Fish Oil/Flaxseed Oil

[Guest]

Not sure if it is appropriate to post this here (Rebecca, please remove it if isn't).

For those of us living in the UK, it can be difficult to get supplements at a reasonable price.

I have just returned from Holland and Barratt and they have a 50% off sale on their Organic Flaxseed oil and Super EPA fish oil.

Details:
Organic Flaxseed Oil (1000mg capsules) 120 Capsules - £6.44
Super EPA Fish Oil (1000mg capsules) 90 Capsules - £5.64
- EPA 300mg and DHA 200mg.

This is not an advertisement for Holland & Barratt and I certainly don't work for them. Given the amount of this stuff that I go through, I stocked up on it at this price.

Cheers
Ian

[sazy123]

i just wanted to say that ive been told by two natropaths now, my one and last night was told by the diercor of complementary courses at the CNM (college of natropathic medicine) coz thats what i want to be. that alot of holland and barrets stuff isnt that good, coz theres no regulation- its a big marketing thing apparently. Sorry as youve just bought loads from them, but i need to share this.

[Guest]

Thanks for sharing your comments and good luck with your studies.

This is a difficult one as I have no doubt that a number of professionals would question the quality of some of these products, particulary if they have their own brand available for sale (call me cynical).

As you say, the regulation of the supplement industry is somewhat questionable so it comes down to the consumer to make an informed decision based on the information they have at their disposal.

In my case, I have been paying a premium price for a product specifically targeted at dry eye suffers but it is difficult to assess whether it is doing what it is supposed to be doing.

I decided to try another product (yes I bought several bottles) but it is my opinion, that some form of Omega-3 whether it be from H&B or from a Natropath has to be better than none at all. I could be so wrong on this but I am willing to give it a try.

Lord knows I have tried just about everything else, I know I'm grasping at straws but like most of us and like you, my life would be so much simplier if I found a cure!
Cheers

Ian

[Rebecca Petris]

Ian - no problem, posting about a good deal is fine!

Sazy - yes it's difficult to tell the good from the mediocre in this market without getting a lot more information about purification standards and things than many manufacturers are willing to share. There's just not enough information on the labels to compare them by. I get really frustrated about this with fish oils in particular - I've talked to manufacturers and their own sales people really have no idea what the source of the fish is. However, I'd have to believe that some Omega 3s are better than no Omega 3s.

I had a look at H&B's site and looked at the labels of some of these products. If I had to pick something I'd go for the Salmon Oil, which is 120 capsules for GBP 4.99 - it's actually cheaper than the super epa product (90 for 5.64) and at least you know what fish it is. And as for the flaxseed oil, the organic one is certainly best of the bunch and interestingly enough appears to be their cheapest flaxseed oil as well.

[sazy123]

This is a difficult one as I have no doubt that a number of professionals would question the quality of some of these products, particulary if they have their own brand available for sale (call me cynical).

Well i can defo say the director doesnt, she does college work and has her own practice and she prefers natropathy through diet than using loads of diff supplements.

I used the fish oil for about a year, and flaxseed cant say it helped. cant say these new supplements are helping either. But if im doing something i want to know that im not wasting my time and they are of the best quality. I guess i dont trust big organisations (which is apparently owned by a pharmacuetical company) some supplements are good from H&B like phillium husks which blatenly worked for the stools..