Do you take more than 3000mg Omega 3 per day?
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free skin care · Tue Jan 24, 2012 12:59 am

I only take 1000 mg but it is supposed to be one of those anti-aging supplements. I am curious as who there takes mega doses and if it is seems to help. TIA

free skin care · Tue Jan 24, 2012 1:05 am

Are you enquiring about long or short chain omega-3s or either? I wouldn't class over 3g of any O-3s as mega dosing, that generally refers to taking substantially over the recommended amount - into side effect or toxicity territory. Sorry to sound nit picky, but I think it's easy to unintentionally worry readers.

Tue Jan 24, 2012 6:01 am

I take 720 of EFA, and 480 of DHA from fish Oil (Anchovy, Sardine and Salmon). And 1500mg of primrose oil at night. I have no idea if it's the right amount or anything, I'd love to have your opinion firefox.
I do know that if I don't take it I will have horrible chapped lips and hangnails and nosebleeds in the winter, and very dry eyes.

free skin care · Tue Jan 24, 2012 6:12 am

musettarose wrote:

I take 720 of EFA, and 480 of DHA from fish Oil (Anchovy, Sardine and Salmon). And 1500mg of primrose oil at night. I have no idea if it's the right amount or anything, I'd love to have your opinion firefox.
I do know that if I don't take it I will have horrible chapped lips and hangnails and nosebleeds in the winter, and very dry eyes.

What do you mean by 720 of EFA, which essential fatty acid? IMO increase your dose of fish oils to 2-3g combined EPA and DHA per day. The ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 in your whole diet is as important as the amount of each individually; we get plenty of omega-6 so it's not necessary to supplement. If you prefer to continue I would focus on the amount of GLA you take in, as that is the only anti-inflammatory omega-6. Borage is a better source, higher percentage of GLA so less 'filler' fatty acids. Tweaks rather than mega-changes, it's great you are supplementing EFAs and feeling the benefits. Very Happy

free skin care · Tue Jan 24, 2012 6:27 am

Firefox7275 wrote:

that generally refers to taking substantially over the recommended amount - into side effect or toxicity territory. Sorry to sound nit picky, but I think it's easy to unintentionally worry readers.

Also wanted to say that anyone with a bleeding disorder needs to be careful with this kind of supplement. I have a bleeding disorder and can only take 1000 mg per my physician.

free skin care · Tue Jan 24, 2012 6:30 am

Good point, Rileygirl!

Tue Jan 24, 2012 8:42 am

Oh I meant 720 of EPA, not EFA! Is the primrose oil the GLA, which is the omega-6? I suffer from inflammation in joints etc, so the omega 6 is good for that? So for my next bottle I should get borage instead I guess.

Actually I feel a little guilty getting all this free advise!! Embarassed

free skin care · Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:02 am

I take a teaspoon of cod liver oil.

free skin care · Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:19 am

musettarose wrote:

Oh I meant 720 of EPA, not EFA! Is the primrose oil the GLA, which is the omega-6? I suffer from inflammation in joints etc, so the omega 6 is good for that? So for my next bottle I should get borage instead I guess.

Actually I feel a little guilty getting all this free advise!! Embarassed

Why feel guilty? I get a ton of free advice in return and I love what I do. Wink

So you are taking 1200mg combined EPA and DHA? IMO double that. Long chain omega-3s are powerful anti-inflammatories and will also be incorporated into cell membranes, helping them retain water. GLA is the key omega-6 in your evening primrose: it is also anti-inflammatory BUT other omega-6s are pro-inflammatory! So you want GLA with as little else in the way of polyunsaturates as possible.

You might also speak to your doctor about low molecular weight hyaluronic acid supplements, as these *may* benefit skin, eyes, lips (see thread on the DIY board) AND can help the connective tissue in the joints hold more water so they are better cushioned. There is not the solid body of research as there is supporting EFAs, but oral HA supps are considered safe by the powers-that-be. Glucosamine is one of the building blocks of HA which you might already be taking for your joints, so it's up to you and your doctor whether you try both.

Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:58 am

Firefox is there a omega supplement that you think is good? There are so many out there, and the price range is crazy!

free skin care · Tue Jan 24, 2012 1:10 pm

musettarose wrote:

Firefox is there a omega supplement that you think is good? There are so many out there, and the price range is crazy!

