Anyone use Fish Oil supplements

[dennis thompson]

The reading I've been doing indicates that taking a fish oil supplement with have many health benefits ( I know I should eat more fish but I also know I won't) Does anoyone have any experience/knowledge about this subject? Recommendation for a particular supplement?
Thanks
Dennis

[Baxter Smith]

Can't believe I'm posting something about this but... :) I swallow one IF the wife puts one on the table for me at breakfast! We both burped up the flavor an hour or two later so she asked the Dr. about it. He told her to try keeping them in the freezer. I think it helps a little. Didn't have one this morning!

[Rick Huelsbeck]

I was told by my doctor to take Pharmaceutical grade fish oil as it is strictly tested for heavy metals and other toxins. A lot of people will tell you they sell distilled fish oil but it's not tested or at the very least not tested to the same standard to be able to put Pharmaceutical on the label. I take crestor and my good colesteral was very low, after taking the fish oil it has come back up to the good levels. I take 4 pills a day (2 pills 2 times a day). Pharmaceutical grade is more expensive though.

[David G Baker]

Dennis,
I have been taking 2 a day for years, couldn't tell you if they are doing any good. I am frequently criticized for all of the supplements I take, but again can't tell you if they are doing any good. I am 65 and still active. The active part probably does more good than any of the pills.

Rick,
I take Crestor as well, I can't take statins or Red Rice Yeast. Old Fashion Oat Meal has made the most difference in my numbers. If I stop Crestor for a few months the numbers start getting worse so maybe the drug does some good. I will check out the pharmaceutical grade fish oil.
Just started Januvia for type II diabetes and it seems to be making my sugar numbers look much better.

[Alan Trout]

I take about three a day for good measure and a couple red yeast rice as well. My blood lipid profile looks like someone that is 15 and a distance runner. However The thing that helped my numbers better than anything else was loosing weight. I lost 80 lbs and cut out a large percentage of processed carbohydrates and it fell from the 250 range to the 140 range with my HDL above 50 and triglycerides about 60.

Now my dad can't take statins they were killing him and his numbers were very high about 300. My family put him on a regiment of 6 Omega 3 capsules in the morning and 6 in the evening with 5 red yeast rice in the morning and 5 in the evening and it has brought is cholesterol down below 180 which is better than any of the statins did. His cardiologist tells him that the regiment is working well and keep doing what he is doing. We just celebrated his 82 birthday last evening and he probably will go for another 20 more. He is in great shape for a man of his age.

He also takes CoQ10 which is also a good deal for anyone.

He gets his Omega 3 supplements from N3 Oceanic which go by the Rescue 1250 brand name on-line http://www.n3inc.com/. At the time he started his regiment they had the highest concentrations of EPA and DHA. Now there are other over the counter brands that are pretty close. If you buy from them in large quantities they are fairly priced.

Good Luck

Alan

[Jim O'Dell]

I don't take the fish oil myself, but LOML gives 2 to each of the dogs each day. They eat them like candy. She swears it helps their coats look shiny and more healthy. :D:D:D Jim.

[mike holden]

+1 on a daily capsule

Dont notice any fish breath, but then I take it with all my other meds, nine pills in all.

Does it make a difference? Not that I could swear to, but I have read enough from different sources to make me continue using them.

Old age is not for sissies.

Mike

[G. Brad Schmidt]

The capsules are a great and convenient way to get your needed Omega 3s (Polyunsaturated fat). Still, nothing beats a balanced diet and plenty of exercise.

I get the Nature Made Triple Omega @ Costco for cheap. It contains Omega 3, 6, & 9 (http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/benefits-of-omega-3-6-9-fatty-acids/). I take, with meals, two in the morning and two at night. This is a bit of an overdose for most but I lift and mountain bike almost everyday (I'm also 6'3" and 250lbs.).

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[Lewis Ehrhardt]

I recently started taking them myself. At first I didn't notice any difference. But after about two weeks, I noticed the following benefits:
Drop cords stopped getting tangled and caught on things
No kickbacks on the table saw
Haven't come up short on a critical cut since
Saw blades can cut through even the toughest of nails and remains sharp
Sander produces a smooth finish even with 60 grit paper

Some noteable mentions:
Property taxes are lower
Utility bill decreased fifty percent, well, more like thirty-five
Tires on my care seem to be wearing less, clearly car is getting better mileage
I've lost nine and a half pounds, wife, three

Yeah, right. Seriously, I have started to take them, but I still forget to take most days. Hopefully, I'll get into the habit of taking them regularly.

[Dave Ogren]

Dennis and All,

Great to see your question about Fish Oil. I am happy to answer all questions about it. Some of the replys have started to get a little close to the real truth, which is good. I will list a bunch of facts, and if anyone wants more info PM me or please feel free to call.

The only kind of Fish Oil to take is Pharmatical Grade, High Dosage Fish Oil.

You take Fish Oil for the "acid" content not the fish oil content.

The normal daily intake for the acid content is 2400 MG , this is not dependant on body size meaning that a 200 pound person should take twice as much as a 100 pound person. Both need 2400 MG.

If there is any fish taste or burping after you are taking a low grade ie wasting your money.

When reading the label, you want to see that the acid content is at least 60 %.

There is a lot of deception in the labeling of this product, so you will have to read very carefully, Reason Vitamins and supplements are not controlled by the FDA.

