Fish oil

Can someone shed some light on this subject please, is there a specific type or just bog standard fish oil caps? What are the benefits?

I've read a lot about how Omega 3 Fish Oil can help with moods. I take them daily. They have a lot of other health benefits, as well. There's a lot of info you can find on the Internet about it. I can PM you some sites I've come across.

Ask your pdoc if it's OK for you to take them along with any other meds you may be taking before taking them. If you do take them make sure it's the kind that minimizes fish burps because fish burps are gross

There's no standard. Different companies produce different products with different levels of purity and different amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. They also all seem to recommend different daily dosages. Before you buy anything, be sure to read the label. Look at the amount of fatty acids in it. Look at the amount of EPA and DHA, the fatty acids associated with health benefits, listed (they may not actually be listed, like with the stupid Costco brand ones I got ). The amount of EPA and DHA are what's really important, not the amount of fish oil or omega-3's. I would suggest that you look up the studies on whatever benefits you want to get from fish oil. The amount you should take will depend on the amount that the studies show to be effective for that particular benefit. You will most likely be taking more than the recommended dose on the bottle, given that those recommendations aren't really based on anything, and multiple fish oil "pills". Take them evenly throughout the day so that you don't have too much in your system at once.

Be careful with fish oil though. Like anything, it can be harmful in too high a dosage and can cause intestinal bleeding. It's best to consult a doctor before you really try to work with the rather high dosage of omega-3 fatty acids that are correlated with decreased depression and aggression.

Hi splat,

I did some study on this recently for Uni. They don't know exactly why it might help, but enough research has been done to say there could be some benefits in treating depression. If you haven't found anything else helpful it's worth a shot.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4013121/

That link is for a fairly recent study. It's pretty dull reading, but just reading the conclusion sums it up I suppose.

Like AngelTears said though make sure you mention it to your doctor, even though it's natural supplement.

Thanks all. Visit to the doc it is and look at the contents on what ever brands i can find around for comparison.

Sounds like a good plan, Splat! If you doc says it is OK I recommend the Sundown brand that minimizes fish burps. It is what I take and I have felt the difference!

I saw a link to this in another thread - I was just wondering if anyone knew what sort of level of DHAs and EPAs would be useful? I'm veggie, so fish oil capsules wouldn't be ideal for me, but you can get algae-based ones (which is where the fish get it from apparently!). I've no idea what amount would be best though, and there are tons of them about.

I've often wondered if being veggie has contributed to the depression side of my illness getting worse, and I must admit I've considered going back to eating fish a few times. I did start taking some algae oil, but I've had to stop as it also contains vitamin D, and I'm on prescribed Vit D now for a deficiency.

I also was wondering if anyone had seen a dietician (for whatever reason) and whether it is easy to get to see one on the NHS (I'm UK based)?

I switched to krill oil after reading it's more easily absorbed and has more benefits than fish oil, but apparently there isn't much evidence to substantiate this, so who knows? one positive is that I never get the fish burps you get with some fish oils. both are definitely beneficial though and a worthy supplement to add to your routine. I've taken them regularly for about 4 years now.

eschersstaircase wrote:I've often wondered if being veggie has contributed to the depression side of my illness getting worse, and I must admit I've considered going back to eating fish a few times. I did start taking some algae oil, but I've had to stop as it also contains vitamin D, and I'm on prescribed Vit D now for a deficiency.

do you take a vitamin B complex? pretty sure vitamin b comes mostly from animal products and low vitamin b is linked to depression and low energy, so it could very well be affecting you that way.

I'm an ovo-lacto vegetarian, so I still eat eggs and dairy, although I think one of the b-vits might be quite low in these (b5 or b6 maybe?). Often it's b12 that affects veggies and vegans, but I do eat a lot of dairy. Cheese and milk are the reasons why I could never go vegan !

I always thought krill was a type of fish?

If it one day comes out that all people with BPD used to eat fish and potatoes when they were kids and that they have to start eating fish and potatoes again in order to become healthy I'm going to stab all the scientists in the world dead with spoons.