I purchase my triple strength fish body oils from eBay. Just be sure that you use a reputable supplier and your product comes sealed in an amber light protective container, not in a zip-lock bag! All fish and seed oils should have the omega content listed so you can compare the potency of one to another. Long chain omega-3s are pretty stable and can even be cooked, seed oils go rancid more easily. I'm not the best person to ask abour specific brands, not taking omega-6s and living in the UK so hopefully one of the others will oblige?

free skin care · Tue Jan 24, 2012 1:24 pm

What is a long-chain omega-3? How do I know that what I purchase is long-chain Confused

I only buy my Omega-3 from trader Joes...

free skin care · Tue Jan 24, 2012 1:47 pm

essq2w3e4r wrote:

What is a long-chain omega-3? How do I know that what I purchase is long-chain Confused

I only buy my Omega-3 from trader Joes...

Long chain omega-3s - also known as DHA and EPA - are the kind that our bodies can utilise and come from oily fish and marine algae. Short chain omega-3s come from seed oils and have to be converted before they can be used - this is not a very efficient process (only ~10%) so you need to take large amounts which is pricey and calorific! It will say on the container of the product you purchase. Also check if you are taking 1000mg (1g) of pure omega-3 per capsule/ dose or 1g of fish oils/ seed oil per capsule dose as these are not one and the same.

free skin care · Tue Jan 24, 2012 5:19 pm

I buy this one, and a kids one for my kids: http://www.nordicnaturals.com/en/Products/Product_Details/514/?ProdID=1435

I like it as they use deep sea fish like anchovies, sardines and borage oil for Omega 6.

Hopefully its a good one that I'm recommending, perhaps FFox can check it out for us Very Happy

free skin care · Tue Jan 24, 2012 8:02 pm

Life extension has a good article on omegas. It focuses on krill oil, but does give guidelines on how much EPA and DHA you need to help different problems.

For example, to improve cardiovascular health they state "Optimal doses for most people of EPA is 1,400 mg and DHA is 1,000 mg". That's a lot of fish oil if you're aren't taking triple strength capsules. The normal capsules have 180-200mg of EPA, so that's 7 capsules a day. After reading this article, I switched to triple strength and increased my dose to this range.

Here's the full article: http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2011/nov2011_Krill-Oil-Optimizes-Multimodal-Arthritis-Control_01.htm?source=search&key=Krill%20joints

free skin care · Wed Jan 25, 2012 6:51 am

I prefer to get my omega 3 from plant sources, chia seed oil or flax seed oil are my favs! With fish oils, I'm always scared about them going rancid quickly and also the quality of the fish they come from. Some are merely farmed for supplements which is horrible (IMO)

free skin care · Wed Jan 25, 2012 5:28 pm

You can try this one:

http://www.iherb.com/Carlson-Labs-Super-Omega-3-Gems-Fish-Oil-100-30-Free-Soft-Gels/2799

free skin care · Wed Jan 25, 2012 7:33 pm

TheresaMary wrote:

I prefer to get my omega 3 from plant sources, chia seed oil or flax seed oil are my favs! With fish oils, I'm always scared about them going rancid quickly and also the quality of the fish they come from. Some are merely farmed for supplements which is horrible (IMO)

Seed oils are more likely to go rancid than fish oils, they cannot tolerate heating. Furthermore the conversion rate is ~10% so you need to take large amounts of raw seed oils. If you prefer plant sources you might consider a marine algae extract because these contain the useable long form.

free skin care · Fri Jan 27, 2012 4:41 am

TheresaMary wrote:

I prefer to get my omega 3 from plant sources, chia seed oil or flax seed oil are my favs! With fish oils, I'm always scared about them going rancid quickly and also the quality of the fish they come from. Some are merely farmed for supplements which is horrible (IMO)

I buy fish/salmon oil supplements that specify that they are wild caught and mercury tested.

Be careful with flax if you're estrogen sensitive as it is estrogenic and can have adverse side effects. Wink

free skin care · Fri Jan 27, 2012 9:41 am

[quote="Glamcat"]

TheresaMary wrote:

Be careful with flax if you're estrogen sensitive as it is estrogenic and can have adverse side effects. Wink

Hi Glamcat,

I take flaxseed oil as I tend to feel really low when taking fish oil. I have heard it mentioned before that flaxseed oil can cause estrogen dominance, which I happen to be (had hormones tested last year).

