Fish oil

[pegkerr]

For a variety of reasons, it seems that adding fish oil to my family's diet would be a Good Idea (some of us have elevated triglycerides, some have depression, some are prone to eczema, and it would be protective for me for breast cancer, too). Since half of the family adamantly refuses to eat fish, I'm interested into fish oil capsules. What should we look for in choosing fish oil capsules--are there any industry standards we should look for, to avoid mercury or PCB contamination, etc? Any advice for finding it, in non-contaminated form, reasonably priced? Are you taking fish oil? Has it helped you?

Comments

[emerdavid.livejournal.com]

I've been taking fish oil capsules for a few years now, to help control my cholesterol. And yes, it has definitely helped. My major piece of advice is to look for capsules that are "enteric coated". This prevents fish-tasting burps.

Walgreen's carries a few different brands, and frequently has 2-for-1 sales.

[avengangle.livejournal.com]

I was going to mention that, too. Fish-flavored burps are . . . icky.

[papersky.livejournal.com]

You can avoid it by taking them right before meals too.

[mizzlaurajean.livejournal.com]

There are some varieties I believe made with algae instead of actual fish.

I've taken it for bruising and it seemed to help and I think I generally felt healthier. My problem with it is that the pills tend to be too large.

[mizzlaurajean.livejournal.com]

The best mainstream least expensive brand is Natures Gate found pretty much everywhere.

I like the Wedge's store brand because there is the added insurance they are not made with crappy cheep ingredients, sweetners, stabilizers etc. they are certainly more expensive then others but less expensive then a lot of other all natural brands.

[hiddenhibiscus.livejournal.com]

I don't know if you have a Trader Joe's nearby, but I love their odorless fish oil caplets. They are large, but produce minimal burps.

I'm not sure how your girls will take them, and I am now wanting to find a more kid-friendly fish oil supplement because my daughter's eczema has flared. I'll be watching here for any good suggestions.

[mizzlaurajean.livejournal.com]

You know I did see some gummie ones for kids. Both at Target and the Wedge.

[hiddenhibiscus.livejournal.com]

Oooh, thanks for the tip!

[trogon.livejournal.com]

I'm taking the Trader Joe's odorless fish oil capsules. The most important thing for me was to find capsules that are "molecularly distilled", meaning they're pure -- no mercury or other nasty contaminants.

[darius.livejournal.com]

I don't know about industry standards to avoid contamination, but some brands label themselves as distilled (sometimes in the fine print), and I only consider those. No particular advice on which; I just see what's at the store and choose the lowest price per gram of omega-3's.

Flaxseed oil seems to have similar benefits; I take it by pouring some on some toast and eating it with my nose clipped with a swimmer's noseclip. It tastes fine taken in that admittedly strange way.

Seth Roberts has posted a bunch: http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/category/nutrition/omega-3/omega-3-directory/

[darius.livejournal.com]

(And yes, it's made a noticeable difference to my health.)

[tigergladys.livejournal.com]

I have been taking fish oil capsules for a few months, to help with eczema. I get them from Trader Joe's. My skin has visibly improved in the time that I've been taking them.

[enegim.livejournal.com]

I take Coromega--not capsules, little foil packets, but somehow they make the oil taste not quite so bad, and I don't get the fishy burps that I did with regular cod liver oil. (I take this form because of some medical issues that make this more digestible than standard capsules.) And yes, it's made a noticeable difference in my health.

[cindysilver.livejournal.com]

I use these too, they taste good, like orange yogurt. :)

[barondave.livejournal.com]

I take generic Omega-3 capsules. Seems to cut to the chase, and avoids the fishiness aspect.

[musicbearmn.livejournal.com]

I would be careful. I was taking them for a while, but the problem is that I aspirate the ever-so-lovely smell, so I had to quit taking them. Its one of the down sides.

[akamarykate.livejournal.com]

I tried taking the fish oil capsules...for one day. I could not STAND the burps. Switched to flax seed for Omega3s and have been happy with both the effects and the lack of aftertaste.

[madlori.livejournal.com]

Flax is a great alternative to fish, although fish-based products are slightly better for you because it provides the precise GHA that your body needs, whereas flax provides a substance that your body uses to MAKE the GHA it needs. Fish do this step for you, so it's a more efficient intake than flax.

[madlori.livejournal.com]

I take fish oil and it's great. But here's the thing...

DO NOT TAKE FISH OIL CAPSULES.

Theyr'e disgusting. You will end up with the dreaded "fish burps." Essentially the capsules are gel surrounding fish oil, and when they dissolve in your stomach, every time a little air comes up, you'll taste really nasty fish oil in the back of your throat.

There are ways around this. Several companies have made really great fish oil supplements that don't taste like fish at all. Check out Barlean's, a company that grows their own fish products.

This is what I take: http://www.barleans.com/omega_swirl.asp

It's a smooth thick liquid that you can just take straight from a spoon, and it doesn't taste remotely like fish. It's a leetle on the pricey side, granted. But there are other products like CorOmega that do the same thing.

[whiskeychick.livejournal.com]

Bean and I take them. I have yet to find a very small capsule, therefore, cannot get the rest of the family to take it. I had a heart attack in July '07; so I take it for cardio health. Bean has been taking it since age 7 for mood stability. He'll probably outlive us all.

[whiskeychick.livejournal.com]

i have yet to have a problem with fish burps. But I drink lots and lots of water, too.

[purplejavatroll.livejournal.com]

Molecularly distilled is what you want, as PCBs can be an issue. Something that actually tells you how much DHA and EPA it contains is good. I take little orange chews from Webber, as I found the normal capsules made me queasy. They are more expensive, sadly.

[papersky.livejournal.com]

I've been taking them for decades, for arthritis. I find they work best if I don't take them every day, but rather two weeks a month -- that's for arthritis, no idea about other benefits. I usually take 7 Seas capsules, just from habit, and avoid fish burps -- which aren't as awful as other people make out -- by taking them immediately before dinner.

[eeknight.livejournal.com]

I'm hardcore. I do the fish oil itself, right into a tablespoon and down it goes. That's how we roll in the Norweigian hood, baby.

[qwyneth.livejournal.com]

My family takes the Trader Joe's odorless with dinner and we've yet to have a problem with burps or fish taste. We take them a couple days a week though, because we're terrible at remembering vitamins every day.