Please revisit us here and report your personal experience.

Thank you!

Lyudmyla

Thanks for taking the time to inquire about the Xtend Life fish oil question posed by another reader.

Yes, in fact, the response from the company came soon after; the reader had contacted Xtend-Life directly and had received a reply personally. Although I did post this on my blog here Dec. 18th under Fish Oil Supplements, I have copied and pasted below their communication (to me) for easy review to your inquiry:

On Thu, 12/17/09, Xtend-Life Customer Service wrote:

From: Xtend-Life Customer Service
Subject: Your inquiry – Ticket Number: LTK144024975942X
To: “Rebecca Wheeler”
Date: Thursday, December 17, 2009, 8:15 AM

SUBJECT: Xtend Life Fish Oil Question

Dear Rebecca,
Thank you for your email.

It is strange that you received this question, as this is an actual question i received myself today from Amy herself! So i have already answered this for her by personal response email! So hopefully this has resolved this issue for her.

Here is a copy of the response i gave to help you if you wish to confirm to her that she did indeed receive a response from me directly:

First of all, i think the info you have read is a little misleading. All fish contain oil, they all contain omega 3s. It is not from oily fish only, such as sardines, etc. I think that is where the confusion lays here. All fish produce fish oil extract, no matter if they are an oily fish, a whitefish, or other.

Now, with regards to Hoki, the oil extract isn’t taken from the liver. You are quite right in that liver extractions are not helpful to health, and should be avoided, such as with cod liver oil.

The extract we take from Hoki fish is from the skeleton and flesh of the fish, no organs are involved at all. The Hoki fish actually has one of the highest amounts of natural DHA available in any fish source, and as well as this, is one of the least contaminated fish sources available. So this is actually a very positive source to use! I think the info you have as regards a low DHA value is either misleading or false info. The Hoki fish does have one of the highest natural DHA percentages available worldwide.

The Southern Ocean of NZ is actually one of the purest oceans left in the world, and this is where we get our fish source from.

Please let me know if you do need any further help or info.

Kind regards,
Joanna Machin MSc
Consultant Medical Nutritionist
jo@xtend-life.com

Thanks for your informative question; I have forwarded this to Xtend Life corporate to ask for their clarification on the hoki fish and the cold vs warm water issue that you bring to light.

Typically, the company is quite quick (1-2 days) in their reply and as soon as we receive an answer, it will be posted.

It will be interesting to learn if the New Zealand hoki fish that comes from Xtend Life’s own sustainable fishery is in fact a cold vs warm water fish and if the information you suggest re: the DHA is derived from the entire fish or not. Xtend Life does use a molecular distillation and concentration process for the Tuna that is combined with the hoki.

I applaud you, Amy, for your research; it is great to see consumers asking about the products they are considering for themselves and their families. I have used lesser quality fish oil at a higher price point and the difference between those and the Xtend-Life Omega 3 fish oil was profoundly more effective, as I have stated throughout this blog.

Once you feel satisfied with the answer to your questions, I encourage you to try the Xtend-Life Omega 3 fish oil product…and hope you will report back with your personal experience.

I’ve continued to do more research and I found that the hoki fish aka Blue grenadier is not an oily fish but a whitefish. Where a small amt of DHA level is stored in the liver which means the fish does not naturally have a high concentration of DHA. I’ve read that it is not a good idea to get DHA pills that are made from cod liver and wouldn’t the same apply to the hoki since the DHA is extracted from the hoki liver?

What I found is that the best DHA supplement is one that is derived from the purest location, from an oily fish, and molecularly distilled. An Oily fish, oil-rich fish or pelagic fish oil is derived from the tissues of oily fish and throughout the body and the fillet and in the belly cavity around the gut, rather than only in the liver since white fish contains oil only in their liver. Hence again, the hoki is a whitefish not an oily fish.

Some examples of oily fish include sardine, pilchards, trout, anchovies, salmon, tuna, and mackerel, among others. Oily fish fillets may contain up to 30 percent oil, although this figure varies both within and between species. Oily fish generally swim in the pelagic zonePelagic zone. While the open seas of the oceans are usually cold water fish (while white fish are warm water fish).

So learning that, how is it that you can claim that your supplement is the best since your company prides itself from gettting oils from a cold water fish but in realitiy the hoki fish is a warm water fish? I am a consumer and am trying to find the best supplement for myself and for my family. But want to research as thorough as possible to find the best pill. In terms of pureness, that I can believe since the hoki is found in the NZ/Austrailia meaning it is less polluted than other locations but in terms of extracting the oils from the liver instead of the whole fish is not sounding so great. Can you help in explaining this.

thanks
amy