Supplement Review Part 3 of 3 - Fish Oils

Fats/lipids are essential to the body and its everyday metabolic process’ including providing insulation, acting as an energy source, protecting against shock, and maintaining cell membranes.  Triglycerides are a form of fat essential for energy production obtained either via the diet or from fat stores.  Fatty acids are essentially building blocks that make up a single triglyceride, and many of these fatty acids are produced by the body. Some fatty acids cannot be produced by the body, and therefore must be obtained via the diet; these include linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linoleic acid (Omega-3). 

Alpha-linoleic acid or Omega-3 is essential for normal growth and development, especially in the eyes and brain, and also plays an important role in the prevention and treatment of heart disease and inflammation.  Fish oil is a popular supplement comprised of omega-3 fatty acids, aimed at alleviating a range of health conditions including improving cardiovascular and brain health, and reducing joint and arthritis inflammation. Fish oil contains two forms of omega-3, one is Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which lowers blood pressure, prevents blood clott formation, protects against irregular heart beats, and reduces inflammation. The other form is Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which is essential for the central nervous system, brain development and normal brain function.

Swisse Ultraboost Wild Fish Oil is a popular fish oil on the market available at your local pharmacy or discount chemist. Swisse Ultraboost contains a total of 0.261g of omega-3 triglycerides, comprised of 0.139g of EPA, and 0.087g of DHA.  Alternatively, Bioceuticals Ultraclean 85 Fish Oil contains a total of 4.5g of omega-3 triglycerides, comprised of 2.5g of EPA and 0.94g of DHA. This translates to a daily dose of next to half that of Swisse Ultraboost, supporting that fact that is the highest strength fish oil available on the market. Bioceuticals Ultraclean is also sustainably sourced from wildly caught Alaskan Pollock, contains no heavy metals, is a liquid form to ensure better absorption, and has an orange flavour with no reflux or fishy after taste.

	Swisse Ultraboost Wild Fish Oil	Bioceuticals Ultraclean 85 Fish Oil
Price	$27.50	$55 .95
Size	500mL	200mL
Ingredients	Omega-3 Triglycerides - 0.261g: EPA - 0.139g DHA - 0.087g	Omega-3 Triglycerides -  4.5g: EPA - 2 .5g DHA - 0.94g
Dosage: General health Joints	3.5mL 10.5mL	2.5mL 5mL

Omega-3 is naturally found in a range of foods, as listed below. When increased in the diet these foods will help to reduce joint and arthritis inflammation, and assist to maintain cardiovascular and brain health.

Oils: flaxseed, canola, soybean & walnuts

Nuts & Seeds: flax, almond, walnuts, & soybeans

Pacific Oysters & Fish: blue mackerel, salmon, sardines & tuna 

Sarah Campbell

Nutritionist at Naed Nutrition - Currambine

Supplement Review Part 2 of 3 - Multivitamins

A majority of multivitamin supplements contain cheap, low grade, synthetic vitamins and inorganic minerals, which are poorly absorbed if not at all by our bodies. Centrum Advance is a popular multivitamin on the market available at your local pharmacy or discount chemist, costing around $18.99 for 100 tablets. It contains a range of synthetic vitamins and minerals from your B group vitamins, to variations of fat-soluble vitamins A, E, D and K, and common minerals such as calcium and magnesium. Calcium carbonate is a synthetic form of calcium available in Centrum Advance that when consumes can have a range of side effects, including bloating, constipation and flatulence, and can cause an increase in stomach acid production, leading to discomfort and gastrointestinal issues. It also contains food colourings, talc, an anti-caking agent and preservative sodium benzoate. It also contains such useless ingredients such as tin (which we do not ever have a deficiency in) 

Alternatively, Juice Plus fruit and vegetable capsules are an amazing product for multivitamin use. They are essentially fruit and vegetables picked when fresh, dried at a low temperature (to prevent antioxidant, vitamin and mineral damage), ground, and placed in a capsule ready for consumption. Because Juice Plus is sourced from real natural foods, our body easily and rapidly absorbs the vitamins and minerals it contains. Juice Plus is essentially aimed to fill in food gaps, and is in no way a food replacement, but when taken in accordance with a healthy balanced diet, results such as healthy gums, improvement in cardiovascular and immune health, protection against oxidative damage, reduction in inflammation and healthy skin occurs. Juice Plus costs $76.20 per month for four months; this may initially seem expensive compared to other multivitamin supplements, but Juice Plus is much better absorbed by our bodies, and there is no need to take additional supplements such calcium, iron etc., therefore is cost efficient long term. 

Aiming to include a variety of fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds, pulses whole grains, dairy and lean meats in your diet, ensures your body has access to a range of vitamins and minerals leading to nourishment and well being. Enjoying a balanced, varied diet leads to an overall improvement in health, while reducing our risks of chronic disease.

Find more information on Juice Plus at the Naed Nutrition  website


Sarah Campbell
Nutritionist at Naed Nutrition

Supplement Review Part 1 of 3 - Probiotics

Probiotics are an amazing supplement on the market! They are specifically aimed at improving digestion and the health of your gastrointestinal system; by improving and maintaining healthy gut flora, along with assisting in maintaining a healthy immune system. They are particularly helpful in reducing and maintaining the severity of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms, including bloating, constipation and diarrhoea

A well-known probiotic on the market is Ethical Nutrients Inner Health Plus, found in the fridge at your local pharmacy or discount chemist. Inner Health Plus contains 25 billion bacteria comprised of two strains of beneficial bacteria and colostrum powder. Another probiotic containing 25 billion beneficial bacteria is Orthoplex Multiflora. Multiflora is a practitioner brand of probiotic, and is therefore higher in potency than regular brands. Found in the fridge at your local supplement, health food store, or clinic, Multiflora contains a wider range of strains of beneficial bacteria, and along with maintaining and assisting gastrointestinal health and IBS symptoms, Multiflora is also effective in assisting in the management of allergies. Even though Multiflora may be higher in price per capsule compared to Inner Health Plus, it is higher in potency and contains a wider range of beneficial bacteria, and is therefore more effective in recolonizing bacteria in the gastrointestinal system. This may translate to better relief of IBS symptoms, greater immune system support, and relief of allergies leading to a decreased dose of supplementation long term. 

Probiotics are also found naturally in foods such as yoghurt, kefir, miso, and traditional sourdough bread to name a few. By increasing these foods in your everyday diet you can effectively support your gastrointestinal health and reduce symptoms of bloating, constipation and diarrhoea.

	Inner Health Plus	Orthoplex Multiflora
Price	30 capsules $21.69	60 capsules $61.20
Specific Bacteria	Lactobacillus acidophilus Bifidobacterium lactis Colostrum powder - bovine	Lactobacillus acidophilus Lactobacillus plantarum Lactobacillus rhamnosus Lactobacillus casei Lactobacillus gasseri Lactobacillus balgaricus Lactobacillus lactis Lactobacillus longum Lactobacillus breve Streptococcus thermophilus

Visit the Naed Nutrition store for any more questions on probiotics