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I've always a lot of doubts on the quality of fish oil supplements being sold (not only for the amount of omega 3 but also for the content of less desirable che

I've always a lot of doubts on the quality of fish oil supplements being sold (not only for the amount of omega 3 but also for the content of less desirable chemicals derived from farmed fish), and also there has been a lot of research downplaying various omega3 supposed benefits over the years.

jonmc12 4y ago
See Labdoor.com and Consumerlab.com to verify supplement quality. There are some good meta studies on Omega-3s. Dr Bradley Stanfield[1] walks through Mayo Clinic meta analysis[2]. Rhonda Patrick[3] is the best resource for an interpretation of the data. TLDR; consume enough omega-3s (DHA/EPA) to get omega-3 index above 8.0. Discrepancies in research outcomes are attributed to study design, methodology of measuring intake, methodology of measuring blood. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58RkZy6FEco&ab_channel=DrBradStanfield https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58RkZy6FEco&ab_channel=DrBra... [2] https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(20)30985-X/fulltext https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(20)... [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcvhERcZpWw&t=2108s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcvhERcZpWw&t=2108s
- swader999 4y ago
  Only kind that doesn't give me massive boils on my forehead is "Carlson, very finest fish oil" expensive...
  - bitexploder 4y ago
    You have a fish allergy I assume?
    - swader999 4y ago
      I don't think so.
adrian_b 4y ago
It is very good to be skeptical about the composition of the food you buy, and to check as much as possible which it is. However, when you buy some kind of fish oil for which the vendor provides precise values for its content in DHA, EPA and vitamin D, and you buy this in a country where such false claims are punished, you can be reasonably certain about the quality of the oil. I have not seen a vendor publishing the admissible content of mercury, but in most countries there are legal limits for it. I have seen a few studies where random samples taken from various fish oil commercial products were analyzed for mercury, and in most cases the content was significantly lower than encountered in most fish meat that is sold. Also one would eat much less fish oil per day, e.g. at most a spoon, than one would eat fish meat, when choosing a fish dish. I agree that unfortunately, due to the human stupidity in managing waste, now eating any fish-derived products implies some risks. However, in the case of fish oil obtained from some reputable source, I believe that the benefits outweigh the risks. The only good alternative to fish oil is the oil obtained from cultures of some unicellular living beings, but that is about 8 times more expensive than fish oil, so few people can afford it in the quantities that are needed for the recommended daily intake. Regarding the research downplaying the "omega3 supposed benefits", I have read many such studies and the conclusions were mostly opposite. While in many cases there could not be observed any effects from taking various vitamin supplements, there were nonetheless in most cases measurable good effects from the use of omega3 supplements. The reason for this is easy to understand. Any kind of vitamin, mineral or omega3 supplements can have effects only when the food eaten is deficient in those substances, otherwise there is no effect. Someone who eats large quantities of food obtained from animals will not need any kind of omega3 supplements. On the other hand someone who is either vegan or eats mostly vegetable food, will need omega3 supplements, like also vitamin D and vitamin B12 supplements. I am not vegan, but I eat mostly vegetable food, so I add some cod liver oil to the olive oil that I put in my food, to ensure an adequate daily intake of DHA, EPA and vitamin D.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- adrian_b 4y ago
  I want to add that actually the best source of omega-3 fatty acids is eating the brains of animals. However, since the mad cow disease, this has become a much less frequent choice, even in Europe, where it previously was a popular dish in many places. Moreover, eating small quantities of fish oil seems better ethically than eating pig brains.
manmal 4y ago
It's important to choose oil with a low totox value, which indicates low oxidation (= rancidity) status.

jonmc12 4y ago

See Labdoor.com and Consumerlab.com to verify supplement quality. There are some good meta studies on Omega-3s. Dr Bradley Stanfield[1] walks through Mayo Clinic meta analysis[2]. Rhonda Patrick[3] is the best resource for an interpretation of the data. TLDR; consume enough omega-3s (DHA/EPA) to get omega-3 index above 8.0. Discrepancies in research outcomes are attributed to study design, methodology of measuring intake, methodology of measuring blood. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58RkZy6FEco&ab_channel=DrBradStanfield https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58RkZy6FEco&ab_channel=DrBra... [2] https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(20)30985-X/fulltext https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(20)... [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcvhERcZpWw&t=2108s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcvhERcZpWw&t=2108s

swader999 4y ago
Only kind that doesn't give me massive boils on my forehead is "Carlson, very finest fish oil" expensive...
- bitexploder 4y ago
  You have a fish allergy I assume?
  - swader999 4y ago
    I don't think so.

adrian_b 4y ago

It is very good to be skeptical about the composition of the food you buy, and to check as much as possible which it is. However, when you buy some kind of fish oil for which the vendor provides precise values for its content in DHA, EPA and vitamin D, and you buy this in a country where such false claims are punished, you can be reasonably certain about the quality of the oil. I have not seen a vendor publishing the admissible content of mercury, but in most countries there are legal limits for it. I have seen a few studies where random samples taken from various fish oil commercial products were analyzed for mercury, and in most cases the content was significantly lower than encountered in most fish meat that is sold. Also one would eat much less fish oil per day, e.g. at most a spoon, than one would eat fish meat, when choosing a fish dish. I agree that unfortunately, due to the human stupidity in managing waste, now eating any fish-derived products implies some risks. However, in the case of fish oil obtained from some reputable source, I believe that the benefits outweigh the risks. The only good alternative to fish oil is the oil obtained from cultures of some unicellular living beings, but that is about 8 times more expensive than fish oil, so few people can afford it in the quantities that are needed for the recommended daily intake. Regarding the research downplaying the "omega3 supposed benefits", I have read many such studies and the conclusions were mostly opposite. While in many cases there could not be observed any effects from taking various vitamin supplements, there were nonetheless in most cases measurable good effects from the use of omega3 supplements. The reason for this is easy to understand. Any kind of vitamin, mineral or omega3 supplements can have effects only when the food eaten is deficient in those substances, otherwise there is no effect. Someone who eats large quantities of food obtained from animals will not need any kind of omega3 supplements. On the other hand someone who is either vegan or eats mostly vegetable food, will need omega3 supplements, like also vitamin D and vitamin B12 supplements. I am not vegan, but I eat mostly vegetable food, so I add some cod liver oil to the olive oil that I put in my food, to ensure an adequate daily intake of DHA, EPA and vitamin D.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
adrian_b 4y ago
I want to add that actually the best source of omega-3 fatty acids is eating the brains of animals. However, since the mad cow disease, this has become a much less frequent choice, even in Europe, where it previously was a popular dish in many places. Moreover, eating small quantities of fish oil seems better ethically than eating pig brains.

manmal 4y ago

It's important to choose oil with a low totox value, which indicates low oxidation (= rancidity) status.