Facts About Fish Oil

Should I take a fish oil supplement?

American Heart Association Recommendations:

  • Healthy adults eat fish two times a week.
  • Adults with coronary heart disease; eat fish two times a week and take an omega -3 fatty acid supplement (fish oil) that provides 1 gram (1 gram = 1000 mg) of EPA and DHA daily.
  • Adults with high cholesterol; eat fish two times a week and take an omega-3 fatty acid supplement (fish oil) that provides 2 to 4 grams (2000 – 4,000 mg) of EPA and DHA daily.

International experts agree almost everyone needs at least 500 mg of EPA+DHA per day.

What is most important to read on the label?

Focus only on the EPA and DHA. The front label may say 1 gram of total omega three fats.

Go to the ingredient panel and ONLY add up the EPA and DHA….do not care about “other omega-3s. EPA and DHA are the best studied and most functional omega-3s. Other omega-3’s refers to omega-s’s (such as DPA and ETA) that naturally exist in fish oil in low levels. Some labels may list omega-5, 7, etc. but these naturally occur in all fish oil and are not essential for health.

The above fish oil supplement provides 650 mg of EPA + 450 mg of DHA = 1100 mg of omega-3s.

I take my calculator to the health food store. I calculate what 1000 mg of fish oils (only the EPA and DHA) cost per serving and purchase the least expensive.

They vary widely in terms of quality, their purity, taste, triglyceride form, and third party testing.

The best fish oil supplements are made by a fish oil company. The brand I am using for my entire family now is Nordic Naturals and I buy them at Lakewinds.

3 thoughts on “Facts About Fish Oil”

  1. Hi Chere!
    Thanks for deciphering the DHA/EPA confusion! Another good brand is Ovega-3 (yes, spelled with a “v”, not “m”). It is one of the products under the “LifeDHA” brand that is a completely vegan source (from algae), so is therefore 100% absolutely free of mercury. The algae is actually the original source of DHA/EPA which the fish then eat! Interesting, huh?!

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