What is the current opinion on fish oil? I was taking this for years until the studies about prostate cancer came out, then I got scared off a bit.
There’s a woman on YouTube called Rhonda Patrick. She’s been a guest on the Joe Rogan Experience and Barbell Shrugged, and explains it far better than I can 
Look her up.
IIRC, there’s a segment on the Barbell Shrugged podcast she’s on where she covers this exact question.
[quote]Resistor wrote:
What is the current opinion on fish oil? I was taking this for years until the studies about prostate cancer came out, then I got scared off a bit.[/quote]
Current opinion is that it’s as good as ever. And that mega-dosing likely isn’t ideal.
Going fwd, try and recognize irresponsible journalism/sensationalized headlines for what they are.
At age 71, I take 7 grams a day of a mix of North Pacific salmon oil and/or krill oil. At a recent party of older folks, my ladyfriend and I were in the best shape and condition of the entire large party. What works, works, and neither of us will be lowering the amounts we take.
I don’t know about prostate cancer and fish oil, but I would generally recommend fish oil. And this coming from someone who takes very little supplements (rarely take vitamins/mineral supps, not even whey protein). Fish oil is a clearly winner,which is why I take it. I take about 2.5 g per day with my last big meal of the night (the DHA in fish oil needs other fats to be properly absorbed). DHA boosts sleep (by about an hour, with fewer interruptions), possibly by helping melatonin production (this is according to a UK study released in March of last year, but conducted on a representative sample of children - the authors believe the results should hold for adults as well, but have yet to investigate).
I would just add one thing: if you will be taking fish oil, I would stay from fish sources that live a long time (e.g. salmon). Toxins accumulate in fish fat. A safer bet would be mackerel, anchovies and sardines (they are usually blended together - Nutrasea is the brand I use)
Update: I was incorrect…toxins (mercury, PBAs) are less present in fish oil than in fish meat. However, the triple blend above from Nutrasea is still a great bet as those fish have very little mercury, and Nutrasea gets third party testing done.
Here is my advice, take Flameout and follow the directions. I take 2 pills with lunch daily and then 2 pills with dinner (about 50% of the time because I forget when at home).
[quote]Captain721 wrote:
Here is my advice, take Flameout and follow the directions. I take 2 pills with lunch daily and then 2 pills with dinner (about 50% of the time because I forget when at home). [/quote]
Good advice. 4 Flameout is giving you about 3 grams of DHA + EPA, while it takes 10 fish oil capsules to get your 3 grams of DHA+EPA. Also regular fish oil has more EPA than DHA, which is correct for women, but men need about twice as much DHA than EPA (about 2 grams a day).
So 4 Flameout is giving you a full 2.2 grams of DHA per 4 capsules while regular fish oils give you about 1.3 to 1.6 grams of DHA per 10 capsules.
3 grams of DHA+EPA with about 2 grams of DHA is ideal for a man on about a 2500 calorie diet as long as omega-6s are kept to a minimum (6-8 grams a day) which is very hard to do, but possible.
NOW a key to understand is that Omega-3s are probably the most oxidatively damaging fatty acid that humans need to consume (essential). Omega-6s are next. Fortunately if Omega 6s are kept low, omega 3s are optimal at only 2-4 grams a day (2500 kcal diet).
If you eat 20-50 grams of omega 6s (like many Americans), you need to keep your Omega 3s at least in a 1:4 ratio. In other words you have to consume more “toxins” to offset the effects of other toxins that you took in higher doses.
Regarding fish oil: Omega-3s are clearly essential at about 2-4 grams a day, so I’d rather get them from a purified and concentrated source than an impurity loaded and less concentrated source.
There may also be some reason to consume your weekly Omega 3s in 2-3 days, rather than every day because your body will burn some as fuel. There is always an equilibrium and turnover of cellular fatty acids, but a higher fraction will get burned if you consume them on a low calorie diet, and in lower doses. Omega 3s taken on a calorie restriction are mostly getting burned. Omega 3s taken on a maintenance calorie diet will replace cellular membranes slowly by equilibrium forces over time (most get burned, but some will replace recycled membrane fatty acids that get burned). Omega 3s taken on a calorie surplus will tend to get stored as fat, will be released in equilibrium gradually, and will be released fast if calories get restricted.
[quote]Resistor wrote:
What is the current opinion on fish oil? I was taking this for years until the studies about prostate cancer came out, then I got scared off a bit.[/quote]
I have noticed so many positive effects to my well being from Flameout that I would have a hard time giving it up, even if I thought the study that made the news was proof that it was increasing my risk.