Whats the difference between

Triglyceride Fish Oil and Ethyl

Ester Fish Oil?

 There are 2 types of omega 3 fish oil, natural

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
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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