13 replies to this topic

[health_nutty]

What is the optimal dosage of fish oil?

Right now I'm taking a tablespoon a day in the morning with breakfast. Would I be better of taking less or splitting the dosage morning and night?

[FunkOdyssey]

That is a very good question. It depends on a number of factors, including the current ratio of omega-3/omega-6 oils in your diet, whether you are suffering from a disease or disorder which fish oil can effectively treat, your weight, whether you believe high DHA/EPA intake can accelerate the aging process or that high intakes are largely beneficial, etc

[health_nutty]

FunkOdyssey,

So how much are you taking?

[FunkOdyssey]

1000mg EPA, 200mg DHA daily.

[DukeNukem]

That's exactly what I'm taking, too, Funk. I'm thinking about raising the EPA to 2g/day, though, to better balance the ratios out.

[starr]

Funny, I was thinking about posting a similar topic. Forget about dosage, it seems to me that there might not even be a definite optimal ratio for everyone. I mean, of course there's a range but I've seen recommendations anywhere from 10:1 (conventional nutrition) to 1:1 ("alternative" medicine). That's a 1000% difference.

I don't know if it's the fact that I regularly eat fish, avocado and nuts, use tons of extra virgin olive oil, and avoid most seed and vegetable oils but I never really feel healthier when I add fish oil supplements, even good ones like Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega. I would think on diet alone my 6 to 3 ratios are around 4 or 5:1. Whenever I add the fish oil, within a month my pores seem to get larger and my blood gets thinner, even while I eat beef, which I've recently added back into my diet. I've cut back to taking one capsule every other day instead of two a day.

Does anyone know how long it takes for most peoples serum levels to adjust? And has anyone taken a test to check their levels? I'm thinking about ordering a blood spot test online.

Edited by starr, 04 August 2006 - 04:36 AM.

[neogenic]

Have you guys read about the DPA (docosapentaenoic acid) that I posted in the other fish oil thread from seal oil. Just curious on the thoughts of DPA when it potentially 10-20x stronger than EPA with similar effects/health benefits of EPA.

Seal Oil Research:

http://www.omega3sea...Chapter4_4.html

325 citations on pubmed:

http://www.ncbi.nlm....QuerySuggestion

[mind_offset]

The dosage depends on several factors.

Have you never heard of [airquote] eicosanoids [/airquote] ?

If not, I recommend everybody reading this topic to order Dr. Sears' OmegaRX Zone. [thumb]

And no, I don't promote his fish oil business [lol]

[mind_offset]

Funny, I was thinking about posting a similar topic. Forget about dosage, it seems to me that there might not even be a definite optimal ratio for everyone. I mean, of course there's a range but I've seen recommendations anywhere from 10:1 (conventional nutrition) to 1:1 ("alternative" medicine). That's a 1000% difference.

I don't know if it's the fact that I regularly eat fish, avocado and nuts, use tons of extra virgin olive oil, and avoid most seed and vegetable oils but I never really feel healthier when I add fish oil supplements, even good ones like Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega. I would think on diet alone my 6 to 3 ratios are around 4 or 5:1. Whenever I add the fish oil, within a month my pores seem to get larger and my blood gets thinner, even while I eat beef, which I've recently added back into my diet. I've cut back to taking one capsule every other day instead of two a day.

Does anyone know how long it takes for most peoples serum levels to adjust? And has anyone taken a test to check their levels? I'm thinking about ordering a blood spot test online.

Sears' way to quantify your wellness by a single blood test:

This unique blood test measures the ratio of arachidonic acid (AA) to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in the phospholipids in the blood...
The AA/EPA ratio will be a very good indicator of the balance of "good" and "bad" eicosanoids throughout the body...
A ratio between 1.5 and 3 indicates your "good" and "bad" eicosanoids are in balance.

Way too simple ? time will tell...

Edited by mind_offset, 04 August 2006 - 05:00 PM.

[xanadu]

I take 3 x 1gm caps a day of fish oil.

[kottke]

That seal oil looks insanely interesting. Too bad you have to kill cute little seals to get it [:o]

[goku]

A naturopath told me when you just take fish oil straight up most of it really doesn't make it through digestion. he said you really have to eat the fish or take some sorta encapsulated oil.

I have no idea if this is accurate, but thought I'd share.

Personally I just eat sardines, herring, and anchovies fairly frequently 4-5 times per week, so I hope to get enough via that method. Anyone know if this is likely w/o methylmercury going too high?

[starr]

I tried to quote you Mind_Offset but the forum made a mess of the code for some reason.

What I'm looking at is cheaper than Sears' test. That one is over $300, I think. The one I found is on sale in August for $145 (usually around $250). I'm just not sure how accurate blood spots by mail really are.

http://www.directlab.../FattyAcids.php

[mind_offset]

I tried to quote you Mind_Offset but the forum made a mess of the code for some reason.

What I'm looking at is cheaper than Sears' test. That one is over $300, I think. The one I found is on sale in August for $145 (usually around $250). I'm just not sure how accurate blood spots by mail really are.

http://www.directlab.../FattyAcids.php

Rest reassured, I got the same quote code issue...

At the time being, it looks like few laboratories offer this "specialized" test.

The only laboratory stated in the OmegaRX book I purchased (2002 edition) is "Your Future Health" (YFH)

YFH's Omega 3 Profile +

Too bad, price isn't listed and you need to call them for a possible order [mellow]

BTW, for reproducibility, the results are based on plasma phospholipids, not red blood cell membranes.

Let's hope this test will gradually go mainstream for the majority of us...