Is it really necessary to enteric coat fish oils with low oxidation levels?
6 Jun 2019, 14:51PM
Enteric coatingoffish oils is a commonpracticeaimed atreducingfishy after taste orminimisingrefluxon consumption of oils that have becomeoxidisedorrancid, as indicated by high TOTOX (total oxidation) values.
It does thisby preventing soft gels from dissolving in stomach acids so that they passthroughthe stomachto be dissolved in the small intestine. Fish oilwith low TOTOX valuesconfirmed by independentthird-party testingafter encapsulationwill not have a fishy after-taste,and as-such,will not need to be masked in this way.
What are the impacts of bypassing the stomach?
There are benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids forthe stomachwhich are lost due to enteric coating.One exampleisH. pylori, bacteriathatinfects the stomach. It candamage the stomach lining, causing inflammation (gastritis), ulcers and even stomach cancer. Omega-3 has been shown to havebenefitsfor those withH. pyloriby reducing inflammationandcausing bacterial cell death.1
High quality fish oil that has beenindependently third-party tested and found to have the lowest possible levels of oxidationdo not need to beenterically coated as there are no fishy after-tastes to hide.
References
Park J-M, Jeong M, Kim E-H, Han Y-M, Kwon SH, Hahm K-B. Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Intake to Regulate Helicobacter pylori -Associated Gastric Diseases as Nonantimicrobial Dietary Approach .Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:1-11. doi:10.1155/2015/712363.
Is it really necessary to enteric coat fish oils with low oxidation levels?
Enteric coating of fish oils is a common practice aimed at reducing fishy after taste or minimising reflux on consumption of oils that have become oxidised or rancid, as indicated by high TOTOX (total oxidation) values.
It does this by preventing soft gels from dissolving in stomach acids so that they pass through the stomach to be dissolved in the small intestine. Fish oil with low TOTOX values confirmed by independent third-party testing after encapsulation will not have a fishy after-taste, and as-such, will not need to be masked in this way.
What are the impacts of bypassing the stomach?
There are benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids for the stomach which are lost due to enteric coating. One example is H. pylori, bacteria that infects the stomach. It can damage the stomach lining, causing inflammation (gastritis), ulcers and even stomach cancer. Omega-3 has been shown to have benefits for those with H. pylori by reducing inflammation and causing bacterial cell death.1
High quality fish oil that has been independently third-party tested and found to have the lowest possible levels of oxidation do not need to be enterically coated as there are no fishy after-tastes to hide.
References