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Because of the human body can't get enough Omega 3 from the food we eat - the industry companies started to make Omega 3 in capsules/liquid.

It seemingly helps the Cell structure development progress, decrease the bad cholesterol (LDL) and creates anti-Inflammation materials.

However, I have heard that these capsules contain PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls) - a toxic material that found in the ocean because of pollution and toxic to the sea creatures.

Can you share any information that you have got in this regard?

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    Hello Eli! The Stack Exchange sites are not for asking about personal opinions. Your question can probably be edited into something which fits our format, but currently, it sounds like it will be closed soon. So, what do you want to know about Omega 3 supplements exactly, besides personal opinions? – rumtscho Sep 8 '15 at 9:02
  • @rumtscho Thank you for letting me know that information about the forum! I want to know, about the Omega 3, - if people really suggest to use it or not, is it good to take it once a day or should I just eat food that contains it. In addition, I will edit my question. – Eliko Sep 8 '15 at 9:43
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    If this is really what you are looking for, you came to the wrong site. We have a specific voting system which works great for people who are looking for objective, verifiable information, but breaks down when it comes to judging the quality of opinions, so we don't do these at all. If you want to make your decision yourself, but you are missing a specific piece of information, we'll do our best to provide that. But if you want to just know what others think and whether they prefer to take it or not, I'm afraid we are really the wrong place, and your question will be closed. – rumtscho Sep 8 '15 at 11:29
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    Welcome to Health SE. I'm afraid that this question is at a high risk for closure, because it is asking for opinions, which, as said above, is off-topic here. We still may be able to salvage this, though. Are you looking for anything specific about Omega 3 supplements? – michaelpri♦ Sep 9 '15 at 4:08
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Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids i.e. the human body cannot synthesize them. They are absolutely essential for growth and maintenance of the body function and their deficiency can cause various problems.

They are precursors for both inflammatory and anti-inflammatory molecules (prostaglandins, thromboxanes and leukotrienes) but you should not assume that inflammation is always bad. It is how your immune system works to identify and destroy pathogens.

PCB stands for polychlorinated biphenyls which are aromatic molecules used for industrial applications are known environmental pollutants. Omega-3 fatty acids have no relationship with these molecules. PCB are much more oil-soluble (lipophilic) than water soluble (hydrophilic). When they are dumped in the environment and are taken up in the bodies of different organisms like fishes, they are effectively partitioned into the fatty compartments of the body (because of higher solubility). The fish oils, that are used as one of the primary sources of the omega-3 fatty acid supplements, therefore concentrate the PCBs that the fishes are exposed to, throughout their lives.

NOTE: The terminologies good-cholesterol and bad-cholesterol are just utterly stupid because cholesterol is cholesterol and it has both good and bad effects depending on how much of it is present in the body. It is like saying good water and bad water. LDL or HDL are not really cholesterols; they are proteins that transport lipids. Read more about this here.

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  • +1 if for nothing else than the clarification on cholesterol. – JohnP♦ Sep 10 '15 at 15:46
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Apparently omega-3 supplements do contain PCB. But I don't know what kind of container the supplement comes in (if it comes in capsules or not)

The quality of fish oil / omega-3 supplements varies across brands...Analyses of 35 products...uncovered...: Trace levels of PCBs were found in every product...but two supplements exceeded contaminations limits for PCBs. The tested supplements include those with fish oil, krill oil, algal oil (from algae) and/or, calamari (squid) oil.

http://www.consumerlab.com/news/ReviewofFishOilandOmega-3SupplmentsbyConsumerLab.com/8_22_2012/

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  • You should clarify that PCBs are not a component of omega-3 supplements but are contaminants. – WYSIWYG Feb 8 '16 at 7:17
  • pcb is already defined and known as contaminant in the question. – freethinker36 Feb 12 '16 at 23:24

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