Zone fish oil is one of the products sold by “Zone Labs, Inc”. The company is based on the vision of Barry Sears, a biochemist, not a medical doctor. Sears’ ideas have helped many people lose weight, while many others have tried, but failed to stick to the eating plan.

It is not that much different from other healthy diets. Forty percent of the calories come from carbohydrates, 30% from protein and 30% from fats, mostly good fats like the omega-3s found in olive oil and oily fish.

Dr Sears, as he is called, has his own brand of extra virgin olive oil, too, which costs $19.95 for a 16 ounce bottle. You can get the same quality for less. A big part of the price has to do with the name. Advertising and marketing drives prices up.

When it comes to the price of Zone fish oil, it is one of the more expensive brands at $25.95 per bottle, but it’s not the most expensive. Iceland Health Max currently holds that title at nearly $50 per bottle. Each of those brands provides the same percentage of DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid). About 20% of the fat in the supplements is DHA. Other brands provide as much as 28% or 280mg per 1000mg capsule.

DHA can be readily converted within the body to EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) or other shorter-chained fatty acids. Converting the shorter ones to DHA, which has the longest chain of carbon bonds, is much harder for the body to do.

Research indicates that 10% of the DHA in a supplement will automatically be converted to EPA. Since, DHA is most important to the brain and has the greatest effect on high triglycerides in the bloodstream; it just makes sense to look for a supplement that provides the most DHA.

Since, Zone fish oil does not provide the highest quantity of DHA and the cost per bottle is higher than brands that provide more, it’s obviously not your best buy. It really pays to do some comparative shopping. You don’t want the cheapest brands, because they are of questionable quality. But, you do want the best value for your money. Or, at least, most people do.

Other diet doctors have their own brands of supplements, too. They start out with their books and then they branch out. That’s why we have Zone fish oil.

In my mind, it makes sense to buy fish oil supplements from a supplement company. When companies start branching out too much, the quality of the items they produce tends to decline.

The better companies guarantee purity and freshness. They have every batch analyzed for contaminants and oxidation levels. They can guarantee a burp-free supplement, because they know the oxidation levels are very low.

There are many good supplement companies in the world. There are some great ones, too. But, there are just as many disreputable manufacturers. Zone fish oil seems to be a good product, but not the best that money can buy. If you’re like me, you want the best.

No Comments »

No comments yet.

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Leave a comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.