Is all fish oil caps the same? What is the recommended daily dose? I tried using the search function but it wasn’t working for me. I know some have boughten some fish oil caps at wholesale stores and unsure if the quality is better or worse from brand to brand.
JB recommends the Zone Perfect Omega-3’s. Barry Sears has a quality very concentrated version also. I think the recommendation is 1.2g EPA and .8g DHA. That is a bunch of the zone perfect pills or one TBSP (or is a tsp) of barry sear’s stuff. You want to make sure you buy quality stuff because there is a lot of junk that can come along with the fish oil (mercury, PCBs, etc.) If you are looking to supplement omega-3s because of the EPA/DHA benefits you’ve gotta stick with the fish oils. the omega-3 in flax (linolenic acid) doesn’t convert to EPA/DHA at a high enough rate. The actual conversion is unknown but they know it is poor.
Smart Blend by MRM is the best I’ve ever tried.
I have to disagree, dont worry to much about brand: http://www.consumerlabs.com/results/omega3.asp
They tested 41 brands and here is an exerpt from their results:
What CL Found:
Tests of omega-3 fatty acid supplements showed that all but two were fresh and contained their claimed amounts of EPA and DHA ? key omega-3 fatty acids. The two products failed the testing for the following problems:
* A liquid product, was spoiled ? as indicated by an elevated amount of both peroxide (indicating recent spoilage) and anisidine (indicating longer-term spoilage)
* . A soft-gel supplement, contained only 53% of its claimed EPA. This product is sold for human use but is also marketed for use by pets.
None of the products contained detectable levels of mercury, nor unsafe levels of PCBs.
Summary: ALL were PCB/Mercury free and only 2 didnt meet label claims.
Go to costco or sam’s club, and buy their generic brand.
i remember in some article (year 2001 maybe) someone mentioning that Biotest is (was) working on a new dha/epa supp. i wonder if that’s still in the works or if they scratched it.
Thanks guys. I will have to look around. I know many go to the wholesale clubs such as BJ’s or Sams Club. I will be checking things out.
Health From the Sun-Liquid-Lemon Flavor
1.4 grams of EPA/DHA per teaspoon…No fishy taste. VERY cost effective.
I got mine at iherb.com, which offers free shipping on orders over $20.00.
Personally, I can’t tolerate the caps.
Optimum Nutrition Fish Oil Softgels. 100, 1 g. softgels for about $2.60/bottle at internet sports supplement stores.
Crowbar
I think some people are missing the point.
Sure, some, if not many, products are free of contamination, but you need to compare potency to get enough EPA and DHA.
Great link Helix, thanks. Its appreciated since I’m now switching to fish oil and have been wondering how much of a difference there truly is betw brands.
Consumer Labs seems like a really interesting site, 2 bad I don’t feel like dishing out the money for it.
[quote]ChrisKing wrote:
I think some people are missing the point.
Sure, some, if not many, products are free of contamination, but you need to compare potency to get enough EPA and DHA.[/quote]
Right! Also, I think there is a difference in quality relative to price. Don’t kid yourself.
Brand definitly matters. Your on this website for a reason. You can not get tribulus from a generic with the potentcy of Biotest TRIBEX or bioavailability of Grow! in a knock off version.
Now I am not saying buy the most expensive one out there, however make sure the fish oil is clean possibly molecular distilled and of course make sure that you get a brand that your body will actually absorb. Most brands from a big box store will still leave your joints and muscles poorly lubricated
So your saying the fish oil caps from Sam’s Club or Costco are no good? Even when they pass Consumer Labs stringent quality and quantity tests.
Also, I remember that one of the writers for T-Nation, Lonnie Lowery actually recommends and uses Sam’s Club fish oil caps.
Even I can’t notice any difference between any of the expensive “name” brands and Sam’s Club Members Mark brand. Actually the Members Mark brand has no fishy aftertaste or fishy burp as compared to some of the more expensive brands.
[quote]Gnostic wrote:
Health From the Sun-Liquid-Lemon Flavor
1.4 grams of EPA/DHA per teaspoon…No fishy taste. VERY cost effective.
I got mine at iherb.com, which offers free shipping on orders over $20.00.
Personally, I can’t tolerate the caps.[/quote]
Gnostic, are you referring to this product?: http://www.iherb.com/totalefa2.html
FYI, it includes only 180mg and 270mg of DHA and EPA, respectively, per teaspoon serving.
[quote]Blaiser wrote:
So your saying the fish oil caps from Sam’s Club or Costco are no good? Even when they pass Consumer Labs stringent quality and quantity tests?
Also, I remember that one of the writers for T-Nation, Lonnie Lowery actually recommends and uses Sam’s Club fish oil caps.
Even I can’t notice any difference between any of the expensive “name” brands and Sam’s Club Members Mark brand. Actually the Members Mark brand has no fishy aftertaste or fishy burp as compared to some of the more expensive brands. [/quote]
Maybe they are okay, I have not looked at them. However, the potency issue is something you need to address.
I have to agree with the costco suggestion. They make a new Enteric Coated version. This adds a new claim to the pile.
Do you have any science to support this? I have not found this to be true personally.
I do agree on comparing potency, but more $$$ does not necessarily mean better.
[quote]Kevin_Kane wrote:
Gnostic wrote:
Health From the Sun-Liquid-Lemon Flavor
1.4 grams of EPA/DHA per teaspoon…No fishy taste. VERY cost effective.
I got mine at iherb.com, which offers free shipping on orders over $20.00.
Personally, I can’t tolerate the caps.
Gnostic, are you referring to this product?: http://www.iherb.com/totalefa2.html
FYI, it includes only 180mg and 270mg of DHA and EPA, respectively, per teaspoon serving.
[/quote]
Nope, this one:
http://www.iherb.com/um3fishoillem.html
FYI, they recently revamped the flavor/formula a bit. Great concentration of EPA/DHA per serving.
[quote]Gnostic wrote:
Nope, this one:
http://www.iherb.com/um3fishoillem.html
FYI, they recently revamped the flavor/formula a bit. Great concentration of EPA/DHA per serving.
[/quote]
Per tsp serving, you get:
Fish Oil, 4360 mg
Omega-3 EPA , 715 mg
Omega-3 DHA , 470 mg
That is about 4x the potency of a fish oil capsule. Very convenient, especially for those wanting to take higher dosages of fish oil. Shugart suggests taking 6 grams each of DHA and EPA daily. I have capsules that are only 120mg and 180g dosages, respectively. I’d have to take 50 capsules a day to get 6g of DHA!
If you take 2 tsp of the above oil 6x a day, that would give you 5.6g of DHA and 8.6g of EPA.
That is a bit of a tall order to consistently and conveniently have oil available to have 6x a day. If you instead take a tbsp (15ml) just 2x a day, you get the same dosages.
Hmmm, two tablespoons or 50 capsules a day. I think the choice is obvious. 
Thanks for sharing the link. I’ll try to find a similar oil up here in Canader so I don’t get hit with the expense of shipping and duties.