Rancid Omega-3 is Useless Omega-3 -- Learn How to Prevent This from Happening
If your omega-3 supplements have gone rancid, you are not only wasting your time and money taking the supplements but also are not getting any of the vitamins and health benefits you need. To prevent this from happening, learn what rancidity is, what causes it, and how to prevent it.
Keeping your omega-3 healthy
There are multitudes of benefits that come with taking omega-3. A natural blood thinner, brain food, and anti-inflammatory, omega-3 is beneficial for everything from cardiovascular disease, to arthritis, to learning disabilities and depression. The list of benefits researchers continue to discover is so extensive; it is too long to cover here.
Suffice it to say, research has proven it is essential to good health. However, if you aren't taking care of your omega-3, it can't take care of you. All oil regardless of whether it's omega-3, flaxseed oil, primrose oil, or cod liver oil is unstable and goes rancid rather quickly.
Oil is 'rancid' when it smells, tastes bad, and has lost its beneficial qualities. There are several types of rancidity that are possible concerning oils but the type you need to be concerned with is oxidative rancidity. This type of rancidity occurs because of a reaction between oxygen, exposure to light and fat.
Prevention of omega-3 rancidity
There are several things you can do to prevent your omega-3 from becoming rancid.
-- Buy capsules in opaque or dark-colored bottles. The dark color prevents the capsules from exposure to bright light.
-- Buy capsules rather than bulk oil. Capsules are more stable than liquid.
-- Keep your supplement refrigerated. Capsules remain stable for up to six months when refrigerated.
-- If possible, buy refrigerated capsules when purchasing. If this isn't possible, check the packaging date on the container to be sure you will have consumed the product before a six month time period.
Being aware that rancidity is possible, watching for the signs of bad smell and taste, and purchasing quality product will help ensure the 'health' of your omega-3 so you can be sure you are getting the health benefits your body needs.
