Fish Oil, how much??

[Kev07]

i take 2 1000 mgcapsules a day from Spring Valley

I'd take more but I can't afford it

 

[syracuse1976]

I've been taking 3-4 capsules of 1000mg Fish Oil USP (includes 300 of EPA/DHA) most days. I am uncertain if I "should" take more. I'm 6'2''/240 and lift and walk about 4 days per week. There seems to be a slight increase in my focus, mood and resiliency, but it might be the placebo effect.

 

[nordicstyle]

Originally Posted by syracuse1976

I've been taking 3-4 capsules of 1000mg Fish Oil USP (includes 300 of EPA/DHA) most days. I am uncertain if I "should" take more. I'm 6'2''/240 and lift and walk about 4 days per week. There seems to be a slight increase in my focus, mood and resiliency, but it might be the placebo effect.
I don't think it will hurt to take more, but also I'm not sure there will be any benefits from it. The only drawback is some extra calories and that is costs money. After all, it's only fat. BTW: I switched back to fish oil now and take 4 x 500mg capsules every morning. I also take multivitamins (with minerals) and vitamin C.

 

[syracuse1976]

Thanks, Nordicstyle. I might double it for a few days and monitor any changes.

 

[Nicholas]

What's wrong with eating fish these days?

 

[syracuse1976]

Nicholas,
There is absolutely nothing wrong with eating fish these days. The difficultly is in eating enough--and the right kind and type of preparation--to obtain optimal amounts of Omega 3's. One would have to be very disciplined, moderately knowledgeable and adequately adventurous to do this successfully.

 

[syracuse1976]

Addendum: the same can be said about vitamin E and phytonutrients like resveratrol.

 

[Ludeykrus]

The amount depends on the benefits you are seeking.

For example, studies have shown that high amounts of EPA being taken daily can greatly benefit Crohn's disease patients. The amounts are somewhere in the neighborhood of 2.x grams...so that's around 12 normal 1000 microgram pills, I believe.

Personally, I eat a shitload of fish each day and take ~4 1000 microgram fish oil pills.

 

[Nicholas]

Originally Posted by syracuse1976

Nicholas,
There is absolutely nothing wrong with eating fish these days. The difficultly is in eating enough--and the right kind and type of preparation--to obtain optimal amounts of Omega 3's. One would have to be very disciplined, moderately knowledgeable and adequately adventurous to do this successfully.

Sure, I'm just somewhat surprised the large intake of supplements in general.

Below is an excerpt from a recent study (Mayo Clin Proc. 2008 Mar;83(3):324-32 ):

Although 2 meals of oily fish per week can provide 400 to 500 mg/d of DHA and EPA, secondary prevention patients and those with hypertriglyceridemia must use fish oil supplements if they are to reach 1 g/d and 3 to 4 g/d of DHA and EPA, respectively.

Now, 2 meals a week can't possibly be difficult for anyone to manage, and as noted the only ones suggested to take additional fish oil would be due for those with a coronary artery disease.
I would be vary of eating too much simply because of the downside effects.

 

[rxcats]

Originally Posted by syracuse1976

I take 2000-3000mg of Kirkland Signature (Costco) Omega-3 Fish Oil most days. I started about 5 weeks ago. Any saturated fat they contain, in my opinion, is insignificant. The DHA/EPA ratio is proper and they are USP verified. I don't know a better value.

I agree. I have been taking the Kirkland Signature Fish Oil 1000mg (omega-3 300mg) per capsule for many years. I keep increasing the dose. I now take 4 capsules twice daily with meals for a total of 2400mg of omega-3 ***** acids daily. I think I will stick with that dose. Never had any trouble with burping up fish taste, but I have heard that the freezer trick does help those that do. I used to take flax seed oil too, but didn't buy anymore when I last ran out. I think it is fine as an add-on, but it is no substitute; α-Linolenic acid conversion to EPA and DHA is quite poor.

 

[Reefbreak]

You need to take as much omega 3 as to offset the abnormal amount of omega 6 ***** acids that you eat in the average day. Because domesticated animals are fed grains, it makes their omega 6 to 3 ratio really high, leading to a deficiency in omega 3. So basically you need to take enough to bring the ratio towards 3:1 or as high as 1:1 (omega 6:3). Meaning that you need to take quite large doses (I personally take 9gm/day) depending on how much fat you eat and if those animals are fed grains or not.


- Jono

 

[syracuse1976]

Hi Reefbreak,
Am I correcting thinking you take 9g per day of fish oil, not 9g of epa/dha?

 

[robertorex]

reef,

so if I'm understanding you correctly, the more fat you eat, the more fish oil you need to take?

 

[Reefbreak]

syracuse: yes that's right 9 X 1000mg fish oil

robertorex: yes. the more omega 6 ***** acids you eat the more omega 3 you should supplement. Things like vegetable oils , nuts and grain fed meat are all quite high in omega 6, so the more of these you eat, the more fish oil you should take.


-Jono

 

[Eason]

Fish oil does require a little bit of thinking, you should check your diet before buying your pills. Different brands have different ratios of EPH to DHA, so some will be better than others. Here in Korea, people have high EPH and low DHA in their diets, so almost nobody takes fish oil here, but many take DHA supplements/buy "DHA+" products.