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Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil Review

Can taking fish oil have an almost immediate effect on your mental well-being?

Are all fish oils created equal?

Did you know that some fish oil is contaminated with toxic metals like mercury?

That some fish oil doesn’t break down in your stomach properly for digestion?

Read the article below to learn some secrets on fish oil and get the low-down on various fish oil supplements and why Carlson Labs comes out as a top brand for fish oil.

Why Take Fish Oil?

The benefits of fish oil supplements have been hammered into our heads for many years now.  You may have heard advertisements about fish oil and weight loss, fish oil Vitamin D, Fish Oil Anti Inflammatory, and Fish Oil Cholesterol benefits.

But what is fish oil for?

Our brains are made up mostly of fatty acids.  This fatty acid balance is delicate.  When it is properly working, your brain will be firing on all cylinders.

Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio is completely messed up in most people’s diets.  Most people have way too many Omega-6 fats and not enough Omega-3 fats.

Without enough Omega-3 fats, you are more prone to inflammation, your neurotransmitters won’t be produced as efficiently, your cholesterol will be higher, and your fatty acid balance will be out of whack.

Fish Oil works to prevent artery disease, namely heart disease and strokes.

Most people take fish oil liquid or fish oil pills purely for the health benefits of fish oil.  If you aren’t taking it for just that, you should.  However, the main reason why I started taking it (and you should too if you’re reading this site) is for depression.

Fish Oil For Depression

According to Julia Ross in her book The Mood Cure, eating more fish and getting more omega-3 fats by taking fish oil, you can raise the amount of neurotransmitters responsible for attention and focus by 40%!

You can also feel the effects quite quickly.  Many people who have serious issues with this fatty acid imbalance report that they are suddenly feeling energized for the first time in years once they start taking fish oil.

Fish Oil EPA DHA

Fish oil contains EPA and DHA.  These are omega-3 fats that are best used in the brain. You want DHA and EPA if you are depressed. Flaxseed also contains omega-3 fats, but many people cannot convert those fats into DHA and EPA efficiently.

The reason is because flaxseed contains ALA, or alpha linolenic acid.  This has to be converted into DHA and EPA.  It has been shown that about 66% of people cannot properly break down ALA and our ability to do also declines with age.  Aim to get high quality fish oil instead.

MAO Inhibitor

EPA and DHA act as an MAO inhibitor.  This means that fish oil literally slows down the enzymes in your brain that destroy dopamin and serotonin.

If you start taking more fish oil and getting more Omega-3 fats, your brain will have more feel good neurotransmitters such as catecholamines and serotonin.

How Much Fish Oil Should You Take?

If you are suffering from depression, you should start taking around 2 grams per day of combined DHA and EPA.  You can see on the label of fish oil how much DHA and EPA each serving contains. If you decide to just eat fish instead, that would be about eating a one-quarter pound of salmon.

Fish oil can also be overstimulating to many people.  If you take too much fish oil and you find yourself suddenly starting to wake up at 4am with too much energy, you might need to cut back a bit.

How to Take Fish Oil

You want to find pure fish oil so that you can avoid toxic metals such as mercury in certain fish oil brands.  You also want high EPA fish oil.  You can check out fish oil ratings.  A 5-star rating means that the fish oil has greater than or equal to 60% concentration of EPA and DHA per gram of fish oil.

If you are depressed and correcting fatty acid imbalances, I would recommend taking a serving of fish oil at breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Make the total amount for the day equal 2 grams of combined DHA and EPA.

I also like taking fish oil with vitamins that are fat soluble, such as Vitamin D, as taking those vitamins with a source of fat will increase their absorption.

For a few months you might need to take even more fish oil than that.  You will know you have taken too much if a higher dose overstimulates you.

People suffering from bipolar have found relief with using fish oil alone by taking up to 9 grams per day.

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil Review

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish oil is one of the best fish oil supplements out there in my personal opinion.  Many people think that Carlson Labs is the best fish oil brand due to its high quality and manufacturing standards.  You can get more information on this family owned business at Carlsonlabs.com.

Julia Ross lists Carlson Labs as one her first recommendations for fish oil in her well researched book.

Many people prefer to take fish oil in capsules, but I think liquid fish oil is far superior.  It absorbs better, can take a spoonful of it easily, and you know that it is fresh. Fish oil in capsule form can be hard to tell if it has gone rancid.  When fish oil is in liquid form, you’re forced to notice if it’s rancid.

The only issue is you have to keep it in the fridge, which can cause problems if you want to take Carlson Fish Oil liquid while at work.

Carlson Fish Oil shows almost 500 reviews on Amazon.com.

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil by Carlson has the right concentration of EPA/DHA of 1.3g/teaspoon.  This stuff also tastes good.  It has extra Vitamin E in it as well. Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil Lemon 500ml is usually priced right around $30.  This is a price effective choice for fish oil as 500ml is quite a lot and will last you a while.

