Fish oil, Omega-3 Fatty Acids – Quantity and Quality matters

Just a quick note on Omega-3 fatty acids. I’ve had an interest in fish oil and omega-3’s use in primary care. For those interested in further reading, please go to my review article on Practical Applications of Fish oil in Primary Care I wrote in 2005, in the Journal of American Board of Family Medicine.(1). Yes, it’s old, but the basics are generally the same. Since that article, there’s been an interest in the optimal omega-3 dosing, the omega6:omega3 ratio, etc, but I don’t want to get into that. Bottom line, the jury is still out, but looking like supplementing omega 3s are not likely to help with primary or secondary prevention of cv disease.

So, why am I writing this? Because omega-3s continue to be popular among CrossFit athletes supplementing for health and fitness. (And, if you don’t like wild salmon – which is rich in VitD and Omega 3s- or don’t like fish) I don’t even want to get into this, but the main point of this blog post is to say that if you ARE going to supplement, please look at the labels and choose wisely!!

DOSING (EPA+DHA): 1 gm for CV health. More for decreasing inflammation. My point is that just because the bottle say 1000 mg of Omega-3, you HAVE to look at the EPA and DHA amount. Look VERY closely at the bottle. You have to look at the label and add the DHA and EPA. Most brands have about 300mg of DHA+EPA, even ones that have 1000mg of fish oil. BE CAREFUL, READ THE LABEL
USP Label: this means that the company went out of its way to ensure that a third party, independent company tested the products to ensure 95% pharmaceutical bioequivalence. What does that mean? That means the stuff they put into the bottle is actually in the bottle. Those without USP verification –well you run the risk that they SAY it’s 300mg of DHA and EPA..but it’s only 150gm. Yes, you may be getting snookered. Don’t fall for it.

This is from my local store that sold this brand. As you can see 1400mg but 980 is DHA/EPA. (which is a concentrated form, and is excellent!!) And, you see the little USP label mentioning it is verified. If you are going to supplement –this is the one I’d recommend.

Bottom Line:
What Dose? Dose= EPA+DHA. Is it verified by USP? Be smart. Caveat Emptor.

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