Monday, February 16, 2009

Peruvian Fishtale Shiploads

By Dr. Bill

While going cross-country I made a stop in South Carolina at a great southern breakfast joint - just for the biscuits. As I waited for my food, I decided to get on the internet for a bit and what do you know...I saw an ad for fish oil, but not mine.

This one was from a doctor who has been in the vitamin business for quite some time. If I didn't know what I know about this business, this letter would have scared me to death. But since I didn't just fall off a turnip truck, (I learned that phrase here in South Carolina from a waitress), I started laughing about a third of the way into the letter.

Now there's nothing wrong with bragging if the facts are true. But this ad was definitely in a high questionable area, as they say in the law.

So the good doctor says he sources the fish oil in southern Peru and Chile - because of the "non-industrial waters". Uh huh. Last time I checked ocean water is ocean water.

He makes the claim that fish sourced in European waters contains 8 times more dioxins than fish sourced off Peru and Chile. The information comes from something called the Scientific Committee on Food. I tried looking up this committee, but couldn't find it.

He claims his Peruvian fish oil is high quality - but I don't think you can get high quality from where you can't even get clean water. Maybe that's a little too much common sense for him.

He makes a lot of scientific comparisons that hold no water at all, then pulls out a strawman. He even has a chart showing his oil right on the top.

Nowhere on this chart does he say the fish oil is pharmaceutical grade. Just a comparison of commercial grade fish oil to other commercial grade fish oils.

So remember, always stick with pharmaceutical grade fish oil - and make sure it isn't from Peru. - 15438

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