What omega 3 dose have you found helpful?

[Anonymous]

Everyones talking about omrga 3s as a treatment fort adhd, even Dr. Sears (the Zone). He recomends 10g of combines EPA and DHA a day for ADHD. That seems a lot. What dose have you found helpful?

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[JimC.]

I’m taking a single capsule @ 1,000mg (1g) / day and have for about 2 years now. I can’t say it makes any difference, but I believe it will help general brain health regardless. FWIW the mfr recommends 3 caps with a meal, which would be 3g. I did that for a while then cut back to just one, and notice zero difference. 10 grams seems high but what do I know?

“Research shows that omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation and may help lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and arthritis. Omega-3 fatty acids are highly concentrated in the brain and appear to be important for cognitive (brain memory and performance) and behavioural function.

Source: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-3-000316.htm#ixzz2DeBeJppD

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[Anonymous]

Interesting article. It does say max 3g to prevent bleeding problems.

Also found the end blurd about possibly preventing ulcers from NSAID use.

Maybe I’ll try the 3g (instead of 10) for a bit and see what that does.

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[Anonymous]

I take OmegaMint, it is 1500mg daily of EPA and DHA. I don’t know if it has helped, but I know it is minty flavored so you don’t get the fishy smell, and is purified to get all those pcb’s and toxic metals out that accumulate in fresh water fish. I’m very happy with this product and used it for years, they sell it everywhere

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[Anonymous]

I noticed something while shopping for omega 3’s the other day. The amount of fish oil is not the same as the amount of EPA/DHA. My omega 3 is 1065 mg fish oil but about 630mg omega 3. Which is a better ratio than some of the ones I was looking at the other day.

I’ve read that it is “risky” to take more than 3g, as it can cause blood thinning and bleeding disorders. Does that mean 3g omega 3 or 3g combined fish oil?

Second question is could there be a biomedical reason for omega 3 deficiency? Like fat malabsorption. Or an enzyme deficiency impeding omega 3 metabolism?

And how can I find out?

I’m so confused :-s

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[JimC.]

This is far from scientific, but it’s a start. Try Googling some other sources for “safe Omega 3 doses”

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/daily-dose-omega-3

All he says is a minimum of 600mg of DHA, and that EPA “is absorbed” Makes a very valid point about different levels of ingredients depending on type of fish, brand of supplement. Find a good supplier of supplements you trust and then seek out the best Omega 3 you want. Good luck, Jim

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[JimC.]

thought I better check out some data that isn’t on TV, just in case. this is a bit brief, but seems to indicate that those with learning disabilities do better on supplements than those that do not. My words, not theirs, Hope this might be of informational help? Jim

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22541055

Nutrition. 2012 Jun;28(6):670-7. Epub 2012 Apr 25.

Eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids, cognition, and behavior in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a randomized controlled trial.

Milte CM, Parletta N, Buckley JD, Coates AM, Young RM, Howe PR.

Source

Nutritional Physiology Research Centre, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To determine the effects of an eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)-rich oil and a docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-rich oil versus an ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid-rich safflower oil (control) on literacy and behavior in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in a randomized controlled trial.

METHODS:

Supplements rich in EPA, DHA, or safflower oil were randomly allocated for 4 mo to 90 Australian children 7 to 12 y old with ADHD symptoms higher than the 90th percentile on the Conners Rating Scales. The effect of supplementation on cognition, literacy, and parent-rated behavior was assessed by linear mixed modeling. Pearson correlations determined associations between the changes in outcome measurements and the erythrocyte fatty acid content (percentage of total) from baseline to 4 mo.

RESULTS:

There were no significant differences between the supplement groups in the primary outcomes after 4 mo. However, the erythrocyte fatty acid profiles indicated that an increased proportion of DHA was associated with improved word reading (r = 0.394) and lower parent ratings of oppositional behavior (r = 0.392). These effects were more evident in a subgroup of 17 children with learning difficulties: an increased erythrocyte DHA was associated with improved word reading (r = 0.683), improved spelling (r = 0.556), an improved ability to divide attention (r = 0.676), and lower parent ratings of oppositional behavior (r = 0.777), hyperactivity (r = 0.702), restlessness (r = 0.705), and overall ADHD symptoms (r = 0.665).

CONCLUSION: ❗

Increases in erythrocyte ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, specifically DHA, may improve literacy and behavior in children with ADHD. The greatest benefit may be observed in children who have comorbid learning difficulties.

Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PMID: 22541055 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]

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[Anonymous]

That’s interesting about omega 3 joint lubrication and imflamation (I have had joint pain since high school and constant inflamation).

I found this other article about omega 3 / omega 6 ratio:

http://chriskresser.com/how-much-omega-3-is-enough-that-depends-on-omega-6

He states “any recommendation for n-3 intake that does not take the background n-6 intake into account is completely inadequate.”

Aparently omega 6 oils block the absorption of omega 3. So just increasing omega 3 might not be enough.

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[Anonymous]

Haha, didn’t see the second post. That’s a good one too. But does it say the dosage used?

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[JimC.]

I’m no doc, but looking for a magic number of correct dosage isn’t likely to fix us all. I believe it’s more of a moderated approach and a healthy diet approach, rather than looking for a magic bullet. If there was one, it probably would have been found by now. My impression is that an appropriate amount of O-3 fatty acids can help learning disabled kids a bit, and may also deflect some of the co-morbidites such as impulsive oppositional defiant disorder. AND it seems to work where other meds do not help, so that IS a positive.

“This study indicated that raising DHA levels was the key factor. However, it may not be necessary to focus on a high DHA to EPA product. A fish oil providing a more balanced level, e.g., 2:1 EPA to DHA ratio may have shown similar results to the high DHA oil. A dosage of 3,000 mg of such a ratio would provide the same dosage of DHA used in the study.

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[Anonymous]

The reason I ask the dosage used is because any studies I remember seeing showing a benefit, were over 4 grams omega 3 I think (in the supposedly unsafe zone).

Though if omega 6 blocks omega 3, and the western diet has increased vegetable fats considerably over the last 100 years, then it makes sense that less is being absorbed so more is needed.

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