wow you guys do take care of yourselves
^ I take 1 gram which could be the culprit. Noted. Dr. Amen praises fish oil as a way to keep the brain healthy.
Get a bottle. It’s easier to take a tablespoon after a meal than a handful of pills. tastes like lemon or orange flavored vegetable oil, no fish taste at all.
The large bottle lasts about a month.
+1 on fish oil
They were giving samples of that fish oil at Fairway a few weeks ago, and it is very easy to swallow. I ought it was a bit expensive though.
I often take fish oil gel-caps, but I’m not all that regular about it.
Modern cuisine has greatly increased the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fats in our diets. Many years ago, hunters and gatherers ate diets with close to a 1:1 ratio. Taking fish oil is helpful, but you should know how much omega 3 fats you are taking in versus your omega 6 fats. Most people in the US have an overabundance of omega 6 fats, causing excessive inflammation, blood clotting, and cellular growth. If you intake a lot of omega 6 fats like corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, eat livestock that were fed grain, corn, and soy — you’re going to have to offset this intake with a lot of omega 3s. Best thing to do is avoid the bad oils completely and increase omega 3 intake when eating more meat. Grass fed livestock is the best to eat, but hard to find. While our ancestors had a 1:1 omega 6: omega 3 ratio, a 4:1 ratio is ideal for modern day cuisine. Most americans range 15:1 to 25:1, putting them at high risk for heart disease, alzheimer’s, arthritis, autoimmune conditions, allergies, asthma, and cancer.
Very true Analti. Processed foods skew the ratio negatively very quickly.
I don’t think you know what you are talking about man. I said I take 5 grams of fish oil a day which is the equivalent of 2.4 g of EPA, 1.5 g of DHA, and .9 g other omega-3s. That is considered to be a serious megadose. There are adverse effects of taking too many omega-3s. They dilute your blood seriously which can cause clotting problems, easy bruising, etc. A 4:1 ratio like you are suggesting is ridiculous. I don’t have time to do the math but think of a 2500 calorie daily intake and how many grams of omega-3s you would be taking in. My guess is what I take a day is probably in the 99th percentile of Americans. What you are suggesting is completely ridiculous and irresponsible.
haha! what! my nutritionist said 4:1 — which is ridiculous and irresponsible? what do you suggest?
Ask your “nutritionist” how much DHA and EPA they recommend per day which is the good part of omega-3s. And are you in Singapore or the US?
Everyone seems to be OD ing on fish capsules…do you feel demonstrably better afterwards or is it a placebo effect?
Below site could be helpful. I have been taking a bit of fish oil for a few years and I notice a difference in soreness after working out (been crossfitting for a couple years). My blood work looks really good, but it has for a while now. I eat pretty clean: fruits, veggies, meat and dairy during the week…ice cream and alchohol on weekends. Still look like sh!t if I do not sleep enough or drink a bottle of Jamo and smoke a pack of Dunhills, though.
http://whole9life.com/fish-oil-faq/
Q: How much fish oil should I take?
A: Our general recommendations are to aim for around 2-4 grams of EPA/DHA per day. However, if you eat lots of wild-caught salmon, grass-fed beef and other natural sources of omega-3 fatty acids, and generally avoid sources of omega-6 (like vegetable oils, factory-farmed meat, nuts and seeds), you may not need any fish oil supplementation at all.
Q: Are there any contraindications for taking fish oil?
A: Because fish oil capsules have an effect on reducing the stickiness of platelets, it is recommended that if you have any of the following conditions, that you see your physician to discuss whether you should take fish oil capsules:
-You have a bleeding tendency
-You are on blood thinning medications
-You are about to have surgery
Of course, before starting any new medication or supplement, it is always a smart idea to consult your physician, right?
to all of you fish oil nutcases, how about you eat some actual fish instead of loading up on supplements? amazing…
Now there’s a fishy idea!
Technically, fish oil are composed of fish oil (plus stuff) , and the right types of fish are also composed of fish oil(plus stuff).
The main question is which stuff is more hurtful to you. The best supplement companies supposedly filter the mercury out - that would be a point to the supplements IF true. Fish also will usually have extra calories - you may rather take them from chicken instead - it’s a matter of preference.
I’d rather eat fish as well, because it tastes better. When I can’t, I pop supps like its candy with no regrets - my guess is they’re safer than random fish anyway.
I remember that eating a can of tuna everyday (good protein source) may be too much mercury. I guess it’s easier to control our average intake of fish oil than to learn which kinds of fish have which amounts of EPA and DHA, which kinds have too much mercury and then tracking how much we eat overall - some people do that though.
From what I’ve read most studies say fish oil is good (caps or real fish) - the minority say fish oil is bad. brain-wash-your-face’s post seems to sum it up nicely. If you don’t take a lot of omega 6 and likes to eat fish you’re probably good to go - whoever wants to go really technical can track their ratios of Omega 6s against EPAs and DHAs (good luck!).
Not all fish oil supps are the same - it’s probably better to take the ones with a higher percentage of EPA and DHA so you don’t get extra cals from fat (unless you want them because your diet has too little fat or whatever)
From personal experience I’m not convinced fish oils really help much for stuff like eye bags. I think severe lack of sleep makes the eyes look bad no matter what. I like fish oil (or real fish) because supposedly “it’s good for you”.
I don’t really care much for eye bags (they make me look experienced), but I know eye creams kinda work - my wife used me once as a test monkey by applying cream to one of the eyes and not on the other, and we could tell there was some difference. The sales lady said that works much better once you use it all the time, so it must be true 
If you really need to look rested somewhere, and you’re “macho” enough, you might try some make-up. Just don’t tell the guys at the office…
This combined with eating grass fed beef, free range chicken and avoiding vegetable (not olive or coconut) oils, grain fed meat and grains (bread, pasta, rice, etc.) in general would accomplish the same goal, with the added effects of eating healthier. I eat like that about 60-80% of the time, but to do it all the time would be a real PITA, so I’d rather take a couple pills. Fish oil is the only supplement I take. I get all my other nutrients from a normal diet.
To get 4-5 grams of DHA/EPA combined it would be too difficult. Seriously, where do you go for lunch where you are eating fish, grass fed beef, etc. Too difficult, too expensive, too time consuming, and just not practical.
The link I posted on page 1 is the best fish oil. Ultra pure. It works and once again my blood work is off of the charts.
IMO the only supps that work are fish oil, creatine, high quality multi (although most is flushed).
Oh, and HGH…HGH works really well.
@brain_wash_your_face - That’s a great approach. It’s just disturbing how many people spend big money on chemical supplements in the US instead of focusing on building a healthy diet. I love fish more than any other protein and eat it a few times every week, so just seemed strange to me how many people in the thread advocate the use of fish oil rather than trying to incorporate some delicious fresh fish in their diet
Any time one gets into a really frenetic discussion about optimal nutrition, I find myself wondering what part of what we *know* to be true about healthy eating is going to be completely reversed in the next 10-20 years of research.
10-15 years ago, the advice for losing weight and eating healthy was to stick to whole grains, lower fat intake, and eat a lot of pasta. Today the advice is to avoid carbs like the plague, eat fish (mercury, anyone?), etc…
I think it makes sense to monitor ones intake and what seems to improve well-being and functioning, but it sure is confusing to know what is really the right thing to do…
…sort of like talking to an asset manager.