirect antioxidant agents in vascular endothelial cells, “… hence diminishing inflammation and, in turn, the risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.”

In other words, instead of creating free radicals and increasing oxidation in the body, their experiment indicates that omega-3s are strong allies against oxidation of artery cells.

Dietary fish oil does not need an antioxidant clean-up crew

As we said at the outset, many sources assert – based on the exceptional vulnerability of omega-3s to oxidation outside the body – that it is necessary to take antioxidants along with omega-3 fish oil.

These misguided folks presume that omega-3s get oxidized easily in the body, which certainly would create free radicals.

Rosemary Wander, Ph.D.

But the outcomes of two studies at Oregon State University – both led by Rosemary C. Wander, Ph.D. – demonstrated that people who consume omega-3s do not show significantly increased levels of free radicals.

And, significantly, this was true whether or not people took vitamin E – an antioxidant with special ability to protect fats – at the same time.

In one clinical trial, 46 postmenopausal women were divided into groups. Some took fish oil alone, and some took fish oil along with varying amounts (100 to 400 mg) of vitamin E (Wander RC, Du SH 2000).

The fish oil supplements contained relatively high doses of omega-3s … 2.5 grams of omega-3 EPA plus 1.8 grams of omega-3 DHA.

The results showed no clinically significant increase in free radicals after taking fish oil, and no difference between taking fish oil alone or with vitamin E.

As they wrote ...