I joined T Nation because I wanted to fill in my experience with this issue some members are having. I had the same issue regarding fish oil and I couldn’t figure out why. I did notice when I took plant based efa’s or a salmon oil I did not have the problem of low libido.
this leaves me to believe my body likes balanced and natural ratios of epa/dha and all omegas, omega 369. Taking high potecy,mixed epa or dha or missing omegas caused low libido for myself.
[quote]dodge1978 wrote:
I joined T Nation because I wanted to fill in my experience with this issue some members are having. I had the same issue regarding fish oil and I couldn’t figure out why. I did notice when I took plant based efa’s or a salmon oil I did not have the problem of low libido.
this leaves me to believe my body likes balanced and natural ratios of epa/dha and all omegas, omega 369. Taking high potecy,mixed epa or dha or missing omegas caused low libido for myself. [/quote]
what are good plant based efas?
[quote]paulieserafini wrote:
[quote]dodge1978 wrote:
I joined T Nation because I wanted to fill in my experience with this issue some members are having. I had the same issue regarding fish oil and I couldn’t figure out why. I did notice when I took plant based efa’s or a salmon oil I did not have the problem of low libido.
this leaves me to believe my body likes balanced and natural ratios of epa/dha and all omegas, omega 369. Taking high potecy,mixed epa or dha or missing omegas caused low libido for myself. [/quote]
what are good plant based efas?[/quote]
Good, plant-based efa’s include gamma-linolenic acid found in hempseed, borage oil, spirulina, and FA3; oleic acid found in avocados, cashews, olive oil, and FA3; lauric acid found in coconut oil, and FA3; stearidonic acid found in hempseeds; and alpha linoleic acid found in hempseeds, flaxseeds, maybe walnuts, and chia seeds.
I’ve been taking about 20g of cod liver oil for the past few weeks and I’ve been horny as a motherfucker. I’ve also been eating a lot of good quality saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, and lots of veggies and protein and good carbs. I think that if you take a lot of fishoil without your other good fats, it causes a “fatty acid imbalance.”
I woud also have to say that canned sardines and cocktail shrimp increase my libido as well, both high in omega 3. Just the avoid the crappy cocktail sauces with high fructose corn syrup and such.
Is anyone familiar with the work of Ray Peat Ph.D? He’s VERY alternative. States that all PUFA’s are toxic as they go rancid in the body very quickly. Ive been a paleo guy for years, taking fish oil, even buying grass-fed meats for their extra omega 3s.
One month ago I changed my diet to a Ray Peat type diet (milk, cheese, meat, juice, coconut oil; little unsaturated fat containing foods), my libido actually exists again after being absent for 5 years. I cannot believe it. Im in disbelief.
Needless to say, Im going to stay on this diet and see where its going.
[quote]Mitch87 wrote:
Is anyone familiar with the work of Ray Peat Ph.D? He’s VERY alternative. States that all PUFA’s are toxic as they go rancid in the body very quickly. Ive been a paleo guy for years, taking fish oil, even buying grass-fed meats for their extra omega 3s.
One month ago I changed my diet to a Ray Peat type diet (milk, cheese, meat, juice, coconut oil; little unsaturated fat containing foods), my libido actually exists again after being absent for 5 years. I cannot believe it. Im in disbelief.
Needless to say, Im going to stay on this diet and see where its going. [/quote]
Okay, this thread is about fish oil and libido and is very old, but I’ll attempt to give it my best. But before that, let me first say that I don’t think we ever got to the bottom of the fish oil effect on the libido thing. Seems like many people (1/5?) has decreased libido from it… I would love to have a guess as to why this is.
To answer your question, it must first be pointed out that “PUFA” (polyunsaturated fat) is a very sloppy term with many different fats with very different effects.
You must first consider what the source oil is (canola, fish, olive, etc). They don’t all have the same effects.
Secondly you have to consider how it was processed, how fresh it is, etc. Canola (rapeseed!) is heated to 500 degrees in processing. Canola and corn are bad no matter how you spin it. Olive oil and fish oil could possibly be rancid. Olive oil is often not even olive oil. Fresh cold pressed olive oil is the stuff to get. california sourced is almost never phony, whereas italian oil is often if not usually fake – damn mofia (really)!!
Third, you have to consider that not everyone’s biochemsitry is the same. it might be advisable for some people to take fish oil ONLY once or twice per week, rather than every day. Who knows. Someone posted earlier in the thread that 1/5 males experiences a drop in libido from fish oil. Who knows why this is?? Maybe someone else can shed light on it.
Not only does the source matter, but or course, individual responses differ due to different biochemsitry make up of every individual, Perhaps this says something about the person’s antioxidant defense system, i.e. their ability to regenerate vitamin E, which would prevent lipid peroxidation.
Luckily, fresh olive oil is rich in antioxidants that probably protect the “PUFAs” in bottle, but also likely prevent their oxidation in your body as well.
I remember an aricle written on here by Mike Roussell titled “Are Omega-6 Fats Really That Bad?”
I remembered vaguely that he mentioned something about prostaglandin 2 and GLA and that GLA is a good omega 6 that inhibits inflammation. I learned something along the way, and posted somewhere on here about it (as did someone else I believe), that GLA consumption provides lasting anti-inflammatory effects.
