How to take High-EPA Fish Oil…
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There! Now I can get back to the subject at hand.
Generally Recommended Amounts for Adults
Medical nutrition experts, as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, have declared that doses of up to 3 g per day of omega-3 are “generally considered safe” (8 g per day according to the panel of experts formed by the American Heart Association and published in the major cardiology journal, Circulation).
The following dosage information is excerpted from the Omega-3 Connection, by Andrew Stoll, MD:
With the emerging data on EPA, I have begun to use the EPA content alone to calculate dosage requirements. Generally 1.5 to 4 grams per day of EPA is adequate to improve mood in patients with mood disorders. I have no experience using EPA in dosages exceeding 8 grams per day, but higher levels seem to be safe, since the traditional Greenland Eskimo diet consisted of up to 14 grams per day.”
Stoll further elaborates on dosage in his 2005 interview with the Saturday Evening Post:
The question of optimal dosage remains unanswered. Practically, I start patients on one gram of EPA per day, and go up on the dosage gradually until an effect is seen on a person’s mood. I usually do not have to exceed six grams of EPA per day. The amount of omega-3 in a supplement may be calculated from the side of the bottle.
It is important to know that the amount of active ingredients in supplements is listed on the label by serving size, not necessarily by how much of an ingredient or compound is in one capsule. Companies can make the serving size one, two, three, or a hundred capsules–as big or small as they want.
To determine omega-3 content, simply take the amount of EPA or EPA plus DHA per serving, as listed on the label, and divide it by the serving size to determine how much omega-3 is in each capsule. That’s not understood well by many people. It is important that people read labels carefully. They get fooled.
The FDA requires that supplement manufacturers list the ingredients or nutrients by serving size. But the company can put in any serving size they want, so it may look like there is a lot of EPA, for example, in a product, but the serving size may be 10 capsules. Consumers should be sure to divide whatever value is in the column for the amount of EPA by the number of capsules in a serving, and read labels carefully.”
Further information on recommended intake can be gathered from the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids.
So what can we extract from this?
Well, first, it’s best to follow the guidelines presented on the high-EPA supplement you choose. That being said, most providers of high-quality EPA supplements recommend between 1g - 2g EPA per a day.
Generally Recommended Amounts for Children
Oxford University’s Dr. Alexandra Richardson has written quite a bit on the benefits of fatty acid supplementation for children, especially those suffering from dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrom and autism. On November 7, 2003 at the 6th Nutrition and Health Conference in Brussels, Belgium, she presented her current dosage recommendations:
|
Decisive Characteristic
|
Recommended Amount
|
| Dyslexia and Dyspraxia | 500 mg EPA/day |
| ADHD | 1,000 (1g) EPA/day |
|
|
For a more thorough overview, please see Useful applications of Omega-3 fatty acids, part 2: behavioral problems, learning difficulties, immunomodulation by Dr. Apr. Geert Vergote.
Note: Your child does not have to be considered dyslexic, dyspraxic, etc. to benefit from fatty acid supplementation. The Middlesbrough Trial has already demonstrated that high-EPA supplementation benefits kids of all abilities. (I can definitely say they have been of great benefit to my two sons.)
If you are considering supplementing your children with high-EPA and they do not present with any specific behavioral or learning condition, between 250 mg - 500 mg of EPA should suffice.
Explains educational psychologist and lead researcher Dr. Madeleine Portwood on a recently televised BBC documentary:
“The results [of the Middlesbrough Trial] are now in and they have exceeded my expectations. Children who were already functioning well above their age, for example, an 8-year old reading at a 13-year level. Three months into the trial, he was reading at a 17-year level. Certainly the trend is suggesting that children of all abilities are achieving their full potential.”
How Long Does it Take to Work?
High EPA fish oil is not a quick-fix and does not work overnight. In my case, I began to feel significantly better after 6 weeks and once I titrated my dose to 2g daily. Leading lipid researchers recommend sticking with a regimen for 3 months before evaluating its efficacy.
Says Dr. Matti Tolonen, MD, University Of Helsinki, and author of “Vitamins and Minerals in Health and Nutrition ” (Ellis Horwood, New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, Tokyo, Singapore):
Scientific studies into the incorporation of essential fatty acids in the cells’ membranes – for instance the heart cells – suggest that a period of about one months is required to remedy a deficiency in omega-3 fatty acids and fully renew the tissue. In neurological and psychiatric conditions, the time required may be longer, between 3 and 6 months, and sometimes, e.g., in schizophrenia, even longer. It is therefore recommended to take EPA regularly for three months in order to appreciate its full effect. Some indiviuduals, however, observe improvements in the first weeks.”
The Importance of Antioxidants
According to Hardvard Researcher Dr. Andrew Stoll, antioxidants, such as Vitamins E and C, may prevent Omega-3 fatty acid oxidation in the body by preventing the formation of lipid peroxides. (Lipid peroxides are the products of chemical damage done by oxygen free radicals to the polyunsaturated fatty acids of cell membranes.)
Preventing this oxidation process could potentially help to maintain higher levels of Omega-3s in the body.
Stoll recommends 400-800 IU per day of vitamin E per day and anywhere from 500 to 1000 mg per day for vitamin C. He also mentions the possibility of including Co-enzyme Q10 in this regimen.
Wondering why he mentioned this, I sought out research relating to Co-enzyme Q10 and EPA. In doing so, I found a patent filed by the late Dr. David F. Horrobin, a pioneer in fatty acid research and founder of two preeminant research journals, Medical Hypothesis and Prostaglandins, and Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids. Check it out, if you’re interested.
From what I understand, the additional of CoQ10, along with other antioxidants, alleviates potential oxidative complications posed by EPA at high doses. See “Peroxidation of LDL from combined-hyperlipidemic male smokers supplied with omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants” for more details.
Other researchers also support the notion of supplementing high-EPA fish oil with other micronutrients to prevent oxidation and ensure that enzymes and enzyme-mediated conversions function properly in the body. For example, Professor Basant K. Puri suggests in his books, The Natural Way to Beat Depression, Chronic fatigue Syndrom: A Natural Way to Beat M.E. and Attention Deficit Disorder: A Natural Way to Treat ADHD, that people using high-EPA fish oil should additionally supplement with folic acid, vitamin B6 vitamin B12 niacin, biotin, vitamin C, zinc, selenium and magnesium.
So what do I do for myself? I take 2g EPA daily. My children take between 500 mg and 1g EPA daily (depending on their age and requirements) and my husband takes 1g EPA daily.
In addition to taking high-EPA fish oil and a standard multi-vitamin, we also take:
You can find comparable products to these at your local drugstore or supermarket. Read the product labels for recommended daily amounts.
Note for People Taking Anti-coagulants and Other Medications:
Dr. Stoll further states in his book:
Anyone taking an anticlotting agent such as warfarin (Coumadin), or high doses of aspirin and related drugs, should talk to their health-care provider before taking omega-3 and vitamin E so they can be monitored for safety. In addition, anti-obesity medications that block the absorption of fats, such as Xenical, can also interfere with omega-3 absorption.
Under no circumstances should you lower or discontinue your medication by yourself. In some cases, individuals, working closely with their clinicians, have been able to lower the dosage of their medication. Also, although omega-3 is essential during pregnancy, I strongly recommend that women work with their health-care provider on using the supplements. If your health-care provider is unfamiliar with the importance of omega-3 and its benefits, youcan help to educate him or her and thus benefit others.
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