What are the benefits of taking Omega-3 / DHA Fish Oil during pregnancy?

Fish oil is highly regarded and commonly suggested by many health professionals to support the health of both the mother and baby during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Xtendlife are proud to recommend our high quality and pure Omega 3 / DHA Fish Oil or Omega 3 / DHA Fish Oil Mini Gels for the benefits it may have for the development of the baby's brain, neurological and physical systems. It can also play a very important role in supporting a balanced post-natal mood for the mother. This is because the baby draws off precious stores of the mother's DHA, which is depleted can lead to a low mood.

Would vegetable based oils give the same benefits?

Sadly no. Oils such as flax oil etc whilst very good do not contain either DHA or EPA. The omega-3 in these oils is ALA which is a simpler oil with only 18 carbon bonds verse 22 for DHA and 20 for EPA. The body cannot manufacture DHA or EPA and must get it from external sources. A main component of the brain is DHA.

ALA from vegetable oils is very difficult for the body to change to DHA. Experts believe less than 5% can be converted, and in the elderly group, there is generally none at all. This is why you cannot rely on vegetable oils to provide DHA or EPA.

Are fish oil soft gels easy to swallow?

Our soft-gels are an industry standard 1000mg soft gel, which is quite easy to swallow. However, if you have any difficulty swallowing soft gels of this size, we also produce a mini version of 500mgs.  If you still have some difficulty, you can always puncture the soft gels and squeeze the fish oil onto cold food. This method will not compromise the product's efficacy, provided the food is consumed right away to avoid oxidization of the oil

Where does the Hoki and Tuna Fish come from?

NZ Hoki is sourced from the pristine waters of the Southern Ocean off the coast of New Zealand. The Tuna is also sourced in the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere.

What is the soft gel made of?

The soft gels we use in our omega-3 fish oils are made of highly purified bovine non-hydrolysed gelatine (Halal certified).

Why do you focus on DHA rather than EPA levels in your fish oil?

We focus on the DHA levels in our omega-3 fish oils as this is in the best interest of our customers. Research confirms that it is the most valuable component of omega-3, especially for the brain and nervous system. In addition, it is difficult for the body to convert EPA to DHA because two carbon bonds must be added. On the other hand, the body only has to 'drop off' two carbon bonds from DHA to create EPA. Most manufacturers focus on EPA as it is easier to concentrate, but it is not as 'usable' by the body.

How do you concentrate the tuna oil?

This is one of the exciting parts of Xtendlife’s omega-3 fish oil blends. The concentrated component of the blend is able to be produced without the intense heat needed by 99% of all the other concentrated fish oils on the market today. Even better it does not have to be converted to an ethyl ester and then processed to reconstitute it back to the triglyceride form. (which can be considered synthetic)

It is concentrated using a combination of molecular distillation and enzymatic action. This avoids the extreme heat which is used in other concentration methods. But it is a lot more expensive, but the benefits warrant the additional cost. 

Why use tuna oil rather than smaller fish like sardines or anchovies, which have less bioaccumulation of heavy metals?

The benefit of tuna oil is that it is naturally rich in DHA. Smaller fish may tend to have less accumulation of heavy metals, but this is not an issue with Xtendlife fish oil because of the careful way the Tuna is used. The Tuna oil is produced using molecular distillation and enzymatic hydrolysis. Our standard for heavy metals is one of the most stringent in the industry, more than government requirements. There is no purer oil. 

Also, the parts of the Tuna we use are by-products of tuna harvested for food and are from a controlled and sustainable fishery.