Fat consumption IMO is about common sense. If you look at wild game, it has a much different omega3:6 ratio than corn fed cattle or farm raised fish (which coincidentally and not surprisingly have an almost identical omega 3:6 profile around 1:40 (which is similar to an unhealthy corn fed person). People used to eat this stuff and little to no sugar or corn oil and rarely was heart disease an issue.
If you are concerned with PUFA oxidation, after considering everything I just mentioned, then consider excluding them and getting blood work done. I don’t personally think there is an issue with the healthy fats I mentioned (like those in FA3)
As for fish oil and libido, I think that question still remains, but I would say to simply back off the daily use and switch to having fish once or twice a week, and avoid canola and corn oil.
Do I understand that FISH OILS lower “T” ?
I take 4000 milligrams (4 grams) of EPA ester – a prescription supplement – brought my TRIGLYCERIDES down to where I could get a LDL/HDL ratio. Total cholesterol has always been in the 140 - 160 range, but before adding the EPA ester, my TRIGYLCERIDES were often over 400.
I am pretty sure of the purity / source / freshness of the EPA ester as I get it from the pharmacist every month.
Hope my question makes sense.
I know for me taking even 1gram of krill oil daily 100% dramatically lower my libido and mental drive for sex. I know this for a fact because I was forced to take this to continue my physical job and every time I felt my libido lowered i stoped taking the krill oil and within a couple days it’s slowly came back, I did these at least 7 times. I have tried another reputable brand and have even contacted both manufacturers to ask if it has high levels of mercury or other things in it that may effect me, but nothing.
I have done these around 7 times and suspected it for many months prior, And every time it has been the same thing. As great as krill oil is for imflamation, the fact Is I can’t find anything natural that beats this. I take it reluctantly and stop taking it when I can, and each time my libido returns.
Now I’m not saying it will happen to all, but for some like myself this has been the side effect. Forget about what you read, at the end of the day the proof is in the person who consumes it, everyone’s body handles things differently. If you have tried numerous times in eliminating it and feel better, well there’s your answer. I would not encourage people to stop taking it as it has done amazing things for my inflamtion. Just listen to your body!
I just wanted to chime into this old thread because I recently stopped (about 8 days ago) taking fish oil everyday and my libido, frequency and maintenance (specifically) of erections is suddenly back to what it was 10 years ago! I’m 39, about 18% body fat and I lift about 5 times per week and walk/run about 20km’s when weather permits.
I love all of the cardiovascular benefits a guy receives from supplementing with fish oil and the reduced inflammation but the hell if I’m going to go about my life without the ability to maintain a decent boner. This obviously doesn’t effect the majority of guys but let me tell you it is for real.
If I’m not taking fish oil supps, what would be a healthy combination of fats to maintain good health and keep inflammation at bay?
How about, eat fish?
How much fish oil were you taking?
Fish oil is very unstable. It has often gone rancid before you even buy it. I would try hemp or flaxseed oil.
I’ve been using Flameout and I can assure you that it is NOT rancid. Now if you are talking about some Walmart brand, or other off brand, then sure that’s possible. I have no idea why anyone would try to find the very cheapest supplements to put in their body. Save money on other things in your life that don’t go into the body. You have one body and if you want to train hard you literally need the finest supplements that money can buy. Buy cheaper gas, drive a less expensive car, eat home more often instead of eating out. There are a hundred ways to save money. Don’t try to save money when it comes to your supplements, not if you want to train hard for a long time. I have been at it now for about 35 years and I can tell you that I didn’t do it by purchasing fish oil, or any other supplement from Wallmart.
One more thing…
As I said to the original poster (above) on this very thread exactly 12 years ago I was taking 6 to 9 grams of Fish Oil per day for about four years and never had such a problem. I take a bit less now still no problems. I think when we have such an issue we look for the easiest thing to blame. Anyone with libido problems needs to first get a full blood work up by their doctor. Include T levels, E, thyroid and all other important numbers. This will give anyone who feels they have a libido issue a good starting point for figuring it out.
Well, here’s my take. There are very very few, as few as 1 or 2 actual fish oil manufacturers for the US world wide. Not label shops or wholesalers, but actual manufacturers that process and create fish oil. Same with vitamins and protein powders. These are products with very little profit per unit and have to be produced en mass for there to be any real going concern as a business. A lot like gasoline. Not a whole lot of profit for producing it per gallon, so you have to produce many, many gallons.
So branding and labeling really doesn’t mean a whole lot to me. Price does. There might be a couple blending facilities that produce custom blends (I’ve had a few different protein powder custom blends), but they are sourcing ingredients from the same manufacturer.
I’m not going to pay that much for same source ingredients. I’m also sure as heck not going to pay for small batch custom protein blends.
Best way to check fish oil is to poke a hole in the gel cap with a pin and taste it. If it tastes bad fishy its sour. If it tastes light fishy/neutral its fine.
fwiw- I do this with every bottle, and regardless of brand have never gotten a bitter/sour batch/bottle.
I take a standard dose of Omega 3’s every day for the last few months, and wish it could dampen my sex drive a little so I can think about something else for more than 5 minutes straight. So, no I haven’t seen any issues.