What sort of side effects can flaxseed cause, and can you minimise this with the dosage?

I'm now wondering whether I've caused the estrogen dominance myself (is this possible?) - but then my estrogen and prgesterone were both lower than they should be anyway,

any advice greatly appreciated,

Jackie xx

free skin care · Fri Jan 27, 2012 9:55 am

Jackie284 wrote:

I take flaxseed oil as I tend to feel really low when taking fish oil. I have heard it mentioned before that flaxseed oil can cause estrogen dominance, which I happen to be (had hormones tested last year).

What sort of side effects can flaxseed cause, and can you minimise this with the dosage?

I'm now wondering whether I've caused the estrogen dominance myself (is this possible?) - but then my estrogen and prgesterone were both lower than they should be anyway,

any advice greatly appreciated,

Jackie xx

If you reduce the dose you are unlikely to get any benefit from the omega-3s, because the conversion rate to long chain is so low. Have you considered switching to a EPA/ DHA rich marine algae supplement?

free skin care · Fri Jan 27, 2012 11:31 pm

Jackie284 wrote:

I take flaxseed oil as I tend to feel really low when taking fish oil.

Check the DHA and EPA amounts of the fish oil you've taken. I find the ratio (relative amount) to be very important.

free skin care · Sat Jan 28, 2012 1:11 pm

I take Green Pasture's Blue Ice Royal High Vitamin Butter Oil/Fermented Cod LIver Oil blend. It follows the same recipe as prescribed by Weston A Price and contains the X factor. The Fermentation process is suposed to increase the nutrients of the Cod Liver and make it easier to digest. To date, I think it's one of the best products I've taken.

free skin care · Sat Jan 28, 2012 2:51 pm

The key thing may not be to raise your omega-3 intake even further, but rather to lower your omega-6 intake.

Generally, the key is that you want to aim for a ratio of 2:1 to 4:1 of omega-6 to omega-3 oils (though the recommendations for the range vary by the source of the info). If you do this and are in this target range, then most people will be able to convert short-chain omega-3 fatty acids into the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (EPA, DHA).

However, if you have too much omega-6 relative to omega-3, then even if you increase your omega-3 intake, your conversion rates may still remain poor and hence necessitate taking DHA and EPA.

So you don't need fish oil, nor a special DHA and EPA oil, as long as your ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is good. That, along with getting a certain minimum amount of the essential oils, is the key to health with them.

The morale of the story is that "more" is not always better in terms of nutrients. What matters are both "enough" and "having everything in the right ratios for optimal balance".

free skin care · Sun Jan 29, 2012 1:05 am

For me I avoid flax as I tend to run slightly high on estrogen and slightly low on progesterone - which is a fairly common thing anyway Wink

Depending on who you speak to, some health & nutrition experts/naturopaths, etc will say that foods that contain phytoestrogens can be beneficial when it comes to estrogen dominance as they lock onto the estrogen receptors preventing estrogen and xenoestrogens locking onto them -- but one time (about 14 months ago) I saw a TCM herbalist and she gave me this nasty concoction to help balance my hormones - the mixture had several types of plant leaves, stamen or bark and they contained phytoestrogens and it had a horrible, I mean really detrimental effects on me - and these were symptoms of extreme estrogen dominance - I only had to take the mixture as a tea for 10 days and I swelled up terribly from fluid retention, my breasts swelled right up and were very painful, my abdomen swelled up and was very painful, I'm not sure if I gained weight too or if it was just all fluid retention, it gave me dreadful PMS and heavy periods...

Since that happened I just avoid absolutely anything that is estrogenic if possible!

Jackie284 wrote:

Hi Glamcat,

I take flaxseed oil as I tend to feel really low when taking fish oil. I have heard it mentioned before that flaxseed oil can cause estrogen dominance, which I happen to be (had hormones tested last year).

What sort of side effects can flaxseed cause, and can you minimise this with the dosage?

I'm now wondering whether I've caused the estrogen dominance myself (is this possible?) - but then my estrogen and prgesterone were both lower than they should be anyway,

any advice greatly appreciated,

Jackie xx

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