The only time that fish oil has to be in the not fridge but the freezer is when you are taking a liquid type, which is lower in cost, is to keep the oxygen from spoiling it or use a air removal wine stopper.

The lower quality ones will freeze of thicken up in the freezer the higher quality ones will remain very free flowing, just as if they were at room temp.

Ideally the balance between the two main acids should be 2 to 1.

To insure a quality product an inspection report should be available to you. The only lab that tests fish oil is in Canada called Nutrasource Diagnostics. The tests are based on the International Fish Oil Standards or IFOS.

The more knowledgeable people that you talk to they will say take only the 5 star rated fish oils. That would be IFOS 5 Star Rating.

The batch number will appear on the label, and you can find it on the internet and read the inspection report.

There are onlt about 17 companies that use the IFOS rating system, the rest have no quality reports.

If you read that a fish oil has about 30 % acid and try to figure that you just take more to get to the 2400 MG per day, it won't work. Reason is extreme diarrea and bloating.

With the Pharmatical Grade High Dosage you can take as much as you want with no side effects. The young man in the Virginia coal mine disaster a couple of yours ago, the only survivor, has severe brain damage was restored to almost perfect health by massive doses of fish oil.

Fish Oil will solve a tremendous lot of health problems.

If you want to read about it, the best starter book that can gotten is by Dr. Barry Sears called "The Omega Rx" Dr. Sears is probably the modern day Godfather of fish oil and has an exellent product, You can get an identical product for less money by doing your homework and reading the IFOS test results.

I want to apologize for the bad spelling, I don't know where the spell check is.

If you want more info please feel free to call me, I will tell you what problems fish oil will fix.

Dave Ogren (828) 275-3283

[scott kinninger]

I am a pharmacist and I do recommend them to people who are interested in reducing their cholesterol without a prescription, and to people who are looking for something to augment their current prescription regimen of statins, niacin, gemfibrozil.... The only phamarceutical grade fish oil that I know of is Lovaza, which, oddly enough, requires a prescription and is probably 10x more expensive than OTC fish oil. Is it better? I dont know, but it is more studied.

More interesting though, I have had problems my whole life with cracks in the corner/end of my fingers right at the point where the fingernail turns. Usually it is a REAL problem in winter and during hunting season when the skin gets cold and dry. My sister is a chiropractor and a real health food nut/researcher so I half jokingly asked her what I should do and she told me to take fish oil. That was last summer, I've been taking it for the last couple of months and have probably 90% reduction in the number of these finger cracks. Usually after a weeks vacation deer hunting I'll come home with 5 or 6 cracks, this year.... zero.

[Pat Germain]

I think it makes sense fish oil would be beneficial. For tens of thousands of years, the human diet included lots and lots of fish. In the past hundred years, most Americans significantly reduced their fish intake. And a lot of people won't eat any fish of any kind.

Multiple scientific studies have suggested cultures where lots of fish is consumed have lower rates of depression. And here in the US, it seems almost everyone is on an anti-depressant. Coincidence? Marketing? I don't know. But I think it's a good idea to eat a lot of fish (avoiding varieties with high mercury content) or take quality fish oil supplements.

[Eric Larsen]

Multiple scientific studies have suggested cultures where lots of fish is consumed have lower rates of depression. And here in the US, it seems almost everyone is on an anti-depressant. Coincidence? Marketing? I don't know. But I think it's a good idea to eat a lot of fish (avoiding varieties with high mercury content) or take quality fish oil supplements.

It would be nice if we didn't have to mortgage our houses to eat fish three or four times a week.

Farmed fish costs less than wild-caught. But...

I can get farmed trout fairly cheap, but it doesn't have the texture of wild. Tilapia is cheap, but very bland. I prefer farmed steelhead to farmed salmon. Farmed salmon just doesn't measure up to wild. People are now farming tuna, but I haven't tried any.

Unfortunately, my favorite species -- bluefin, mahi, grouper, Atlantic salmon and Dover sole -- are overfished and overpriced. Even skate is becoming pricey, and that was once a poor man's fish. At least oysters and mussels are reasonably priced and the farmed varieties actually taste better than wild caught.

A bluefin tuna recently sold for $173,000 at auction (in Japan, of course). With that sort of demand driving the industry, people are going to turn to pork and chicken as their protein of choice.

[Eddie Watkins]

I started taking fish oil pills about a year ago on my wifes recommendation. I promised to take it until my next visit with a cardiologist. I took one pill a day that was around 800 mg that she had bought at Sam's Club. Triglycerides had run around 250-300(high) for years and HDL cholestrol had been around 30 (low) even though I walk 30 minutes 5-6 days a week. When I went to the doctor he commented the blood test results could be a model for a good report. Triglycerides were around 100 and HDL was at 48.
My questions: Would taking more pills make any difference? Why do some of you take several pills a day?

[Mike Cruz]

Short answer...YES IT WORKS!!!!!!!! It helps with ALL joints. I (upon the reccomendation of my accupucturist...when I was having some hip/back issues) take 4 pills in the morning and 4 in the evening. Actually, did that for a little over a year...what a difference. I've backed it off to 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening. I take Nature Made. Cheap at Costco. Good brand name.

I have also been taking CosamineDS for years. Both are wonderful!