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For those interested in supplementing Omega-3 oil in their diet (which should probably be everyone), don't get Omega-3 off the rack at the store. Most Omega-3 s
by billmalarky 9y ago
For those interested in supplementing Omega-3 oil in their diet (which should probably be everyone), don't get Omega-3 off the rack at the store. Most Omega-3 supplements (even at GNC/Vitamin Shoppe/etc) consist of a small amount of Omega-3, and a lot of filler "fish oil" which does nothing for you. Furthermore, in order to get the levels of Omega-3 you need to really see benefits (roughly 500mg DHA and 500mg EPA per day, 1000mg DHA/1000mg EPA if you have heart disease - but ask your doctor) you would need to consume so much of this filler you will really start to see side effects (fishy breath, gastrointestinal distress, etc).
Here's an example of what you will see at the store: https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Made-Burpless-Omega-3-Softgels/dp/B00MGNMMHI/ref=sr_1_7_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1520870949&sr=1-7&keywords=omega%2B3%2Bfish%2Boil&dpID=51eg6Tzy3DL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch&th=1 https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Made-Burpless-Omega-3-Softgels...
Notice there's 1000mg of fish oil there, but only 300 mg Omega-3 (only 250mg of which is actually DHA/EPA) and they don't even give you the ratio of DHA to EPA in that 250mg - you need an even split to see best benefits as they work together.
What you need to look for is pharmaceutical grade Omega-3, which is basically just concentrated so you don't get the filler oils. I'm a huge evangelist for OmegaVia (https://omegavia.com/ https://omegavia.com/), since they also use a enteric coating on the pills so they do not dissolve until they hit your small intestine. As a result there are zero fish breath/burp side effects. Give it a try, it's a game changer.
- toss1 9y agoAlso working on substitution in the diet of Omega-6s to Omega-3s. It's actually very difficult, as almost everything is swamped with O-6s. I've literally given up on Mayo for sandwiches, just using high O-6 olive oil for now. I've provisionally concluded that this is because of shelf life -- the O-6s have good shelf life, but the O-3s do not, so essentially need to be made fresh or kept in special containers, cooled, etc. I feel like supplements can be good as a supplement, but I'm looking to improve my eating system. Any suggestions welcome!
- Scaevolus 9y agoI think it's cost more than shelf stability. Canola oil actually has the best n-6:n-3 ratio (2:1) of the common vegetable oils [1], and you can buy (or make!) canola oil mayonnaise easily. Beef fat has much better ratios when grass fed than grain fed as well [2]! [1]: http://www.susanallport.com/images/Dietfatchart_8_.jpg http://www.susanallport.com/images/Dietfatchart_8_.jpg [2]: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2846864/table/T2/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2846864/table/T...
- toss1 9y agoYikes! Canola oil is near the top of my Avoid List. I've seen various ratios, but even with that, the processing involves high heat and hexane, both of which can substantially alter the molecules, and it's high in polyunsaturated fats, so goes rancid easily, destroying the n-3s, but it's hard to detect because of the processing...
- pascalxus 9y agoIf you're following a healthy diet (that's all our ancestors had access to), you don't need to supplement with omega-3. The problem isn't that people aren't getting enough omega-3, the problem is their getting waaaayyy too much omega-6, mostly from oils that have very high concentrations of that. It's this imbalance that causes inflammation.
- redblacktree 9y agoSure, but I don't see that changing for me anytime soon. As second-best, I take an Omega 3 supplement.
- copperx 9y agoWhat about the findings that people with prostate cancer show elevated DHA/EPA levels in the blood? Correlation isn't causation, but causation hasn't been ruled out. I have stayed away from Omega-3 supplementation since reading that study, as inconclusive as it was.