Considering all the supplements that most of us take, we have surprisingly little evidence that the overwhelming majority of them do anything for us. The two biggest exceptions are vitamin D and omega-3 oil, which I have written about here. Even with these well-tested supplements, the experts have l...
Omega-3 and Heart Health
9/10/09 1:48pm
Hello David,
I try to eat enough fish every week for Omega three oils. Do you know of any studies listing Omega three breakdowns for different fish varieties? I eat only wild caught salmon, some cod and sardines(canned). I amm trying to cut supplements and rely on food when I can. I am not as "lowcarb" and am eating less and less "warm blooded protien" now and more fish. I am not a male so who knows if this study applies to me but any suggestions appreciated. Thank you again for the fine service you provide.
Warmest Regards, Earlene
9/10/09 10:40pm
Dear Earlene,
The gold standard of nutritional calculations is the USDA's database. You start at:
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
I've used their data for this and have it on paper somewhere. But be forewarned that the terminology is difficult to figure out. Difficult unless you are a scientist, but possible.
Best regards,
David
9/10/09 10:14pm
For others curious:
On my digital food scale 1-teaspoon (5 ml) of Carlson Very Finest Fish Oil (16.9 fluid ounce bottle) weighs 4.5 grams (4500 mg) . . BUT . . per the bottle nutritional label only contains:
800 mg EPA
500 mg DHA
300 mg Other Omega-3 Fatty Acids
So based on the study amounts, taking 1/2 teaspoonful per day containing around 250 mg DHA, may be sufficient.
9/25/09 4:50pm
Hi David,
Might you not continue to take a higher dose of fish oil if you needed more to maintain a healthy ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3? While my diet is in a better ratio than a general diet, it still does not have enough dietary Omega 3 to maintain that ratio where I would like it to be.
9/30/09 8:36pm
I think the whole ratio theory of the fatty acids is over played by many. I think it is important not to overdo DHA/EPA as these oils are highly succepitbl to oxidation and will put a strain on the body's antioxidant stores. DHA/EPA and other polyunsaturated oils whether they are of the Omega 3 or Omega 6 variety put a masive strain on the liver when consumed in excess. Having analysed many wild game species fatty acid composition, the ratio is always skewed towards the Omega 6 in both animal and this holds in plant species as well. If you give the body the fatty acids it needs in appropariate amounts, it will function perefectly fine and attain the approairate metabolic balance.
High intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids have been shown to be thyrotixc in some cases and in men have been shown to lower testorone levels among other things due to their propensity for oxidation.
9/30/09 4:04pm
Dear David
Thank you for this informative aricle. It seems I am in the dark ages, as I did not know that there should be a "ratio between Omega 6 and Omega 3's consumption.
I am just blindly taking 720mg. or more of EPA & 480mg. or more of DHA, and 800mg. Omega 3 fatty acids daily, in capsule form. I have SEVERE coronary artery disease and am trying everything as a Diabetic to slow down the progessive disease.
How do I know about ratio's. My endo calls supplements "soft science" but does not guide me about how to really manage ANY supplements even Vitamin D3 dose amounts.
10/ 2/09 4:03am
Dear David,
I am in India and my Dr has prescribed me PHYTOMEGA One Capsule /day . It contains ,
Cardiabeat 1 gm equivalent to : Phytosterois--300 mg
EPA --120mg
DHA ---80 mg
I do not understand much of it , but taking it thinking it is OMEGA 3.
Please advise if it is OMEGA 3 right dose and what is PHYTOSTEROIS.
What effect does it have on my Diabetes.
I am managing my sugar level bet 120-150, thinking it is right margin to maintain.
I am taking other Diabetic drugs too.
Please comment and if possible also reply to my email sumanrani_a@hotmail.com
Thanks & Regards,
Suman ( Mumbai, India ..mob -09821308282 )
10/ 2/09 9:00am
David, I agree with previous poster Jamey, -- it doesn't seem that they used the true DHA. With any study, you have to first ask who commissioned it or paid for it to determine ulterior motive & what result they wanted to prove. A way to do that is to use a chemical rather than the actual DHA. These changes make vast differences in results as we have seen in other studies where companies want to lead us away from unpatentable natural food products and to drugs of some sort. Who commissioned the study, what was their result that they told the researchers they wanted & how did they possibly corrupt the study to accomplish it?
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David,
I'd be curious to know if this study has caused you and your thinking to reduce your DHA intake... or are you still taking the higher dose.
It's often so difficult to base one healthy habits on research findings when there's often contradictory findings between studies, poor research designs, missing peer reviewed studies to verify, etc.
Barry from Boulder
Dear Barry,
I do intend to reduce my dose. This is the first study of how much to take.
Best regards,
David
A couple comments about potential problems with this study:
1. It seems completely unnatural to only take DHA only. This tells me they used some type of chemically processed DHA that had been separated from the EPA. This study shows that the body responds the way it did when you only take DHA. You cannot extrapolate that out and make the same conclusion with regular naturally occurring fish oil in a triglyceride form with all the other components like EPA, AA, etc.
2. The fact is, we should have an Omega 6:Omega 3 ratio of 4:1 to 1:1. Most people are too high in Omega 6, which becomes very inflammatory. Taking more naturally occurring Omega 3 in triglyceride form, helps balance out the ratio. Does this study even consider this important aspect?