Choosing fish oil supplements

November 3, 11:24 PMPortland Nutrition ExaminerAmy Tung

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Fish oil supplement

Amy Tung

Omega -3 fats have received a lot of attention for their far-reaching benefits from preventing heart disease, cancer, and cognitive decline to treating depression and arthritis. For those who do not consume at least 2 servings of fatty fish per week may need fish oil supplements to reap the benefits of omega-3 fats.

What's in it?

Fish oil supplements contain eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA), which are long chain omega-3 fatty acids that are not produced by the body, and have to be obtained from food. Both EPA and DHA have anti-inflammatory properties.

Sources

There are different types of fish oil supplements, including salmon, sardine, anchovy and cod liver oil. Salmon oil typically has the highest concentration of EPA and DHA. However, there are fish oil concentrates that contain more EPA and DHA per pill which means you can takefewer pills. The amount of EPA and DHA between brands can vary quite a bit, make sure you check the labels.

What to look for

Since omega-3s are polyunsaturated fat and are prone to oxidation, choose fish oil supplements that contains Tocopherol (Vitamin E) for a more stable product. The Council for Responsible Nutrition, a dietary supplement trade association, establishes voluntary standards for purity and quality. Environmental Defense, a non-profit organization, uses these criteria to evaluate fish oil supplements, and their findings are available on their website, Oceansalive.org, under fish oil supplements.

Don't get side tracked

There are omega-3 supplements that contain ALA, a plant-derived short chain omega-3 fat which is converted to EPA and DHA in the body. However, the conversion of ALA to EPA is modest (1%), and the subsequent conversion of EPA to DHA is also very low. Therefore it is best to choose fish oil supplements that contain only EPA and DHA.

Dosage

For general health, the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (SFFL) recommends 650 mg of combined EPA and DHA, with a minimum of 220 mg from each. For those with documented heart disease, 1g (1000mg) of combined EPA and DHA is recommended by the American Heart Association.

Resources:

The American Heart Association

Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD. The Ultimate Omega-3 Diet. McGraw-Hill, 2007.

Arterburn LM et al. Distribution, interconversion, and dose response of n-3 fatty acids in humans. A, J Clin Nutr, 2006, 83; 1467S-76S