triglycerides and ethyl esters Triglycerides are the normal formation of fatty acids in nature, to get an ethyl ester you must create it in a lab Because one is natural and the other isnt, it means there is a big difference to how well absorbed they are by the body, and also the health benefits they provide once they have been absorbed
G L Y C E R O L E T H A N O L
Fatty Acid 1
Fatty Acid 2
A Triglyceride
Fatty Acid 3
Fatty Acid 1
An Ethyl Ester
If Ethyl Esters are unnatural why are they used?
Because its necessary to concentrate the fish oil and to
remove impurities. Commercially available Fish oils couldnt provide high levels of the omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, without first converting the raw fish oil to ethyl esters To create ethyl esters the bonds are broken between the glycerol backbone and the fatty acids of the triglyceride, then a single fatty acid is attached to an ethanol (alcohol) backbone. The process is known as trans-esterification Most companies in the industry stop the process at this point to save on production costs. However a few, (less than 10%), convert these ethyl esters back into the natural triglyceride form which adds around 40% to production costs
There are 2 key reasons why you
should choose triglyceride fish oils rather than ethyl esters The first is bioavailability. Bioavailability means how much of the fish oil can be absorbed by the body. Triglyceride fish oil is much more bioavailable then ethyl ester fish oil, which means more of the valuable EPA and DHA fatty acids can enter the body
The greater bioavailability of triglycerides lies in the
fact that ethyl esters must broken down differently by pancreatic lipase enzymes in the small intestine. Because of the unnatural chemical formation, the enzymes have to work differently in ethyl ester fish oil and first remove the ethanol bond from the fatty acid. They then must reattach the fatty acids to free glycerol in the body, putting the fatty acids back into the natural triglyceride formation Because triglycerides are already in the natural formation the process of absorption is much more efficient. Studies have actually shown that the process is 10 - 50 times more efficient with triglyceride fish oil
The second reason for the superiority of triglyceride
fish oil over ethyl esters is that ethyl esters oxidise much more quickly than triglycerides Oxidation is the chemical breakdown of a molecule so it becomes rancid. Omega 3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids which means they are very susceptible to becoming rancid due to their double bond structures. This fact that ethyl ester oxidise more easily has been shown by several studies conducted at all temperatures through their peroxide and anisidine values
So How Much Better Are Omega 3
Triglycerides Than Ethyl Esters?
There have been several studies on the different
absorption levels of the two fish oils. They have shown triglyceride fish oil has between 70% and 400% greater absorption than ethyl esters
The studies actually used Lovaza, which is an ethyl ester
fish oil that is most usually prescribed by doctors, and is the purest ethyl ester fish oil available
Also after absorption once the omega 3 fatty acids are in
the body other studies have shown triglyceride fish oil is far better at reducing the level of circulating blood triglycerides than ethyl esters
The level of triglycerides circulating in the blood is known to
be a huge heart disease risk factor, and they are also one of the 5 criteria used to diagnose people with metabolic syndrome, the halfway marker to type 2 diabetes Despite the fact that omega 3 is one of the most researched molecules in medicine, practically all of the research done so far has only focused on ethyl ester fish oil This is why many doctors dont understand the difference between triglyceride and ethyl ester fish oil and still prescribe ethyl esters
However the scientific community and doctors are
slowly starting to understand the difference, and as this is happening more research is being published focusing on triglyceride fish oil and highlighting its superiority
So How Do I Know If My Omega 3 Supplement Is
Triglyceride Or Ethyl Ester?
Companies who sell triglyceride fish oil will clearly say so
on their bottles. Because it costs more and is more effective, they clearly want to display the fact that they are selling superior fish oil
However, if you are still unsure after checking contact the
company and ask to see their 3rd party testing certificates
At Intelligent Labs we only sell the highest quality
Triglyceride fish oil.
For more information and to see the articles mentioned
in this presentation please check out the article published on our Intelligent Labs blog, or visit our homepage at Intelligent Labs for great offers on triglyceride omega 3 and other supplements