Per Benjaminsen is 49 years old and lives on the island of Ballstad. He is part of the team that made Ballstad Omega-3 possible. He was born and raised on an island north of the Lofoten islands called Andøya. Mr. Benjaminsen`s father and family worked as fishermen and was part owners of one of the major production facilities for Cod Liver oil.
He has a master degreed in Fisheries and Biotechnology from the University of Tromsø, and after he graduated he was the founder of the first refining companies for Omega-3`s in the Northern Norway. He has now worked in the Omega-3 industry for approximately 25 years, and his professional aim has been to produce Omega-3 products with the highest quality standard in the world.
- Are you using omega-3 and why?
I daily take a dose of minimum 2 grams of Ballstad Omega-3. This is a double dose of the recommended dose of 1 gram for each day. The reason for this is that I have been a diabetic for almost 30 years. For diabetics it is extremely important to keep a good control over your blood sugar as well as have a good blood circulation. All the medical doctors in Norway therefore recommend diabetics to take a minimum of 2 grams of Omega-3 to improve and maintain a good blood circulation.
- What does omega-3 mean for you and your lifestyle?
I am a devoted surfer, and I surf more than 100 days all year around. In Norway the sea temperature in the winter is close to the freezing point, so a good blood circulation is essential for me. In addition there is a lot of scientific documentation that omega-3`s prevent stiffness in the joints, and by taking Omega-3`s I prevent this.
- When was the first time you learned about omega3 and why?
I started to take Omega-3`s by drinking Cod Liver Oil when I was a child. When I was growing up every child had to take omega-3 every day, since it was an important supplement of vitamin A and D as well as Omega -3. I started to learn more about Omega-3 during my studies, as well as when I founded my first Omega-3 company in Norway. This company became a supplier of high quality Omega-3 to many major brand companies all over the world. The last 25 years there is a tremendous amount of scientific studies on the health benefits of Omega-3, more than 20.000 studies. There is no other health supplement that is so well documented as Omega-3`s.
The reason that it is so important to take Omega-3`s is the simple fact that our body is made for a high intake of Omega-3`. If we only go back 2-3 generations before we started to modify fat by hydrogenation, making hard fats for baking and cooking of all types of fat, we basically where eating 5-20 times more Omega-3`s that we do today. After we started to hydrogenate fats in the late 1800, we started to see an explosion coronary heart disease. Our body is not able to change in a few generations for a body that had adapted to eating natural fat for thousands of years. We simply need the Omega-3`s since this is what our body is used to!
- For whom do you think it is important to use omega3 and how often
It is important for all people in all ages, but in special if you are not eating at least 3 meals a week with seafood. The essential omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA you only find in seafood. The minimum intake should be at least 1 gram of omega-3 each day, preferably 2 grams. If you forget to take it one day you could take a double dose the next day. The omega-3`s deposits in the cells and you could actually take a 7 days dose in one go if you prefer to take it once a week.
- How would you explain to a mother of a 4 year old and above child, why children needs omega-3
The omega-3 fatty acid DHA is shown to be very important in the development of the brain. Basically 25% of all the fat in «the thinking part of the brain» on a grown person is DHA. It is shown with a lot of scientific studies that DHA essential for the development for the brain. In Norway ALL medical doctors recommend to take omega-3 during pregnancy as well as give this to your children.
- What makes Ballstad omega-3 different then most other available omega-3 products?
The Ballstad Omega-3 is a unique product since we have the highest quality standards, both in concentration and purity. In addition and very important is that our product is manufactured under strict protocols to prevent he product from oxidation. This is important because Omega-3`s if exposed to oxygen would get rancid, both tasting bad and will lose its health benefits. With Ballstad Omega-3 you get the highest quality product ever made, directly from the arctic pure waters of Norway!