I actually like this liquid fish oil so much, I had my sister buy it for me as my Christmas present.

Carlson Fish Oil Review Consumer Labs

ConsumerLab.com is a leading provider of information for supplements.  They independently test products in the health and nutrition industry.

Consumerlab.com’s suvery rated Carlson Laboratories as a #1 Fish Oil Brand on 4/30/2013.  The results were based on the consumer satisfaction from over 10,000 subscribers to ConsumerLab.com.

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil Ingredients

You can see above in Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil Label that there is a high amount of EPA and DHA per serving. Just one teaspoonful will get you 1,600mg of omega-3 fatty acids!

Carlson Labs Fish Oil Soy

Carlson Labs Fish oil has been tested for soy and does not contain soy.  If you are allergic or have problems with soy, you are safe taking this fish oil supplement.

Carlson Labs Fish Oil Mercury

Carlson Labs Very Finest Fish Oil is regularly tested, using AOAC international protocols, for freshness, potency, and purity.  It has been determined by a FDA-registerd laboratory to be fresh, fully potent, and free of detrimental levels of mercury, cadmium, lead, PCB’s, and 28 other contaminants.

You know by taking Carlson Labs Fish Oil that you aren’t harming yourself with other contaminants. Carlson labs fish oil purity is of the highest standard.

Carlson Labs Liquid Fish Oil vs Nordic Naturals Fish Oil

Nordic Natural Ultimate Omega Fish Oil has been one of the biggest fish oil supplements on the market.  They are known for high quality products and get plenty of great reviews.

They are typically higher cost, as a bottle with 180 softgels costs $45.

I have never taken them myself personally, but I have heard of people getting good results with it.

According to testing done, Nordic Naturals was a clean product.  It is rated 5 stars as a fish oil supplement, is soy free, GMO free, mercury free, and the price is OK.

On the other hand, it contains cholesterol, it is not enteric coated, it is not vegetarian, it is not certified Kosher, and it has a relatively low omega-3 potency.  Some people have reported the taste of their other products isn’t quite as good as Carlson Labs either.

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil 16.9 vs Barleans Fish Oil

Barleans Omega Swirl Fish Oil is another popular fish oil product.  It supposedly tastes amazing, is a 5-start rated fish oil supplement, has one of the highest omega-3 potencies on the market, is molecularly distilled, soy free, GMO free, mercury free, and cholesterol free.

On the other hand it is not enteric coated, is not vegetarian, is not certified Kosher, and can be more on the expensive side.

This is a good product to try if you aren’t a fan of the taste of Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil for some reason and are willing to spend a little extra money for the taste and high Omega-3 potency of Barleans.

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil vs Kirkland Fish Oil

Kirkland Signature Omega-3 Fish Oil is one of the cheapest sources of fish oil you will find.  A bottle of 400 softgels costs less than $14 on Amazon.com and you can find it at Costco for sometimes cheaper.

There are mixed opinions on this brand of fish oil.  On the one end, Consumerlabs.com (and even Julia Ross) recommend it as a fish oil supplement.  On the other end, there are many negative reviews of Kirkland Fish Oil being rancid, having gone bad, or not being potent.

According to a report by WebMD.com, two of three samples of Kirkland Signature Fish Oil Supplements had an enteric coating (used to prevent a fishy aftertaste) which did not dissolve properly.

This means that the coating might break up in the stomach rather than in the small intestine. This fish oil might not be the best for proper absorption in the body.

Many fish oil supplements passed the test (including Carlson Super Omega-3 Gems and Barlean’s Organic Oils EPA-DHA) but Kirkland Signature Fish Oil did not pass.

Where to Buy Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil

I recommend people buy top fish oil supplements on Amazon.com.  I have seen Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil in local stores and the price has usually been a lot higher than what you can get it for online.  Whole foods fish oil in particular seems to cost way more than Amazon.com’s prices.

Calson Labs Fish Oil Amazon:

• Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil Lemon 500ml Bottle
• Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil Orange 500ml Bottle
  • If you prefer orange flavor over lemon.
• Carlson Norwegian Cod Liver Oil
  • Carlson Cod Liver Oil is preferred choice for some people.  Cod Liver oil is a rich source of Vitamin D and Vitamin A.  However, some people think that cod liver oil is more prone to contamination.  I’ve personally used both the Fish Oil and Cod Liver Oil products from Carlson Labs.
• Carlson Labs Elite Omega-3 Gems Fish Oil 1250mg capsules
  
  • If you don’t like taking liquid fish oil, Carlson Labs Fish Oil capsules is a great choice.

Other Choices of Fish Oil

• Nordic Natural Ultimate Omega Fish Oil
• Barleans Omega Swirl Fish Oil
• Kirkland Signature Omega-3 Fish Oil

For more information on other supplements that have been shown to alleviate depression, check out the master page: Supplements for Depression