Fish oil omega-3s are composed of eicosapentaenoic acid
(EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and are available to consumers as either
triglycerides or ethyl esters. One of the most commonly discussed quality
issues related to fish oil is which form is the best triglyceride (TG) or ethyl
ester (EE). In what form are the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA)
when ingested from fish? The answer is the triglyceride form. In fact, over 98%
of all food-derived fats are in the triglyceride form.
Cost vs. absorption
Ethyl ester forms of omega-3 fatty acid supplements are the
most prevalent form in the market today as they are cheaper to produce than
their triglyceride counterparts. The industry has actually made ethyl esters
because they form a moldable form as triglycerides. This EE form has a much
higher boiling point and is easier to process when processed for supplement
distribution. The main purpose of molecular distillation is to remove the
industrial contaminants (eg heavy metal dioxins and PCBs) found in most
fishfish oils of most supplement manufacturers and to concentrate EPA and DHA.
This model focuses on sterility. Studies have shown that ethyl esters are the
least bioavailable forms of omega-3 fatty acids compared to TG and / or whole
fish.1 After purification by the distillation process, manufacturers leave them
in an EE form for cost reasons , The process of converting fish oil EEs into
TGs is costly. The cost of oil for TG concentrates is usually 30 to 40% higher
than that of EE concentrates.
micro distillation
Ethyl esters are prepared by reacting crude fish oil in the
form of a free fatty acid with ethanol (an industrial alcohol) to form a
synthetic substrate. Under vacuum, the mixture is then distilled by heat and
the resulting condensate is a concentrated omega-3 ethyl ester solution. Once
this molecular distillation process is complete, however, it is possible to
allow the fatty acids to bind in free form to an ethyl alcohol backbone or to
re-attach them to a glycerol backbone (triglyceride).
metabolism
The EE form lacks the glycerol backbone. Therefore, the
fatty acids will find an available triglyceride backbone or take one from an
existing molecule. When the latter occurs, the molecule that lacks the backbone
seeks another backbone, creating a domino effect. The free fatty acids are
taken up by the enterocytes (intestinal epithelium) and must be converted back
to TG for transport in the blood.3
Fats are stored and transported in the body in triglyceride
form. Studies show that after ingestion of an omega-3 fatty acid molecule in
triglyceride form, the fatty acids are cut from the glycerol backbone. The
digested EE produce free fatty acids plus ethanol. This is a less efficient
absorption process compared to the direct intake of a triglyceride in natural
form, as the EE form in the body has to be converted back to a TG form. The
delay in TG resynthesis suggests that the transport to blood in natural TG fish
oils is more efficient than in EE.245. In addition, this retardation of TG
resynthesis in EE fish oils causes release of ethyl alcohol and may
subsequently be oxidative. Stress due to release of free radicals in addition
to release of ethanol. 6
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