Alright, I’ve got a couple questions about supplementing with fish oil. John Berardi has been recommending 0mega-3s (6-10 grams/day), yet I thought he (or one of the other T-Mag contributors) at one point recommended Udo’s Choice, which is a blend of Omega-3s, -6s and -9s. Is this a wise choice, or should I stick with straight Omega-3s? Secondly, Udo Erasmus said, in his presentation at the SWIS symposium, that most sources of Omega-3s on the market contain high levels of mercury (except for his, of course). Does anyone know which brands are not high in mercury? I’ve been using Dale Alexander/Twinlab capsules lately, and the label says nothing about the mercury content. Thanks in advance.
First of all, JMB recommends 6-10g of combined EPA/DHA, not just fish oil or omega-3 fatty acids.
Next up, Udo's Choice oil is a good source of fat and it has a good balance of omega-3 and 6 fatty acids. It may not be the best choice for anyone who is eating a fair amount of mixed nuts, natural peanut butter, or other plant based oils (aside from flax) which have a good amount of both monounsaturated and omega-6 fatty acids also.
Typically, I try to acheive an appropriate balance of fat intake by 1)taking fish and flax oil to increase my omega-3 and DHA/EPA intake, 2)eating mixed nuts, peanut butter and oliv oil to get good amounts of monounsaturated and some omega-6 fatty acids, and 3)getting limited saturated fat from eggs and meat products and occasionally, coconut.
As for the mercury content, that could be an issue, but you have to look at the cost/benefit ratio. As far as I can tell, eating fish is going to improve my health and performance in a way that I'm willing to risk a little extra mercury exposure.
Am I right? Maybe, maybe not? I'm open to hearing more about the issue, but right now, fish oil seems like a winner to me.
This is what John Berardi had to say about this same topic
What do you think of all this talk of “fish oil toxicity”?
I’ve heard all the arguments for and against using fish oil and my conclusion, at this point, is that even if there is potential toxicity (mercury or anything else), the benefits FAR outweigh the risks. So when health experts suggest avoiding fish oil, I think they are doing people a disservice. By creating a big toxin scare they’re discouraging the use of the ultra-health promoting oils. They’re “muddying the waters”, so to speak, and people, in the absence of an expert consensus, do nothing proactive to take control of their health. Nice work, health paranoiacs!
While I understand why the health paranoia proponents bitch about toxic fish oil, the fact of the matter remains. Thousands of studies have been done using fish oil (of all concentrations and “purities”) and in each study the benefits of the fish oil have manifested in amazing ways. Talk about a panacea for our culture’s syndrome x problems! In the face of this overwhelming evidence in favor of fish oil, there has been very little reported in the way of negative effects.
But even if the research isn’t enough to convince you, how about checking out the health histories of the people with the highest level of deep ocean fish consumption. You’ll not find a dramatically high incidence of “toxicity”. In fact, these people are far healthier than North Americans are.
At this year’s SWIS symposium, everyone recommended fish oil but most of these people suggested that fish oil was toxic. Interesting that in the face of all of this toxicity, the studies have shown overwhelming benefits anyway, such that the experts are still recommending them. Regardless, one thing I did take away from the SWIS symposium, something I’ve been championing for a long time now, was that you should be getting concentrated forms of EPA/DHA. Barry Sears recommended “pharmaceutical grade” fish oil, which is defined as containing > 60% EPA+DHA. That’s not a bad suggestion. Unfortunately that’s hard to find. However, there are many companies producing concentrations in the 50% range and that, to me, is close enough.
In the end, sometimes the health paranoiacs are onto something when they bitch against the FDA or the DEA or the pharmaceutical companies. But in this case I believe them to be doing the general population a disservice with their anti-fish scare tactics.
Thanks for the responses. Jason, my mistake – I meant to say 6-10 grams/day of combined EPA+DHA. All of this leads me to a followup question: Does anyone know of a brand (or brands) of fish oil that has at least 50% EPA+DHA? (My Dale Alexander/Twinlab bottle only tells you how much EPA and DHA is in each capsule, and doesn’t tell you how much each capsule weighs, so you can’t figure out the concentration.) Thanks again.
The Trader Joe’s fish oil I use is almost 50% EPA/DHA. You should be able to do the calculations fairly easily by looking at the quantity of fish oil vs. the EPA/DHA. For instance, TJ’s fish oil is 1100mg of fish oil per cap of which, 300mg is EPA and 200mg DHA. 500mg EPA/DHA divided by 1100 mg of total oil = 45.5%.
Ok, lets get this straight… everything is bad for you. You can not avoid taking in some of the bad with the good. My experiance with Omega 3’s have been much more of a benefit than a problem. I usually take more pure Omega 3’s while eating higher amounts of beef and sometimes chicken. When I am already eating fish and turkey I leave the supplement out for that day. Since you are already going to get a lot of 6’s in most food especially non-grassfed beef I wouldn’t worry quite so much about them in your fish oil. I’m also betting that if you take any Omega 3’s you’re getting more than most Americans do in their diet. The benefits are as follows- better cholesteral profile, faster recovery times, reduced inflamation, sharper senses and increased energey levels, and I’ve read that they can in fact help you loose weight (doesn’t seem to do that last one for me).
Thanks again guys. Now to a followup to my followup (and I know I’ve asked this before on this forum): Whenever I use fish oil, even starting at only a small fraction of the dosage that Berardi recommends, I am afflicted with a serious case of “muddy waters.” I have tried two or three different brands now (Solgar, Dale Alexander/Twinlab, and I think one other one), and they’ve ALL produced this effect. Is this normal? Is it harmful? Seems kind of strange, right? Thanks again.
Yes, fish oil will have mercury in it. It’s still awefully damn good for you. And exercise wears out your joints and can cause mono. Better to stick with potato chips and couch-bound chairerobics. You get the point. Also, Flax oil contains high Omega-3 with NO mercury. And flax oil doesn’t taste like cod or make you burp.
If you’re eating fats besides the oils, you’re more than likely leaning towards high Omega6 consumption. I think Udo’s is good but fails to realize that people do eat other things. If you’re really worried, just deep fry some chicken and the fat balance problem is solved!
As far as “muddy waters,” I got the opposite problem, constipation from fats. I bet metamucil would help us both. If you take metamucil (1-2 tsp) with fish oil, it really calms down the GI track–fish oil w/out the fiber makes me burp for about 6 hours, but metamucil really helps. It would maybe make you more regular, too. If you’re taking a lot of oil at once (like +100g), though, expect the runs regardless.
I get the same reaction. You just get used to it and it seems to wain a bit… take it with a decent sized meal. It seems to help when you eat a lot along side it and drink a fair amount of water as well.