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Canada might have the most strict health supplement regulations in the world, and so naturally their fish oil regulations are very strict. In fact, most fish oil supplements sold in the United States would be illegal to sell in Canada! And Canada isn’t the only country to ban these; Sweden and Denmark have also prohibited their sale, and the UK and Norway will be the next two countries. Why? The answer has to do with how bioavailable the omega 3 fatty acids are, or how easily your body absorbs them and makes use of them. The reasoning may be a bit scientific, but I have attempted to make it easy to grasp.

The reason fish oil supplements are so beneficial for our bodies is because they contain omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are fats that are actually good for the body, so much so that the body needs them to function well. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish naturally exist as triglycerides. Each omega-3 molecule features three fatty acids that are attached to an alcohol base molecule, glycerol. Don’t worry about this kind of triglyceride, since they’re actually good for you and not the kind your doctor worries about.

All fish oils must be purified due to the harsh reality of high levels of toxic contamination in the oceans, and thus fish. Fish oil producers use a strict purification procedure called molecular distillation to make their fish oils extremely pure. But, omega-3s that naturally appear as triglycerides then are converted into a new formula called an ethyl ester (or EE). The glycerol alcohol base in the TG (triglyceride) is replaced with ethanol, another alcohol.

What’s the problem? Alcohol bases are all the same, right? Actually, no, there is a huge difference that has prompted many countries to make it illegal! It turns out that the more natural TG-based fish oils are absorbed by the body *far* more easily than the unnatural EE-based version. In fact, clinical studies have shown that TG has a 300% greater absorption rate, meaning its EE counterpart is only about 1/3 as effective as TG! But that’s certainly not where the limitations stop. Ethyl ester (EE) omega-3 fish oil is absorbed and used by the body at a markedly slower rate – sometimes up to 50x more slowly than TG! For the reasons mentioned, this Ethyl Ester fish oil is illegal in Canada and other countries. However, it is completely legal to sell EE in the US.

This might be a catch 22. If we desire to avoid the toxic poisons in omega-3 supplements, it appears that we must settle for a hardly-absorbed fish oil that our bodies have a hard time consuming, right? Not exactly! EE can actually be converted back into TG, and this is how purified fish oils are sold in Canada. You’re probably thinking: If TG-based fish oil is so much better than EE-based fish oil, why do US manufacturers only usually create EE fish oils? Greater cost, of course! The producers of fish oil must add 30% to their costs to convert EE oils into TG oil, and since consumers of omega-3 aren’t educated about the difference, these manufacturers don’t pay the additional cost.

Furthermore, a tiny fraction of them actually communicate that their fish oil capsules are ethyl esters, so it’s exasperatingly difficult to discern what they contain. Due to the majority of US fish oils being EE products, it can be safely assumed that any given omega-3 product is an EE. See Yourself Well and Nordic Naturals are the only two brands of fish oil in the US that are both TG-based and certified by the International Fish Oil Standards program.

Research shows that triglyceride-based omega-3 is often far superior to majority of omega-3 products being sold. Buying a TG-based fish oil will ensure that you taking the best product for your health, so consider switching to one if your current supplement isn’t in triglyceride form.

Brittany M. Wallace is a health and nutrition expert who has been studying the benefits of omega 3 fish oil for nearly 10 years. You can learn all about the benefits of fish oil supplements by visiting her site.