Hi all and thanks for the feedback so far! (Always interested in more discussion, of course!)
Re contaminants, I'm using two different fish oils from GNC that have been tested by ConsumerLab.com and are also screened by GNC for contaminants and certified free of things like mercury, so I'm not too worried about that aspect of it. (I know there are better values out there, but I trust GNC quality personally, have a store locally, and like that they routinely get good marks from ConsumerLab, though I'm sure there are many good brands out there.) I also like using actual fish oil as I've read some of the plant-based oils don't absorb as well (though to be fair, there are opposing opinions on that as well, which I'm quickly learning is the case with just about EVERYTHING nutrition related).
I did do a search for fish oil and peroxidation as recommended. Interesting stuff - seems like the jury is still out on a lot of it. Some things that stand out are, astaxanthin seems to help prevent oxidation, Krill oil contains astaxanthin on its own, CoQ10 and/or Ubiquinol seems to help prevent oxidation, and Vitamin E some say helps, but at least one study suggests doesn't. Well my multivitamin contains a small amount (50 mcg) of astaxanthin as is and 100% RDA of Vitamin E (so any in food is extra), and another supplement for blood pressure I'm taking has 200 mg of CoQ10 (as well as the grape seed extract mentioned). My fish oil supplement also contains some Krill oil, so that should be a bit extra astaxanthin (though it's not listed as far as amount on the label...just EPA/DHA and mg of actual Krill oil [the rest is from fish]).
I'm not taking any Ubiquinol at the moment, but I suppose I could discuss with my doctor adding it in addition to the CoQ10 I'm already taking; I just don't want to double up/overload as I know more isn't always better (not a philosophy I always followed), though I'm not sure with Ubiquinol/CoQ10 that's *too* much of a concern. Additionally, I'm taking a greens antioxidant supplement (using whole fruit and vegetable powders) as well as 800 mg (would be 1,600 mg if I doubled the fish oil as it's a combined supplement) of phytosterols, and I'm not sure if either of those would have a positive effect.
I guess the main question I still have is this. If I doubled the fish oil (to 3.6g/day) and it WAS causing oxidation, would that show up in cholesterol related blood tests as higher LDL levels? Or could it be causing me damage without me being able to see it (ie. great cholesterol levels, but I'm still having damage done)? If it was the former, I could simply trial doubling it up and get blood tests every 6 months or so to see where my cholesterol is at and make sure things were working as they should be... But if it's the latter, it's probably not a risk I want to take if there's no way to see what's going on.
What I've decided to do for the time being until I can get a better answer on this and potentially talk to the doctor again is take 1.8g/day of fish oil (that's active DHA/EPA; it'd be more like 3g of actual oil). This equates to 613mg DHA, 1187mg EPA, 800 mg phytosterols, and 300 mg Krill oil. Quite honestly, I'm not sure if the Krill oil has "separate" DHA/EPA levels or is included in the levels I just mentioned, but I think it's probably separate. From other labeling (standalone Krill products in the same product line), they don't tend to list DHA/EPA individually, so that would push me closer to 2g a total DHA+EPA a day if true and give me some extra protection in the form of astaxanthin right in the Krill oil.
My thinking is that even those who argue against high doses of fish oil generally have no problem with ~1g/day and most tout it has benefits at that level, but levels beyond that are dubious, and they recommend against "several" grams per day. This gets me a bit more than 1g to help with BP, eye dryness, mood, joints, etc, but I'm still under the 3-4g recommendation for people taking it specifically because of cholesterol/triglyceride concerns (which I don't have at the moment, though of course appreciate any help keeping my cholesterol in check), and it also keeps me well under the 6g used in some studies that showed oxidative stress damage. Krill oil seems relatively new and potentially unproven, but very promising, so it gives me a bit of that without going overboard as well, and cost is decently reasonable for my budget (and I could still double it if I ever wanted to). Also, since I eliminated the soy-based supplement I had been taking up to now, which had omega-6's, it should in theory actually reduce my omega-6 intake, which is favorable, as well as reduce my calories by a little bit. Also, I think this amount would be equivalent to having a small portion of moderately-fatty fish daily, whereas double would be a bit more than that.
Part of me really does want to double this, but after making the mistake of megadoses in the past (which didn't provably hurt me, though some things I question, such as heavy use of soy lecithin for years), I think moderation is the wiser course for now until I know more.
Thoughts? Opinions?
Thanks!
Shaun
Edited by sgupta, 21 February 2014 - 04:42 AM.