I usually hear "I eat fish all the time" from my patients with elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels. This got me to look into the fish oil supplement. It seems that many different types of medical issues are all improved with this supplement. The American Heart Association has recommended fish oil daily. The dosing differs depending on the lack or presence of heart coronary artery disease.
Patients without documented coronary heart disease:
Eat a variety of (preferably fatty) fish at least twice a week. Include oils and foods rich in alpha-linolenic acid (flaxseed, canola and soybean oils; flaxseed and walnuts).
Patients with documented CHD:
Consume about 1 g of EPA+DHA per day, preferably from fatty fish. EPA+DHA in capsule form could be considered in consultation with the physician.
Patients who need to lower triglycerides:
2 to 4 grams of EPA+DHA per day provided as capsules under a physician’s care.
The "fatty fish" referred to would be in the form of salmon, lake trout, albacore tuna, sardines, herring and mackrel (slash'm-sorry, I need an easy way to remember these). There are many different ways to prepare the dishes, experimentation will lead you to a favorite category. Many fish have omega 3 but these fish mentioned have a higher percentage of it. The ingredient is EPA and DHA. (Eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid respectively). Omega 3 in a form called ALA (Alpha-linolenic acid) can be found in oils made with beans, nuts and seeds-walnuts and flaxseed the most popular. Having equal proportions of omega 3 and omega 6 is difficult with the american diet due to a higher proportion of "6" in the diet. This comes in the form of soybeans, canola oil, corn oil, safflower oil and sunflower oil.
Researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle found four-3 ounce servings of salmon per month were 50% less likely to experience primary cardiac arrest. That amounts to 1.5 ounces twice a week of a fish dish. In the local Illinois food stores, middle of the road salmon runs for about $2.00 per ounce. That's $24.00 a month which is about the cost for a bottle of supplement, (a short cut for those that can't cook).
The action found in earlier research with omega 3 is the decreased formation of clots with levels mentioned above. Indirect information on positive effects was found in those with depression. Levels of DHA were low in patients with depression. There have been studies noted in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that support omega 3 supplements improving joint pain in rheumatoid arthritis sufferers.
Side effects will usually be in the form of gastric irritation, diarrhea and fish odor to the breath. Tricks to tolerate this have been flavoring the capsule and refrigerating the capsule. One concern with children and pregnant women is the exposure to mercury with a high fish diet. Supplementation may take one to several months to see results both subjective and measured (as in the form of triglyceride levels)
